“It’s about time you apologized, but I’ve already forgiven you. Maybe I didn’t act like it, and I can hold a grudge like no other. Corey, you’re kind of hard not to love. Every night, every morning, any time I’m lost in my own misery, it’s you who’s stood beside me, laid with me, held me through all of my tears and nightmares, never expecting more than I have to give.” I watch as she places the folder she held tightly to her chest on the bed and stands up.
“Say it again, gorgeous.” My arms hang loosely by my sides. This time, I’m going to let her come to me.
“What, that I hold a mean grudge?”
“Not that. The other part.” I shake my head
“That you’re hard not to love? It’s the truth, you know.” The second she’s close enough to grab, I bring her closer to me. Her arms wrap around my neck while mine slide down to her hips. I notice that she’s lost entirely too much weight, and I’ll be working on getting that back on her after tonight.
“Love you, Valentina. I’m a dick. I’ll probably always be one at times. Stick with me. I’ll get my head out of my ass, fix the mistakes I’ve made, and always be here, okay?”
“Oh God, I love you, Corey, even when you’re a grade-A asshole.” Her forehead lands on my chest, her body shaking with her crying, and I vow this is the last damn time I’ll ever make her cry like this.
“We’ll get through this, come out swingin’ with a crazy amazin’ life. I promise you this, okay?” I dip my body. She lifts up her chin, my hand cups her cheek, and I kiss her. Fuck, for the first time in far too long, her velvet lips meet mine with a hunger that’s been so deeply rooted, there’s no way I’d let her walk away from me. Her tongue teases my bottom lip, and that’s when I take it a step further and spin her around to place her ass on top of the dresser, all the while never ending our kiss.
“Corey,” she moans against my lips, body arching up into mine. Neither of us wants this to end, and if it weren’t for the attorney waiting, I wouldn’t be.
“Fuck, I lose my mind when I’m with you. The day’s not over, and we’re goin’ to pick this up where we left off as soon as you’re finished with the attorney.” She nods her head, but I see the hunger still on her face.
“Hurry, please.” I help her hop off the dresser, my hand goes to hold hers, and then we head towards the room where we hold church. This time, it won’t be with the brothers around, just the two of us with Crank’s attorney. I only hope shit doesn’t go south once a-fuckin-gain.
19
VALENTINA
“You’re sure? Like, absolutely positive?” I ask for the tenth time since Crank’s attorney gave me the news.
“Yeah, Crank didn’t want to disrupt your life when you were younger. Not that it would have done any good. He didn’t have a leg to stand on.” He goes on to say that my mom and dad had a fling one summer. She was wildly in love with him and was ready to hop on the back of his bike and live free and easy for the rest of her days. Until she found out that he had a penchant for other women and drugs, and not the recreational type of drug like pot. Nope, that would be crack, a wild epidemic that took his life when my mother gave birth to me. In case you’re wondering, Crank wasn’t my father. God, do I wish that were the news the attorney gave me. I would have given anything to claim him as my father. Instead, my father was Crank’s brother, Rock, and boy, was that aptly appointed to him. “Crank and your mom had an agreement. He’d help out if it was needed, but she asked him to keep it to limited visits. She was a single mother at the time, and he knew she was up against a lot, mourning the father of her child and trying to do the right thing. The visits stopped shortly after she got married, but the minute the club found out about what was going on behind closed doors, he came back and met with me, told me the whole story. How he kicked himself in the ass for not trying harder, thinking he did the right thing by letting you live your life. And, Valentina, no one in the club knew that you were Rock’s daughter. Your mom asked Crank to leave it be when he delivered the news when she was eight months pregnant, so that’s what he did. He left you a letter, a few mementos, and half of his estate. The other half is going to the MC.”