Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,3

was too busy with the club, too busy sowing his oats—too busy cheating on her. This caused many fights—ugly, hurtful fights. After three years, Sage was done. The hardest decision she’d ever made was to walk away.

Gibbs never knew. The club never knew. No one ever knew because the day she was going to tell her husband it was over, Sage discovered she was pregnant.

Chapter Two

SAGE DECIDED TO stay with Gibbs. When she told him about the pregnancy, he seemed excited—excited enough to brag about his swimmers and his manly cock to the club and all his friends—but excited enough to change his ways? No. Pending fatherhood didn’t slow his roll one bit. Did she resent it? Hell yes. Did she tell him? A million times. Did it change anything? Not one thing. Gibbs never admitted to cheating on her, but she knew. All those nights spent at the club, then showing up the next morning reeking of booze and perfume—damn right, she knew—and she wasn’t the only one. The whole club knew, but not one word was ever spoken to her about it.

Then her daughter was born and her entire life changed. The baby was so tiny, like a delicate flower petal. Gibbs wanted to name her Vanda after his mother. Sage refused. No daughter of hers would be cursed with the name Vanda for the rest of her life. This, of course, incited yet another fight—one which she was determined to win. After three days of pouting, he finally gave in, and their daughter was named Petal Louise Andrews—Louise being Gibbs’s mom’s middle name. Petal was the light of Sage’s life. Her daddy thought she was pretty special, too. For a while, things got better. The reprieve didn’t last, though—a month at most—before Gibbs was back to his old ways.

Right as Sage decided she’d had enough and was ready to call it quits, her entire world imploded. It happened the night Gibbs went on a run. Petal was sick and running a fever. Sage asked him not to go and they fought as usual. Gibbs said he had to go, that half the club was riding out, including the president and vice president, and that he would look like a loser if he didn’t.

Later that night, on the ride home, they were ambushed by a rival club. Gibbs was shot six times; three in the chest and three in the back. He died while trying to protect his club . . . and Sage was finally free.

That didn’t mean her world didn’t fall apart. She’d spent seven years with Gibbs. They had a child, a family, together. In the blink of an eye, it was over. Knowing that she’d wanted to end the marriage ate at her. Everyone thought they were meant for each other, that they were the perfect couple, and Sage let them think it. Why? Because it was easier than telling the truth. Had it not been for Alex, she would have packed Petal up and moved to Oregon to be with her parents.

Alex Easton was the club’s road captain. Ax, as his brothers called him, was the cousin of the Steele Raider’s president, Arlan Steele. Sage never understood the nickname game; therefore, she called most of the guys by their first names. She called Arlan by his last name because she thought Steele fit him better. Alex and Gibbs were both brothers in the club as well as great friends. When Gibbs died, it was Alex who helped her pick up the pieces. He not only helped her with Petal, but he brought her dinner when she was too exhausted to cook and never once complained about it. He was sexy and funny, the only person in the world who could make her belly laugh, and he absolutely loved her daughter. Sage didn’t mean to fall in love with him; it just happened. It didn’t hurt that he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She knew he was a player. Sadly, the one woman Alex Easton wouldn’t play, was her. So, after years of throwing herself at him, Sage was done—done trying to get him to see her as something other than his dead buddy’s wife—done trying to make him see her at all. It was time to pack their things and go.

The day after she decided to leave, Carlos entered the picture. After only a month of dating, he asked her to move to Mexico with him. She said yes, not