Page 46 of Always Mine

“What the fuck?”Tabitha asked.

He held his hand up.“I’m not saying it hasn’t come at a cost.I know it has, but let’s face it, the club helped to take the decision right out of your hand.You can hate the Monster Dogs all you want, but without them, you would still be stuck trying to decide where your loyalty lies.”

“You just love keeping it real, don’t you?”she asked.

“I don’t love anything ...but her.”He took a sip of his coffee, and it was a pretty decent cup.

“Daisy will make it through,” Tabitha said.

He didn’t look at her, but glanced toward the bed.He had no idea how much longer Luke was going to be out of it.

“Why are you here and not at the hospital?”Anthony asked.

“I ...I had to make things right with you.”

“No, you didn’t.The only way you’re going to make things right with me is by being there for Daisy.I don’t give a fuck what is going on in your world, Tabitha.Not anymore.You mattered when you were a Skull.Now you don’t.”

“Wow,” Tabitha said.“That is how you feel?”

“You knew it was going to happen the moment Daisy became a second thought to you.”

She sighed.“That’s not fair.”

“That’s life.”

“Damn it, Anthony.I love Daisy, okay?Do you know why I didn’t come right away?”

“Do I look like I give a fuck?”

“Because Daisy needs someone to be strong and when I heard she was in the hospital and in a coma, I broke, okay?I just ...I wasn’t even here and Daisy was in the hospital.She has always had my back.I know what she is capable of.She knew when I needed her, even when I didn’t know I needed her.Through the hospital, through the pregnancy.Where everyone kept expecting me to end it, Daisy was there.She went with me to every single appointment.It got to the stage that people thought she and I were a couple.”

He looked toward Tabitha and saw the tears in her eyes.Daisy had often told him she would be with Tabitha through everything.

“She was there for me when I gave birth.”Tabitha sniffled.“No one knows this and Daisy didn’t tell you, but after I gave birth, I was not the first person to hold Nathan.I turned away from him, and Daisy held him first.She accepted him, but I knew there was a chance he was not Simon’s.It was Daisy who helped me see that no matter what, he was part of me.She loved him first.She accepted him first.That is my guilt to bear.”

Daisy had never told him that, but then he also never asked.She’d walked into his arms after it happened and just held him and asked if one day he wanted kids.One day, he would want everything with her, for her.That was never going to change.

“I needed to get my shit together because I knew over the years, I messed up.I know when it came to Daisy, I was more focused on putting you and her together, of being with Simon, of keeping the name for the Skulls.I didn’t put my all into our friendship, and yet Daisy gave everything.She is always giving everything, and I am always lacking.”

Anthony looked toward her.

“Daisy doesn’t even realize how special she is,” Tabitha said.“And hearing she was in the hospital and then knowing she was in a coma, it hurt.”

“She is going to get out of this.”

“I know for the world’s sake, she needs to get out of this coma, otherwise no one will be safe,” Tabitha said.

He had no doubt there were Monster Dogs still on the loose.If his father wouldn’t kill him, he would leave death and destruction within his wake and kill every last one of them before he put a bullet in his own head.

“Do you know that last Christmas, Daisy asked if I was in love with you?”Anthony said.

Tabitha gasped.“What?”

“Yep, she came right out and asked.”

“Why?”

“Because of my feelings for the Monster Dogs.”

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