Page 164 of Reaper's Claim

“You can ask me anything; you know that.” I climbed off my bike, and we both slowly walked towards the house.

It bugged me that she wouldn’t look up from the ground. She was reminding me of her sixteen-year-old self.

“Are you going to yell at me like that again?” Her long blonde hair flicked to the side, and she finally stared up at me. “Like I’m just another one of the many girls you have?”

That’s what she thought? That I saw her as one of the many?

“I don’t see you like that. I was just having a fucking bad day, and somehow you ended up wearing it.” It still didn’t sit right with me. “I’m sorry, Abby.”

She started to chew her bottom lip, most likely keeping what else she wanted to say to herself.

“Can I ask you something else?” She tested the waters like she was scared I was going to fucking snap at her or something.

I gently gripped her lower arm, pulling her to a stop beside me. “I told you, Abby; you can ask me fucking anything, so spit it out. What’s really on your mind?”

She let out a long breath and ran a hand through her unwashed hair. God, she looked tired.

“Will you stay with me tonight?”

I blinked blankly at her. Had I heard her correctly?

“You don’t have to. It’s just I kind of don’t want to be on my own, and well, you’re the only one I would want in my bed. But it’s fine if you don’t want to. Heck, I get it. It’s not like we are a couple or anything.” Her eyes fell back down to the ground, and I wondered what had happened to the strong, confident side of her.

She must be just that worn out she couldn’t even put up a front.

“You sure you don’t want Drake or Brad?” I wasn’t saying it nasty or to start a fight. “You’re friends with them, it would be innocent.”

“And what, we aren’t friends?”

“Never were, never will be. Hold you a lot higher than a friend, Abby; you should know that.”

This time it was her turn to stare at me blankly. “Why couldn’t you just take responsibility for me then? Why did you let Dad scare you off?”

If I had an answer, I would give it to her. But I didn’t. Still didn’t.

“I don’t know-”

“You know I remembered what my last words were to Dad earlier,” she cut me off. “They were about you. I was yelling at him, arguing with him about you.”

“And that shit’s on me, not you. Your dad loves you, Abby; he wouldn’t hold it against you.”

“But I do.” She crossed her arms. “I care. Because I was fighting with him for what? You don’t even really want me, do you?”

So this is what it boiled down to.

If I wanted her or not?

Of course I wanted her. I’d die for her. Fuck, I’ve taken on bloke after bloke to keep her as mine. She just didn’t know about it.

“I love you, Abby.” I took a step forward. The truth was all I had. “I’ve never been great with responsibility. Fuck, it is one of the reasons I am who I am today. Why I joined the club. But shit has changed when it comes to you. You are… fuck, woman, you’re my everything, and I just didn’t wanna screw you up by making you mine.”

She breathed out. She breathed in. She stared at me blankly again. No emotion. No tears. No sign of fucking anything.

“I love you too, Kade.” Her lips cracked into a small smile. “Now please take me inside where it is warm.”

Just like that, the ice between us broke. She wasn’t out of reach anymore. She knew how I felt and she wasn’t yelling at me about it.

“I can do that.” I threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side, and we continued to walk towards the house.