“Oh no. We’re never letting you live that down,” Joey said with a broad grin.
“You’re really cutthroat, you know that?” Ariel asked.
“It’s good to see you letting go and being happy,” Evonne said.
“It feels good. Or it did. Not sure where I stand right now,” Ariel admitted.
“Why? What happened?” they chorused.
“This entire time, Hawk knew what was going to happen to Emmit and Linden and he never said a word. Do you know how stupid I feel?” Ariel said, clenching her fists.
“Tiny might’ve told him not to. That’s venturing into club business,” Juliette said.
“Not when it revol
ves around me. I’ve been walking around terrified. I know I put up a good front, but the nightmares and panic attacks are very real. I knew seeing a psychologist was out of the question when we’re supposed to be in hiding.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Joey cried.
“There was nothing to be done. It was something I needed to get through until I could get help. It’s better now, but there was no walking away from that mentally unscathed,” she admitted.
“Did anyone know?” Evonne asked.
“Hawk. He would calm me down and help me breathe through the attacks.”
“Then does his omission really matter?” Joey asked.
“Of course! What else is he keeping from me?”
“Whatever he thinks would put you in danger. Things that are considered club business. You know how this works. Don’t be mad at him for keeping you safe. Trust me. They do the things they do for a reason,” Juliette said.
“I’m agreeing with her on that,” Joey said.
“Evonne?” Ariel said.
She swallowed. “My man isn’t as high up the totem as theirs, so it’s different for me. I’ll ask you this. Do you trust him?”
“I-I don’t know,” Ariel said
“Yes you do. When it comes to the things that matter most to you, do you trust him?” Evonne said.
“Yes…”
“Then what you’re hung up on isn’t important. There are going to be things he won’t tell you. It’s a part of being an old lady. I like the two of you together. Which shocks me because you two were like oil and water before. Maybe that was a side-effect of fighting the attraction. I don’t know. Either way I think you’ve both made one another better people. That’s the sign of greatness in a relationship. Don’t squander it because things don’t look exactly how you think they should. Talk to him,” Evonne said.
Ariel thought on their advice. It gave her a different angle to view the situation from. He’d do anything he thought was necessary to protect her. She couldn’t fault him for that. But I can speak to him about it.
“You’re right, E. I’ll do that tonight.”
“Good,” Evonne said with a smile.
“Well we didn’t get blood brothers, but I think what we managed to do is close enough,” Joey said.
Ariel laughed. “True. Not many people who grow up saying they were going to marry into the same family make it happen.”
“We’re special like that,” Juliette said with a wink.
“As much as I’d love to hang around today, I have a few errands to run now that the travel ban has been lifted. I want to check in on my mom and take a look at my condo.”