Page 58 of Flynn

You’re not good for her.

I shook my head. “Sofia, that’s not what this is. I—”

“Come on, big guy, it’s not that hard to admit, and it’s really not that scary. Not when she loves you right back.”

My gaze snapped to Sofia’s, and I could tell that she had no idea how much those words scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want to hurt her. Sofia continued talking before I could refute her claims.

“She never looked at Ellis or anyone else the way she looks at you. She’s playful with you, outgoing, fun. She’s more herself with you than she is with anyone else.”

I couldn’t think about this right now. I couldn’t let the idea take root. I needed to change the subject to something safer.

“What about you and Ellis?”

“Ellis and I will either work or we won’t. But there’s no deceit with us or anything extra we need to consider. I want you to think about your relationship with Ara, and how your life looks after this week if you go home without her. Is it a life you’re excited to go back to?”

When I didn’t answer right away, she sighed and leaned up topress a kiss to my cheek. “Just think about it, okay? And whatever you decide, please don’t break Chiara’s heart. She deserves to be happy, and I genuinely think you’re the one who can make her happy.”

Sofia watched me a moment longer before she joined the others back inside, but I remained frozen. I was on the edge of panicking and surrendering, and I didn’t know which way I would fall.

Chapter Fifteen

Chiara

I was never one to really drink and let loose.

Being raised with strict rules had helped with that, but because I partied with friends who did, I was the one taking care of them and making sure they got home safe. It was a hard habit to kick as an adult, because I was constantly worried that something bad would happen if I wasn’t watching over everyone else.

But not tonight.

Tonight, Trev and Flynn were walking casually around the club as the rest of us women danced and drank, and for what had to be only the second or third time in my life, I let myself secede all responsibility to someone else.

We were several drinks in, and while I wasn’t drunk, I had a nice little buzz going.

It was tempting to get completely wasted, and not just because of my situation with Flynn. The man was breaking my heart without even trying to, and it was a fight not to let myself fall into a pit of despair and drink away the pain.

But just to add to my confusion, I had Trevor’s words swirling around in my head, too.

I’d seen Carol talking to Flynn earlier in the lobby, and at the same time, Trevor came over to talk to me. I was fairly certain the two of them had planned a dual attack to get their point across, and I had to say, they were masters at planning an ambush.

I closed my eyes and gave myself up to the music as we danced, but my mind swung back to Trev’s words earlier.

“Chiara, do you have a moment?” Trev had asked.

“For you? Always,” I replied with a grin, stepping away with him. “What’s up? Are you still coming with us tonight as a part of the Bridal Party Guards?” I asked, having given them a proper title.

Trevor grinned. “Absolutely, sweetheart. I wouldn’t be able to rest well not knowing if you were all safe.”

I smiled and waited as the older man gathered his thoughts. Trev might have been getting up there in age, but he took care of himself. He still had muscle definition in his chest and arms, despite the little belly he now carried. The tattoos on his arms and chest reminded me of his past, and I wondered how the man I knew now had once been so dark. Trevor never wanted to talk about his past as a biker. We knew not all bikers were as bad as society would lead us to believe, but the group he’d been a part of weredefinitely notthe good kind. Anytime the subject came up, I felt a deep sense of shame from him for his past.

“You know, it’s been a while since Flynn has come home. But since he’s been here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him happier.”

At this line of conversation, my stomach sunk. We’d been lying to everyone this whole time, and I hated that Trev and Carol had bought our relationship just like everyone else. I felt guilty as all hell. Added to the fact that Flynn was thelastperson I wanted to talk about right now, I already regretted this conversation.

“Oh?” I said.

“Flynn can put on a good act on a normal day, but he seems lighter when he’s with you, more like his real self,” Trev continued, turning to look at me. “I haven’t seen that side of him in a long time.”

I struggled to keep my smile in place and wished someone would interrupt us. “I think he needed to see all of you again and remind himself he’s not alone,” I said, needing to speak some kind of truth.

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