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I need to get over there.

After nodding to Tate, I work my way through the crowd, hoping to reach them before any guns or tasers are pulled out.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Lincoln asks, his voice unwavering and if I was Ash, this might be the point where I pissed my pants. My brother is an intimidating man even when he’s not trying but when he wants to be scary, I don’t know why anyone would challenge him.

“Y-Yeah,” Ash answers. “I’m Rowan’s boyfriend…”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I snap as I finally get to the front of the group and step up next to Lincoln. He flashes me a look of annoyance and arches a brow but I glance over my shoulder, meeting Travis’s gaze as he stands a few feet behind us. A hint of a smile tugs at his lips and color rushes to my cheeks before pain swarms my body and I turn away from him, training my gaze on Ash again.

“Row,” he whispers. Relief splashes across his face as he takes a step forward and reaches for me. Lincoln shifts his body in front of mine, acting as a barrier as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Hold up. You mean to tell me that my sister broke up with you and you followed her thirty-six hundred miles to Louisiana? Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kick your ass into next week, you little fuck.”

Ash holds his hands up like that is somehow going to calm my brother down and I bite back a laugh. Honestly, after what he did to me, it’s not even close to what he deserves but Lincoln doesn’t know about that. Ash should probably thank his lucky stars for that small miracle.

“I just want to talk to her.”

Lincoln takes a menacing step forward. “So you stalked her?”

“No!” he shouts, his voice cracking as he takes a step back and looks at all the other people around us like they’re going to help him. “It’s not like that.”

Sighing, I loop my finger through Lincoln’s belt loop and pull him back as I move to his side again and he flicks an annoyed glance down at me. Oh, well, he can just get over it.

“What do you want, Ash?”

His gaze snaps to mine and he smiles. “Hey, baby… can we go somewhere to talk?”

“Right here seems fine.”

“You…” he murmurs, glancing between my brother and me before he looks at all of the guys standing behind us. “You want to talk right here? In front of everyone?”

I nod, mimicking my brother’s pose as I arch a brow. I may not want Lincoln to kill him but that doesn’t mean I forgive him for what he did or trust him. “Sure. Why not?”

“It’s just that we need to talk… about what happened…” he says, running his hand through his hair as his gaze continues to bounce around the group. Tate steps up on the other side of Lincoln and he glances over at her, studying her for a moment, before turning back to glare at Ash.

“What happened?” he asks, his voice booming and full of threat as he turns and stares down at me with questions in his eyes. Shit. Maybe I should have been honest with Lincoln and told him what happened with Ash as soon as I got here but it seemed like the best move at the time. Then again, I’m not the one who brought it up so what do I have to feel guilty about? “Rowan. Don’t fucking test me. What happened?”

“I walked in on him banging my co-worker,” I admit, leveling a glare in Ash’s direction as he drops his gaze to the concrete before turning back to my brother. “But I don’t need you defending me, Lincoln. I can handle this.”

“Bull fucking shit. This little pissant is not going to disrespect my baby sister like that and then show up here like he has any fucking right to you. I’m done with this whole fucking conversation.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” someone whispers and I turn back to Ash as he sinks down to one knee and pulls a ring out of his pocket. His hand shakes violently as he holds it up to me and meets my eyes.

Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.

“Rowan Grace Archer,” Ash says as he wipes his free hand on his jeans. He honestly looks like he’s about to throw up and I take a tiny step back. “I think I’ve loved you since the first day I met you and I know I made a huge mistake but you’re my world…”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Lincoln growls and I peek back at all of the people behind us, searching the group for the one person I want to see more than anyone else but he’s gone. Frowning, I turn back to Ash as he continues his proposal but my mind spins with thoughts of Travis.

“Everything since you left has been awful and I realized just how much I need you in my life. I want to spend forever with you, baby, and I’ll do anything to make you happy. Will you marry me?”

He can’t be serious.

Right?

I mean, not once since I walked out of the apartment that night have I given him the impression that there was ever a chance between us so it makes no sense that he’s here, down on one knee and asking me to marry him. And if I didn’t know I was in love with Travis before, I sure as hell would now since I can’t seem to push thoughts of him from my mind. Shaking my head, I take a step forward and cover his hand with mine before pushing it down. “Ash… no.”

“No?” he asks, bewildered, and I shake my head again as his gaze bounces around the group. There’s no way he’s surprised by my answer…. Right? He jumps to his feet and stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “No?!”

“Hey, she gave you an answer,” Lincoln snaps. “Which seems like more than you deserve and now it’s time for you to leave.”

“Whatever. I should have known better than to try and make a whore into a house wife,” he snarls, his eyes burning a hole through me with their hatred before he turns his glare to my brother and smiles. “You know she was a stripper, right?”

My stomach drops and I gasp, taking a step back as Lincoln lunges at Ash, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him toward the gate with no regard for the protestors out front. My heart races as I watch them. Ash knew damn well that my brother had no idea what I was doing for work in Alaska and as I think about what Lincoln is going to say when he gets back, my stomach rolls.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Tate whispers, wrapping her arm around my shoulders, and I notice that everyone else has moved away from us, pretending that they’re minding their own business when clearly, they’re not. Glancing over at Tate, I shake my head.

“I never wanted him to know.”

She nods. “I know but he’ll get over it, sweetie. He loves you way too much not to.”

We watch Lincoln stop in front of the gate and punch in the code before sliding it open and tossing Ash out into the protestors as their screaming gets louder. After shutting the gate again and making sure it’s locked, he marches back over to us and I take a step forward as my heart pounds so fiercely it feels like it’s going to smash into my rib cage.

“Lincoln…”

He holds a hand up to stop me but doesn’t say a word as he turns and stomps into the clubhouse. The door slams and Tate follows after him, flashing me a reassuring look as tears sting my eyes. I turn to look at Ash as he stands on the other side of the fence, smirking at me like he’s enjoying watching my whole life fall apart around me. Turning away, my gaze lands on Warren in the middle of the crowd and just like on the roof, it seems like he’s looking right at me and I glance over to where Travis was standing before he disappeared as a tear slips down my cheek. I’ve never felt more alone in my life and for the first time in a month, I wonder if coming to Baton Rouge was a mistake.