He leans his head against mine. “I’m sorry I asked. I just haven’t…”
“What do you want to know, Sonny?” I ask. Since Dez and I have been back, Sonny hasn’t asked either of us for details about what happened to us.
“I honestly don’t know if I want to know.”
“Dez lost toes, was stabbed or beat to shit every time Ricco came in to rape me. Ricco knew about the baby, but he also knew it would break me,” I start, and he steps back like I’m on fire. “He raped another girl in front of us and made us watch. He touched me, but he didn’t do anything more,” I say cautiously.
“Fuck…” he sighs, pulling at his hair. “I saw you and Dez…”
“We only had each other, Sonny. We didn’t know if we would get out alive. He mostly tried to keep me warm with his body heat.”
“You kissed him.” His brows pull together.
I nod, biting my lips. “I gave him a blowjob once too.” Sonny’s eyes snap to mine and burn with fury. I shrug. “It was that or fuck him. Thought you’d forgive us both more easily if it was just that.”
He stares at me for what feels like forever. “I want to be mad, but I can’t. It’s all my fault anyway. And I should have found you sooner.”
“Sonny, you have to stop blaming yourself. We don’t blame you. I don’t blame you. We’re alive and here because you found us.”
He sniffs and walks to me again, wrapping his arms around me. “And through everything, the baby is alright?”
I smile against his chest. “The doctor said this baby is a fighter. Even with everything that happened, she’s healthy.”
“She?”
“I don’t know the sex yet, but I hate calling it an it all the time. I wanted to wait until I told you to find out what we’re having.”
Tilting my head back to look up at him, he presses his lips to mine, fusing us together. It’s a kiss like no other. It’s a kiss of freedom and understanding. There’s pain and joy and thankfulness. But more than anything, there’s love, and that’s all I’ve been needing.
“Are we okay?” I ask.
“We’re perfect.”
“Are you happy?” I ask him.
“It’s not possible to be any happier than I am right now.”
After that, everything became even clearer to Sonny. He knew then that Dez didn’t just protect me because of his loyalties to him or because he cared about me, but he did it all to help protect our unborn child too.
“Ugh! I still can’t eat any of this,” I grumble, throwing my napkin down on my plate of untouched food.
“You have to eat,” Sonny tells me.
“I know,” I groan.
“Let’s go,” he says, standing. “I know what you need.”
As he drives us to wherever he’s taking me, I watch him. Since Dez and I have been home, there’s a new contentedness about Sonny.
Once we’re settled, he told me that he was done with crime. He backed out of everything but that damn club that he and Dez still love. He’s out of the rest of the family businesses though. Connor took over, only paying Sonny his royalties for being a silent investor as he called it.
A big smile spreads across my face when I realize where we are. “This is where you first took me for ice cream.”
He hands me some cash. “Go get whatever you want.”
I walk to get in line for my ice cream cone, but I’m shocked when I see my brother, Harry, standing there. I haven’t seen him or anyone else from my family in almost two years.
“Ruby?” he asks, just as surprised as I am. He pulls me into a hug before I can think.
I wasn’t expecting this. I wasn’t expecting to miss him or the rest of my family, but right now, in his hug, I do. But I also know that I hurt them, and it would only hurt them more if they knew what happened to me. So instead, I put on my old face and build up my wall.
After we go a few rounds, I leave him and his girlfriend, Jade, who I used to dance with, and walk back to the car where Sonny is waiting. Stopping to look at them one last time, I wish I knew how to let them in. But I’m happy for him. I’m happy he looks happy. “Thick and thin.” I whisper back the words he said to me before I walked away. The words that were always our way of letting each other know that we might hate each other at times, but we’re always there for each other no matter what.
“Where’s your ice cream?” Sonny asks when I close the door. When he sees me crying, he turns to me fully. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw Harry. He hates me,” I cry.
Leaning over, Sonny pulls me into a hug before taking my hand in his and leaving my family behind us.
“You know you can have them in your life if you want them, right? I wouldn’t keep you from that,” he says after we’ve driven for a while.
I don’t say anything in return, lost in my thoughts as I stare out the window watching the city go by.
29
Sonny
Ever since Ruby ran into Harry, she’s been closed off. Then, Dez told me Harry came to the club asking about her to make sure he was looking out for her. Oh, my old friend, if you only knew.
I went to my mom and told her I wanted to give Ruby a baby shower, and sadly, when she asked who to invite, I realized just how closed off Ruby’s been from the world. I realized exactly how much of an asshole I am. She really does only have my mother, Dez and myself. And that’s not enough.
And that’s when I realized it was time to bite the bullet and go see her family and try to make peace with them because my wife deserves to have everything she wants in life and they deserve to have her beautiful heart in theirs.
Running a hand through my hair, I let out a breath as I look up at the King family house. A house where I used to hang out all the time as a young boy until I fell for a little girl with green fairy wings.
Reaching forward, I press the doorbell and wait to see who’s going to answer. I pray that it’s Ruby’s dad, Benton. He’s the easier to talk to of her parents.
“Sonny?” Tatum, Ruby’s mom, says my name like she’s seen a ghost. “W-what are you doing here? Is Ruby alright?”
I smile that even with everything that’s happened and her daughter walking out and choosing a man she didn’t approve of, she still has nothing but love and concern for Ruby.
“She’s okay. May I come in? I’d like to talk to you and Mr. King, if he’s here.”
“Uh, yeah. Come in. Let me call him out of his office.” She leads me to the same room where I sat with Ruby when we came clean about our feelings.
“Benton will be right in. Can I get you something to drink?” she asks.
“I’m fine. Thank you,” I tell her, as realization sets in of how much Ruby looks like her mom.
Tatum has been the face and model for Royal King Motorcycles for years, working alongside her husband as the lead racer for their team. She was the sex symbol boys used to hang on their walls with her fuck-off attitude, blonde hair and blue eyes that sliced through you. Just like Ruby’s do to me.