I stand and walk out of the room and turn to the right, exiting the side door. I stand out on the patio that overlooks the tennis courts and golf course.
“Want a cigarette?”
I look over to see she’s followed me outside. “No, thanks. I don’t smoke.” Not anymore, anyway.
She gives a soft chuckle. “Yeah, me either.” Lighting the end of the cigarette, she takes in a drag and blows it out. “But when they take everything away, you have to find something to pass the time.”
“How long have you been here?” I ask.
“Five days.” She holds out her right hand to me. “They call me Bex.”
“Grave.” I shake it, wondering if that’s a fake name or not.
She nods quickly. “I would say it’s nice to meet you but not much is nice about this hell hole.”
I laugh. “It could be worse, I guess.” Could be dead.
She snorts. “Speak for yourself.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t check yourself in?”
She shakes her head and tucks her bleach blond hair behind her ear. “My father is getting married to his fifth wife in three months. Walked in on me fucking my soon-to-be stepbrother on his desk. Next thing I knew, he was dragging my ass out of bed the next morning and had a car deliver me here. This is my home for the next five weeks.”
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.”
Tears prick my eyes as my hands go to my stomach once again.
“If you need anything, call me. Day or night. Do you understand?”
I nod and mumble, “Thank you.”
CHAPTER FORTY
APRIL
I STAND OUTSIDE the facility, leaning up against his Challenger. I drove it, thinking he would want to drive, to feel in control again. I know how much he loves it.
I watch the front door open, and he steps outside. My heart pounds at the sight of him. He wears a black V-neck Kingdom shirt with a pair of ripped jeans and black boots. And he’s got his sunglasses on. I know the moment he spots me because his entire body tenses.
Pushing off the car, I take a couple of steps toward him but stop. Doubt fills me when he comes to stop on the bottom step. Maybe I shouldn’t have come. Titan said Grave called him. That’s who he wanted here.
He begins to walk toward me, and I let out a shaky breath.
My hands shake, and my heart pounds. Blood rushes in my ears. What if he no longer wants me? What if without the drugs, he doesn’t love me? What if …