I nod, dropping my head. “There’s nothing wrong with admitting you need help with addiction. Drugs can take over your life.” I haven’t been this sober in this amount of consecutive days in I don’t know how long. The first five days here I felt like shit. My body trying to learn to live without them. I didn’t do them when I was with April, but the temptation was still there. I just chose not to. Now that I know I can’t, my body craved it. Or maybe that was just my mind wanting to bury my feelings and the heartache. I’ve always known I had a problem, but I never wanted to admit it.
“I wish my problem was drugs.” She brings the cigarette to her lips.
I frown. “You’re in rehab but don’t have an addiction?”
She shrugs. “They say I’m a sex addict.” Turning her head, she winks at me while biting her bottom lip. “I say I just like cock.” Her eyes drop to my jeans.
I laugh. “Who doesn’t enjoy sex?”
“Right?” She throws her head back and laughs. “See, someone gets it.”
I nod. “Yeah, I do.”
“Grave?”
We both turn around to see Jessie walking toward us. She frowns at Bex smoking a cigarette but doesn’t voice her opinion about it. “You have a phone call,” she tells me.
I begin to walk away from the railing as Bex calls out, “See you around.”
APRIL
I stand inside the wedding chapel, looking over the flower arrangements that the girls and I put together. It took six weeks of nonstop work, but it looks amazing, if I do say so myself.
The wedding is tomorrow. We’ve been here for the past three hours for the rehearsal, and it couldn’t have gone any better. I should be ecstatic, but a part of me is still so sad. Grave has been gone for over a month now. I haven’t had any kind of interaction with him whatsoever, and that’s been the hardest part. No phone calls, no visits, not even a letter. I get all my updates for him through Titan, but even that, he keeps short. He visits him once a week with multiple phone calls. I know Cross and Bones also have contact with him, but I’m not close with either one of them to ask what they know.
Titan walks up to me, and I give him my fake smile. He doesn’t buy it, but at least he pretends he does. “The flowers look amazing. Thank you.”
“Thank you, but it was a group effort.” Titan was adamant that I do the wedding, but my little flower shop wasn’t equipped to handle such a big order. So the girls spent days and nights at Roses helping me, and when we ran out of space, we moved over to Emilee’s and his house.
“I spoke to Grave yesterday.”
My heart starts racing at the mention of his name. “Is he okay?” I ask. That’s my greatest fear, that he’s in pain. I’ve seen documentaries that show someone going through withdrawals and how excruciating it can be.
He nods. “He gets to be here tomorrow for the wedding.”
My eyes widen. “What? He’s getting out?” I thought he was doing a six-week program.
“No. He gets a day pass. He didn’t want to miss the wedding. And we want him here.” He smiles at me. “He asked me if I’d come pick him up. I lied to him and said I would.”
I frown. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re going to be the one there.”
I shake my head quickly. “I …”
“Titan, your bride-to-be is looking for you,” Jasmine tells him, coming up to us.
He nods. “Duty calls.”
I nod, but hate to be left hanging. I want to know more. Is he going to be excited to see me? Like I will him? I turn and notice Bones standing there. His hands shoved into his dress pants. “You should be the one to pick him up,” I say.
“I’m the last person Grave wants to see right now,” he answers.
My brows knit together. “You don’t forgive him?” Grave hurt me, but I haven’t known him all my life. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for his brother and best friends to see him hurt himself over and over.
“You do?”
I sigh. “Grave is …”
“An addict.”
“I was going to say trying to get better. We need to support that decision.” I rub my growing stomach. It’s not much, but even if others can’t tell, I can.
“Are you still going to forgive him when he relapses?”
I take in a long breath. “He won’t.”
“He will.” He nods. “I know my brother.” He says it with such conviction. Bones truly believes his brother won’t be able to stay sober.
My hands fist. “People can change.”
“No, people replace one addiction for another.”
“What does that mean?”
He looks away and his jaw sharpens. “I love my brother.” His eyes come back to mine. “But you and my niece or nephew are my main priority.”