Page 63 of Cash

I straightened up at his outburst. When he looked up at me, there was pity in his eyes. “I don’t need your fucking pity. I just need you to read the bottom.”

“Cash, I had no idea she felt this way,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know how she could feel this way. Anyone who saw the two of you together could see how much you loved her,” he whispered.

I stood and paced the room as he read the rest of the letter. When he looked up, I saw something. It looked a hell of a lot like respect, but what did he have to respect me for?

I threatened to kill him and would have if my brothers hadn’t held me back. The way I had treated him the last few months was a dick move on my part.

He didn’t deserve it. And the worst part was, I knew he didn’t deserve it but I did it, anyway. I lashed out at him because I couldn’t yell at her. I lost the woman I had loved for the last five years, but he lost his fucking family.

I could see that now.

“What’s her name?”

I faced the wall and closed my eyes. “Rose.”

“Is she anything like Rachel?” he asked, and I laughed.

“She’s worse,” I said as I turned around. “Look, man, I wasn’t looking for another woman. She just kind of appeared one day and I don’t know... I feel like maybe Rach had something to do with it.” I shrugged, knowing it sounded crazy.

“I want to meet her.”

“I’m trying to get her to come to the clubhouse. She’s skittish.”

Ryder scoffed. “That doesn’t sound like Rachel at all.”

I smiled at him. “No, it doesn’t. She’s young.”

“How young?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

“Twenty-one. Tiny too. I don’t think she even reaches five feet,” I said, thinking about how we fit, despite the height difference. She fit perfectly against my body, and I knew she would fit just as easily into my life.

“I want to meet her first. Before you take her to the club. Come for dinner this week.” Ryder stood behind his desk, waiting for my answer.

“On one condition.”

He grinned. “What’s that?”

“You bring Ellie and the girls to Mimic’s party.”

The door burst open before he could answer, and Ellie, with a giant smile on her face, and Tabby on her hip, cried, “He alreadysaid we could go to the party. So what night are we having dinner? Tonight? Tomorrow? I can’t wait to meet her.”

Ryder shook his head with a grin. “Woman, were you listening outside the door?”

“Of course I was,” she said without a hint of guilt. Turning to me, she asked, “When can we meet her?”

“Actually, you already have. At Trudy’s.”

Ellie gasped. “Kytten? It’s Kytten?”

“Who the fuck is Kytten? You said her name was Rose.”

“Her name is Rose. Her road name is Kytten.”

“She has a road name?” Ellie turned on Ryder with a scowl. “I want a road name!” she demanded.

“You already have another name. Rayne Perry. You want me to have Rayne stitched on to your cut?”

“Yes!” she shouted.