“Fuck,” Nic breathes, pulling me tight again. “She’ll be alright. I can’t exactly speak for her, but she’s probably more angry at herself than at you. Just give her a moment to process it all and once you come out the other end, you’ll have an even stronger bond.”
“I don’t know,” I whisper. “She’s still hurting over the Dad being a Wolf bomb I dropped the other week. It seems like every time we’re in a room together, I say something that tears her apart.”
“Well, luckily you don’t have any more secrets to tell her.”
“It’s not like I’ve been particularly open about what I saw you do in your warehouse and what Colton did to Marco. Should I take this as turning a new leaf and start being honest?”
“Nope,” he says, his lips pulling into an amused grin. “You can go right ahead and keep those little details to yourself.”
“That’s what I thought,” I say, pulling out of his arms and drying the remaining tears off my face, feeling as though I have some level of control over myself despite the pain that continues spearing through my chest.
I’d do anything to feel Colton’s lips on mine just one more time.
“So,” Nic goes on. “What did you tell Milo?”
I look back at him, realizing this is his way of trying to figure out just how much Milo knows but he doesn’t need to worry. Milo understands that there are things in my life that I need to keep to myself. “Nothing,” I finally say. “I told him that I’d had a fight with Colton and just needed some breathing room. He was there when Mom found out about Jude, so he already knew about that.”
Nic nods, his only response a slight grunt of approval.
I slip off his lap and fold down between Nic and Sebastian on the couch, only I’m sitting on my phone and have to dig it out of my pocket. I glance down to find three unread texts from Colton and my heart instantly starts racing out of control again.
I slide my thumb over the screen, unlocking it, then opening the texts while holding my breath. Sure, I’m used to having screaming matches with Colton, and I’m more than used to putting him in his place, but this was different and I have no idea how either of us will handle it.
Colton - Where are you?
Colton - Please, Jade. Just let me know that you’re safe.
Colton - Are you with Nic?
A throat clears from across the room and my gaze sweeps up to find Eli’s guilty eyes on mine. “How long are you going to make him sweat it?” he asks cautiously, not wanting to set me off as he slowly begins his shitty way of sliding back into my life.
A sharp glare comes shooting out of me and settles on the turd who’s perched on the armrest beside his equally turdy friend. “As long as I need to,” I say, really trying to reign in my inner bitch who had her claws sharpened for this very moment. “But you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you? It’s been a while since you came round? I was expecting you to come groveling for forgiveness weeks ago.”
Eli shrugs his shoulders. “What can I say? I know the way you work, Ocean. You needed time to cool down before I came to you with an apology. Sebastian and Nic forced it on you and I knew you wouldn’t stand for another one of us doing that, so I’ve been very impatiently waiting. But surely you know how sorry I am. I hate that you’re hurt and I hate that you no longer trust me. I’d do anything to fix that.
I watch him for a second longer before turning my gaze on Kai. “And what about you?” I ask, watching the way he stares at me through narrowed eyes.
His brow arches and I see the reasons that have been flying through his mind since our falling out all ready to be thrown at me headfirst. “I haven’t been around to kiss your ass because I’m not fucking sorry,” he says blatantly. “Look, O, I’m going to be real with you because it seems that all these other motherfuckers don’t have the balls. Am I sorry that you had a shitty father? Hell yes, I am. Am I sorry that you were dealt a messed up hand and had all this awful shit happen to you? Yes. Am I sorry about the way you found out? Fuck yeah. But am I sorry that I kept the truth from you and allowed you the chance to have a real relationship with your father before he was killed? Something that none of us ever got the chance to have? No. Am I sorry helping Nic put surveillance in the house you were raped in? No.”
I raise a brow, silently watching him as he continues. “There is not a damn thing that I wouldn’t do to protect you and your innocence, even if it means having you hate me for it. I’m sorry that you got hurt and that the way it was dealt with made you lose trust in me, but I’m not fucking sorry for doing the things I did that kept you safe and happy.”
I keep my gaze locked on Kai and feel the emotions well up inside of me. He was brutally honest and I can’t deny that what he said made me feel somewhat cherished. He said what he had to say without bullshitting his way through it like the others had. He was real with me and I appreciate that despite the way he admitted to not being sorry for half the shit he did. I understand it though and for that, I'm grateful.
I rise out of my spot beside Sebastian and Nic and
