She dropped her hands and stepped back. “I think we both have a lot of thinking to do.”
“I don’t need to think about it. I love you. I want us to be together.”
“No. You’re lying to yourself right now.” She kissed my cheek. “We’ll talk again the next time we see each other.”
“Shaw.” Not for the first time, she was making me feel helpless, and I didn’t know what the fuck to do. “Tell me you love me.”
She smiled, but it was sad. “I love you, Jags. More than anything. But I’m not going to give up something that is important to me for you or anyone else.”
Chapter 35
Shaw
Three Weeks Later
I closed the door to the car, locking Violet and Remington in moments before the driver pulled out onto the road. I breathed a sigh of relief, thankful my best friend had decided to go back to the airport with her boyfriend so they could take Nevaeh and Braxton home instead of staying for Lyric’s wedding reception.
I’d seen the look on Luca’s face as he’d watched Violet kiss Remington. The agony mixed with rage had been enough for me to know that if Luca got within ten feet of the other guy, someone would end up in the morgue before the end of the night. While I liked Remington, and suspected he could hold his own in most fights, I’d grown up watching what Luca could do on and off the football field. There was no way he wouldn’t have won that fight.
Thankfully, however, no one would have to watch Luca Thornton ruin his life yet again, this time by committing murder in front of so many witnesses.
Although, given the family his twin had just married into, I wondered if they would have just buried Remington’s body in the woods somewhere and gone about the rest of the night like nothing had happened.
The thought made me giggle as I walked into Hannigans’ where the reception was being held. It was a huge bar and, according to Lyric, the only one in the small town. It was owned by relatives of his new wife, and I was impressed by the layout and size of the place. It wasn’t in the least little bit what I would expect a biker hangout to look like.
Of course, it was decorated for a wedding reception, so maybe they had moved a lot of things out of the place to make room. But either way, it was still a really nice establishment that I would have probably talked Violet into sneaking into if it were closer to home.
The first person I saw was A
rella, who pulled me in for a hug since I hadn’t had time to speak to her at the wedding earlier. “This has been the most bizarre wedding I’ve ever been to,” she whispered. “It’s so much fun. I don’t think I ever want to leave this place.”
I snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure you would get bored five minutes after setting down roots here. And as much as we all love Lyric, I think you would want to be closer to your dad.” Plus, it was missing one key element I doubted she could live without.
Jordan Moreitti.
But I didn’t say that to Arella. I didn’t want to embarrass her or make her mad. She didn’t argue with me, though, as she grinned and spent a few minutes chatting with me until she got pulled into a conversation with someone else.
I spent the next half hour working my way around the room from one member of my “family” to another as they arrived. While I was congratulating Lyric and his beautiful new wife, he passed me a drink, and after one sip, I realized it was loaded with alcohol. I sipped it carefully, knowing I wasn’t likely to get another one if my parents found out what was in my glass.
“Well, hello there, beautiful,” a deep voice I didn’t recognize greeted. I turned my head to find a guy standing there who was a good six inches taller than me dressed in black dress pants and a simple white button-up shirt with a leather vest over it that I thought people in a motorcycle club called a cut. His jet-black hair, electric-blue eyes, and cocky grin made him sexy as hell, but I wasn’t the least bit affected. “I’m Max,” he introduced, offering me his hand.
I returned his easy grin and placed my hand in his, noticing how much bigger his was than mine. “Shaw.”
“If I tell you I already knew that, would it win or lose me points?” he asked, lowering his voice as he stepped closer.
Laughing, I shook my head at him. “Neither, I’m afraid. I’m kind of spoken for.”
“Damn.” He pouted for all of two seconds, the action making him that much more good-looking, if possible, before grinning again. “The good ones always are.” He lifted his chin at something over my head. “I’m guessing rocker boy over there is your man.”
I turned my head and met Jagger’s heated gaze over my shoulder. He was just walking through the door with his sister and brother-in-law, while behind him, his dad was carrying Emerson in her adorable flower girl dress. Jagger’s eyes drilled into me before his scowl turned to Max.
“That would be him,” I confirmed as I turned back to Max, and I gave a tiny shrug. “Supposedly.” I hadn’t seen Jagger since I’d left Miami for the job in Vancouver. We had texted a few times, but I’d been adamant that we not see or even speak on the phone until we were both sure of what we wanted.
I’d spent the three weeks away from him doing nothing but thinking. I knew what I wanted and what I was—and wasn’t—prepared to give up to get it. Whether he was willing to agree with that determined if I remained spoken for or not.
“Well, if it’s only supposedly, maybe you should drop his ass and move to Creswell Springs, beautiful.”
I snorted, not sure if I should take Max seriously or not. He didn’t seem all that invested in winning me over. As hot as he was, I doubted he couldn’t find all the companionship he could possibly want, and I figured this was just a game to him, like it was for most guys who tried to talk to me.