The Four Stages of Loving Dutch Owen - Debra Kayn Page 0,47
a year.
"Yeah. It should be good," said Falcon.
"I keep trying to convince Marla to come, but she keeps making excuses." Alyssa brought her into the conversation.
Her heart sank. Since she'd worked at the pool hall, she'd kept her association with Dutch, Rachel, and Skull to herself. Most of the Moses Lake men who'd attended the rallies in the past no longer recognized her now that she was an adult. Plus, when Dutch was free, she always kept her distance from everyone else, preferring to be with him than in the middle of the action.
Falcon frowned. "Is your dad a patched member?"
He knew she wasn't married or claimed by any of the bikers. Feeling like she'd deceived him, she shrugged, trying to play it off as not that big of a deal. "Sorta."
"Who?"
She swallowed, knowing he'd ask. "Skull from the Bellevue Chapter."
She might as well be upfront. WAKOM expected loyalty from everyone around them, and she knew better than to keep information from a member when they asked, especially a president. If she got lucky, he hadn't personally met Rachel and Skull and wouldn't ask if she was the child they'd received eleven years ago.
Falcon studied her, not saying a word. Put on the spot, she fled and went to check on Alyssa's order.
In the kitchen, she stuck out her lower lip and exhaled, blowing her hair off her face. Tonight certainly turned out differently than she'd imagined.
She loved seeing Alyssa and missed her terribly, but she also knew that someone connected to the Bellevue Chapter also brought her past with them.
The door opened behind her. She jumped, ready to get out of Rubble's way, and Falcon cornered her in the kitchen.
He walked straight up to her, forcing her to lift her chin to see him. "You belong to Dutch."
The remaining pieces left of her heart, after Dutch forced her out of his life, rattled inside of her, making the pain even worse.
Her eyes burned. She opened her mouth to tell him she no longer was involved with Dutch, and a sob escaped. Like a dam bursting open, she tucked her chin, pressing her hand to her chest to keep all the emotions from spilling out on Falcon's feet.
"Aw, fuck." Falcon grabbed her and pressed her into his chest. "Don't cry."
The embrace was awkward. Embarrassed and devastated, she felt herself slipping back into her depression.
She hated how she felt. Dutch had promised never to leave her, and she was foolish in believing a man like him would ever settle for a girl like her. No matter how grown-up she became.
To her horror, her feelings were deeper and more permanent than how Dutch thought of her. To him, he finally figured out that she was a charity case. A child he took pity on.
Falling in love with him, she hadn't known any differently that caring about someone felt a lot like love. She took his help, comfort, affection, and attention and believed without any hesitation that his feelings were as deep for her as her's were for him. That what they had together would last forever.
What sucked was that she still felt like their bond was the most perfect thing in her life. In her heart, she would always belong to him.
But, he'd let her go in the most painful and humiliating way.
"Come on now, wipe your tears." Falcon forced her to stand on her own and held out the front of his T-shirt. "Dry your face."
"I'm sorry." She willed the tears to stop. "I don't mean to cry."
Sometimes, it felt like she would drown from all the tears she'd shed over the last year and a half. Though Falcon was the only one beside Alyssa who'd witnessed her breaking down.
"I wasn't keeping our relationship, our old relationship, from you on purpose." She sniffed, shaking her head. "I just want to put him behind me."
Falcon refrained from commenting.
"I love working here." She blew out her breath. "If you want me to quit, I will."
"You're not quitting." Falcon ran his hand across his jaw. "You know he's out of prison, right?"
She nodded. Knowing he was free and she wasn't with him hurt worst of all.
She'd hoped and set her mind on him coming to see her once he found out she'd taken the deed for the house that he'd offered her. But, he never came.
"Are you okay to finish working tonight?"
"Yeah." She mustered a broken smile. "No problem. I'm fine. That was...I think I'm going to start my period."