Page 88 of Rafe: Sins of the Father

While she does, I block his number on her phone, finishing just before she turns around.

“I can’t believe he’d leave.”

“Here.” I hand her phone back, then dig the ring box from my pocket and pop it open.

Her eyes widen, and her hand goes to her mouth. “You bought me a ring?”

“Forget him, Tori. Marry me. It will solve all your father’s problems. I can afford to rebuild everything for him. If not, your father is ruined.”

Her eyes lift from the ring. “Why would you rebuild the mill? You want the land. I thought you wanted to put another vineyard here.”

“I’ve abandoned that plan. There’s something I want more. You, beautiful Tori. You see how besotted you’ve made me? I’ll give up all my plans for you. If keeping this place makes you happy, then that’s what I want, too. We’ll rebuild it together, bigger and better. We can fix up this house. There isn’t a thing I wouldn’t give you, sweetheart. You must think of your father. You can solve all his problems with just one little word. Yes.”

“I… I can’t think about that now.” She takes a step back.

“Of course. You’ve had a shock. It’s a big decision.”

She walks to the window, staring at her phone. “Why won’t he answer my calls? Why would he just quit and leave?”

I come up behind her. “Maybe he left because he got what he wanted from you last night.”

She whirls, and her palm cracks across my cheek.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Rafe—

“Been a long time since I’ve had to bail one of you boys out of jail.” Cole leads me into the clubhouse.

“Thanks, Prez. Sorry for the trouble,” I say, following him inside.

“Well, there’s our little jailbird,” Red Dog says. “You doin’ okay, kid?”

“I’m fine.” I take a seat at the bar, and my brothers surround me. “Give me a tequila, Cody.”

He brings me a shot glass and carries the bottle over, pouring it in front of me.

“Thanks. Leave the bottle.”

“What the fuck happened?” Crash leans a hand on the bar next to me. “You left here this morning happy and in love. How the hell did you end up charged with arson by noon?”

I toss back the shot. “The mill was on fire when I arrived. Already almost burned to the ground. The fire department was there.” I drag a hand down my face. “Her father accused me of setting it the second I stepped off my bike.”

“Why?” my father asks, pushing in to the spot on my other side.

“Whoever set the fire was dressed like a biker. Head to toe leather and a full-face helmet.”

“No shit?” Green says.

“Tori stepped right up and gave me an alibi. She told her father about us. Stood right there in front of everyone and toldthem she was with me all night. It was something to see. She was fierce.”

“So, what happened?” Billy asks, his arms folded.

I swivel around to face him. “Her father flipped his shit. Sent her up to the house. Once she was out of sight, he fired me.”

“That’s a shitty deal,” TJ mutters.

“To top it all off, that fucker she was dating was there, too. He walks over and tells me he asked her to marry him the night he took her out. Said he wanted to walk across the street to the courthouse and do it right then, but he didn’t have a ring. Then he pulls it out of his pocket and shows it to me. Four fucking carats. Said it cost him half a million. How am I supposed to compete with that?”

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