AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Do not fall for it. Do not fall for it. He left you without even a backwards glance. The connection you thought you had was just bullshit.
No matter how much I try, I don’t believe a single word of those thoughts. Or maybe I just hope they’re not true.
You won’t know for sure unless you give him a chance.
Damn it; not helpful.
“Ink,” he murmurs softly, a reverence in his voice that has my heart pounding in my chest. “First, let me tell you that I’m so fucking sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up without me next to you after the night we spent together.”
I cut off whatever else he’s going to say because I’m not sure I want to hear that the night we spent together was less than what I thought it was at the time. “It’s fine, Kade. You don’t owe me an apology. I get it,” I don’t stop even when it looks like he’s about to say something, “it was just one night together.”
“No,” he barks forcefully. Then his large hands, calloused from the work he does, are cupping my face. “That’s bullshit,” his aquamarine eyes are boring into mine, the intensity of them pleading with me to listen and to believe. “What we shared was sure as hell more than just one night together and I sure as fuck owe you an apology.” When I allow myself to look at him, really look at him, I can see the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I told you that I was supposed to go back to work a week later.” When he pauses to make sure that I’m with him, I nod. “I was awoken by my phone ringing. I ignored it at first, but then it kept ringing. I didn’t want to wake up you and stepped out of the room.”
My heart sinks. Have I been pissed off this whole time because of an emergency? Something clicks inside of me with the way he’s looking at me.
With a slump of my shoulders, I whisper, “You were called back to work early, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, Ink,” he mutters. “Someone got hurt and they needed me to head back out early.”
“Then you don’t owe me an apology, Kade,” I insist. “An emergency is just that and you have to act fast.”
“No, Emery,” his voice is a gentle caress against my skin before wrapping around my battered heart. “I should have left a note. Hell, I should have woken you up and told you that I needed to leave and made sure to get your number before leaving.” He lets out a woosh of breath. “I missed you so fucking much.”
“You can’t always think of everything when faced with an emergency,” I argue.
Knowing that he missed me, and regrets leaving without a word or note to wake up to soothes something inside of me. I hated the thought that the night we spent together didn’t mean as much as I believed it did. I hated feeling disposable.
Honestly, I was starting to doubt myself. Because how could I have gotten it so wrong?
I wasn’t a fan of how disappointed I was that he was gone. It was easier to stoke the anger inside of me instead of the feelings of hurt. They sure as hell were there though.
And I can’t deny that I couldn’t stop thinking about him for the last three months.
I might be relieved that he’s apologized and explained himself, but that doesn’t mean I can let him completely off the hook right away.
He did leave without thinking of me in that moment. He’s right—that’s not okay.
His hands slide from my cheeks, over my jaw and down my neck. “That might be true, but I won’t let that shit happen again. I’m going to prove to you that you’re my priority.”
His words are practically fucking crazy since we only spent that one night together three months ago, but they also ring true. When I start to shake my head, he gives me a look that tells me not to argue with him.
“I’ll show you,” he promises before kissing my forehead.
Damn forehead kisses. Talk about my kryptonite. Why are they so damn potent? He might as well be waging chemical warfare.
Even though part of me believes him, words slip from my lips, “How can you show me? Your job is important, and shit happens. If you get called again for someone, I expect you to prioritize that.”
Kade shakes his head slowly, but he doesn’t look away from me or break the connection between us with our eyes. “I told you how long I’ve been working on rigs, right?”
“Yeah, ten years,” I rattle off like it wasn’t a small point from three months ago. “You would have chased your dreams if your dad didn’t pass away.”
Hell, the entire night is branded on my soul.
His voice is thick, “Yeah, Ink.” He swallows hard, his voice pained, “Mom is demanding as fuck. She’s stuck in her ways and refuses the club to help with expenses even though they’ve offered many times through the years. I’m pretty sure she thinks that if she puts me in a position where I feel like I have to be out on the rig, then she’s keeping me away from the club which she blames for Dad’s death.”
I blink at the man in front of me while having trouble processing what he’s saying. His mom used him as a meal ticket. She pushed him into a future that wasn’t about making him happy. No, she pushed her own fucking agenda.
Rage scorches through me and my hands fist on my lap. “She made you feel like you didn’t have any other choice?”
