Page 77 of Falling for Her

She had me raped, that is what it was, while I was pregnant with Trish. He entered me and thrusted twice. It was rape, not attempted or sexual assault, rape.

I don’t want her to apologize, and I don’t want her around me or my family, and that is not me holding a grudge. That is me keeping my mental health intact.

“Tell me the truth, angel,” Damian demands gently, “Don’t lie to me like you have been to the club the past few weeks.” He turns me in his arms, my bump squishing against his abs, and we lock eyes and instantly just like always, I’m entranced by how much love I hold for this one man though I quickly snap out of it when he states, “You left your laptop on this morning.”

Ah, crap.

I swallow hard and look around him to the table to find Bullet watching. I sigh as he tilts his head and raises a brow before stating, “You are not moving off club property or taking those kids,” making everyone at the table look everywhere else but at me.

Dammit….

I shake my head and look at a very pissed-off Damian.

“One, you had no right to invade my privacy,” I state sternly, pointing my finger at him. “We promised not to do that to each other because we trust each other after you ruined your surprise for our first wedding anniversary at that hotel,” I say, and he sighs, but I continue, “And two, I won’t let the club choose.”

“It isn’t a choice, Essy,” he snaps, and I raise a brow, but he doesn’t calm down, “You are my wife, my old lady, the mother of my children, fuck we have another child on the way, and you are looking at moving out?!”

I narrow my eyes and snap back, “Language, Damian!”

He winces and looks behind him to see the kids jumping on Aiden and Levi. He sighs in relief, then looks at me and says calmly, “You are family, you are club, she is not.”

“She’s the president’s sister,” I retort, and Bullet chimes in as he walks over and unhelpfully reminds me, “She also had you raped after destroying Jokester's teenage years just because she wanted him even though he didn’t want her.”

“She wanted his cut and what it held within the club not him,” Butcher adds, and I jump, putting my hand to my chest as I look at him with shock. When in the hell did he get here?

He chuckles before kissing my head and says, “She may be my daughter, but you are family, and whether you like it or not, you come before her. This means that if you don’t want her at the club, then she won’t be there, so no more house hunting.”

I sigh, “Okay, fine. I don’t want her near me or my children—there I said it.”

The men chuckle, and Bullet reassures, “She won’t be going near you, Jokester, your kids, my kids, or Scarlett. She won’t be allowed on any club property, and I made it perfectly clear that she won’t be moving back on club grounds. If she wants a relationship, it will be away from the club. Every member has a choice, and honestly, most of the brothers have said no. She has no real job, working in and out of care facilities and cafés, so her timing is kind of suspicious, and I think she wants money. We’re going to take it slow, and she needs to prove herself, and even then, she won’t have any club relations, and while, yes, she is my sister, her past transgressions are too big to overlook.”

I nod, and a bit of guilt fills me that I know I shouldn’t feel.

Ten years with Damian, and I know I have no reason to feel guilty. The club has shown me daily what the kids and I mean to them, from always being at the bakery to watching the kids, having my back, and just treating me like family.

“And Dad is right,” he says, giving me a pointed look, “You are not leaving Jokester, it would kill him and we both know it would kill you too.”

I roll my eyes and admit, “I wasn’t leaving him, I was going to drag him with me.”

Bullet scowls as Damian replies, “There would have been no dragging, angel, I’d walk willingly.”

“Damn fucking Bethany,” both Bullet and Butcher mutter at the same time at Damian’s honesty, and I laugh but pause as Aiden shouts, “Butcher, I beat Cody at poker, doing exactly what you told me to do.”

My eyes widen at Butcher, who winces as Cody booms, “You are the one who taught him, not Slick?!”

“Fuck, my wife is going to kill me,” Butcher mutters and walks over to the table while Bullet, Damian, and I look at him wide-eyed.

“So Slick isn’t the one teaching him?” Damian asks while Bullet mutters, “When in the fuck did dad learn how to play poker like that?”

“I have a newfound respect for that man. I honestly thought it was Slick,” I chime in, “Unless it was both of them because Slick never denied it when he was accused?”

Bullet blinks, then looks at me and says, “You are not moving out, that house is your home, so stop looking. Bethany won’t be coming anywhere near club property, and if she shows up here, she’s done.” He looks at Damian, “Church at five,” and Damian nods as Bullet then mumbles, “I need to get some answers,” and walks over to his dad, and my man chuckles, knowing Butcher is about to be grilled.

“I still find it weird that a meeting is called church,” I say, “I mean, I know I read a lot, but I thought it was just all fictional.”

“Some of it is,” Damian says, and I look at the love of my life and raise a brow.

“Okay, so your club princess had me raped and you killed the man who raped me and don't get me started on the times you've come home covered in blood. How is most of it fictional?” I ask, and he chuckles, “Touché.”

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