Page 39 of Shattered Union

Dad's eyes darken. "And what do you want?"

"I want him, I really do. But, I can't be the other woman. I'm not even sure what would happen if he really ended his marriage. He lied to me, Dad, it's not something I'll be able to forgive easily."

He nods in understanding. "After that fucking shit with Keith, I never thought you'd be happy. Your ma and I thought the bastard had put you off relationships for good."

I sigh. "Why do I attract the arseholes? Cheaters, abusers. Why can't I find a nice guy? Someone who'll be honest and sweet."

Dad chuckles. "Callie girl. You'd be sick of sweet within a week. You need someone who'll keep you on your toes, someone who will challenge you. What you don't want is sweet."

I twist my lips as I pounder his words. "But, Dad, isn't there someone in between? A guy who can be sweet, but isn't a complete bastard, and will challenge me?"

"I hope so. I really do. You deserve better."

I nod. On that we agree.

"Now, we need to talk about Mav," I say, hoping to move away from the subject of my love life. Or lack of. "Did you know he's working for Uncle Jer?"

Dad's lips thin as his jaw ticks. "He's fucking what?"

I raise my hands, hoping to calm him down. "Dad, you know as well as I do, if you tell him not to do it, he's going to do it even more."

He sighs. "I hate you're right. But fuck, Jer? I can't believe that arsehole. I really can't. What is the bastard thinking? Your ma and I told him. We fucking warned him you kids were off limits."

"Dad, Stephen works for him too," I remind him of something he already knows.

Dad shoves his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "Yeah, he does, and I fucking hate it. Your ma even more so. But Stephen's different. He needs the thrill that comes with the work. Stephen has many sides to him, Callie. Some I hope that you'll never see. For Stephen, this is his way of life. For Maverick, this is a fun fucking time."

What Mam and Dad don't know and never will is that I know more about who Stephen truly is than anyone else in this world. Well, except for Freddie, those two are practically inseparable. Stephen is flawed, but it's not a bad thing. We all have our flaws. Stephen's is that he needs to kill, he needs to see the life leave someone's eyes. He craves it like we crave air. Knowing he's a killer and has murdered hundreds of people, it doesn't change how I feel about him. Stephen is my brother and I'll do anything I can to make sure he's safe. He'll always have my love.

The waitress comes over with our food, giving Dad a flirty smile as she does. One Dad ignores, which has the woman giving me daggers with her eyes. I scrunch up my nose at her. Nasty bitch. Dad's wedding ring sits on his left hand. He wears it with pride. Always has, always will. Women chose to ignore it. Dad would never cheat on my mam; that's not who he is.

"Thanks, Dad, I'm glad you came."

He smiles brightly at me. "Me too, Callie girl. I was worried about you. I still am, but now you know you can call and talk to me about it. Talk to your ma about it."

I nod. "I will, I promise."

He points his fork at me. "Eat up, or I'll eat it for you."

I glare at him. "Keep your filthy paws off my food."

Dad's chuckle has me smiling. I needed this today. I'd been missing Denis so much. There'd been a few times I’ve come close to texting him and giving in.

No, I need to get over him and move on with my life.

I can't live like this. I can't be the woman who prays that the man she loves ends his marriage. As much as I love Denis, I love and respect myself more.

12

Denis

Three months later

It's been twelve weeks. Three fucking months of not being able to touch her, kiss her, make love to her. It's torture. But I respect her wishes. Doing any of that would set us back. I've fucked up majorly with her. She doesn't trust me; I don't blame her. But I'm going to gain her trust back.

She's been working non-fucking-stop. I've had two men on her at all times. I need her to be safe. I need to know she's okay. Every night she works until closing and I wait in my car for her to come out. Michael follows behind her, making sure she gets home okay.

Not once in the past twelve weeks has she spoken to me. Not fucking once, and it kills me. All I want to do is press her up against the wall and kiss the shit out of her, making her remember exactly what we had and how fucking real it is.

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