She shakes her head and she has tears in her eyes. “You do know what it is to have and to love family, Owen. I hear it in the way you talk about Blake and Molly. In the way you watch out for Molly. They… Brian and the family, have known about you their entire lives. You just learned about their existence. It’s normal to not know how you should feel.”

  She’s right… or at least she makes sense. “You’ll be good at this stuff, you know?”

  She laughs. “Sometimes I doubt that.”

  I chuckle. “Give yourself a break, jailbait. I’m probably the most complicated case in the world. If you can deal with me, you can deal with anyone.”

  She gives me a sad smile. “Just don’t cut them out of your life. Give them a real chance.”

  I nod. “We’ll see.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  EMILY

  Looking into his eyes, my heart just feels heavy.

  We walk into the suite and I see Blake and Molly sitting on the couch. Owen walks in behind me and gives them a puzzled look.

  “What are you two doing here?” he asks.

  Molly laughs. “Better question. What are you wearing?”

  Owen shakes his head. “I’m going to change. I’ll be right out.”

  I stand awkwardly in the living room until Blake says, “We’re worried about him. There is something going on, isn’t there?”

  I nod, but I know I can’t tell them anything. “Can you excuse me for a bit?” I say and I walk into Owen’s room and close the door behind me.

  I find him sitting on the bed with his head down. He has the jersey off, but he is holding on to it. I walk over, kneel down on the floor in front of him and put my hands on his knees. He looks at me and I can tell he has been crying, but at this moment, he gives me his half smile and says, “You know, under other circumstances-” but he doesn’t sound like himself. His voice is breaking. I cut him off knowing where that is going.

  “You’ve got to stop joking around as a coping mechanism.” I pause. “You should tell them, you know? It will help.”

  “I agree.” He says and I’m surprised that he does. “I just don’t know how.”

  I get up and slip my hand into his, “Come on,” I say.

  Before leaving the room, he stops me. “I don’t want them to know about Craig being their brother. Not yet, anyway.”

  “Okay,” I say before I lead him to the living room.

  We walk over and sit on the smaller couch. Blake laughs nervously. “What is going on, man? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so serious.”

  When Owen doesn’t say anything, Blake’s smile turns into a frown. “What is it?”

  Molly looks nervous.

  I give his hand a squeeze and he goes on.

  “I—Well, Emily found a letter from mom. And… fuck… there is no easy way to say this, but dad-John- is not my real dad.”

  Their eyes widen. “You’re kidding, right?” says Blake. Owen shakes his head. “Not kidding. Actually, I’ve even met my real dad.”

  “What? How? When?” asks Blake.

  “Not long ago. Mom left his name and, well, he already knew, so that moved things along.”

  “You lucky bastard,” Blake says, breaking the tension. “Who? Someone we know?”

  “His name is Brian O’Neill.”

  “Mom’s friend?” asks Blake and Owen nods. “You remember him?” he asks, puzzled that he can’t remember.

  Blake laughs. “Yeah. He used to take us to do all kinds of things when dad was out of town.” Blake goes quiet.

  “What?” Owen asks.

  “Nothing… just… it makes sense… and I’m kind of jealous to be honest.”

  Owen shakes his head and looks to the side. I follow his gaze and see a very quiet Molly.

  “You okay over there?”

  Molly starts to cry and Owen immediately rushes to her side. She starts sobbing. “That means you’re not my brother.”

  I realize that she knew about her mom and that unlike Blake, she’s not Owen’s half sibling.

  “Hey,” says Owen. “Look at me, Molly.” She looks up at him.

  “You’ll always be my little sis, okay? You don’t have to be blood to be family. I still have your back. I’ll still be here to intimidate the fuck out of your boyfriend, and to protect you from,” he pauses. “…from dad, okay?”

  She nods and I watch this man in amazement. And I know that I have to leave, because as confused as I am about how I feel right now, I know that me falling for him won’t help either of us.

  Molly wipes her tears. “Do you have other brothers or sisters?” she asks.

  Owen nods. “A brother and another sister.” He makes sure to emphasize the ‘another.’

  “I just can’t believe this,” says Blake. “Does dad know?” he asks.

  “No,” says Owen. “And I’d like to keep it that way.”

  Blake nods. “What are they like?” he asks.

  “I was there earlier today. I sort of lashed out at them for having the perfect little family. I doubt they’d want me back,” he gives a nervous laugh.

  “Actually,” I say. “Jenna would like you over again next Sunday, for the game. She asked me to tell you when the time was right.”

  Owen hesitates. I doubt he was expecting that.

  “Julie leaves for California the day after. You should go. Maybe Blake and Molly can go with you.”

  He looks over at Blake.

  “I’d be happy to. Molly is staying here for the week and I can come back then.”

  “Thanks, man,” says Owen. “Are you staying for the night?”

  Blake nods. “Yeah. I’ll take the couch.”

  Owen looks at me and there comes the half smile.

  “Well, I have to get to the club to help Justin tonight, but I’ll be back in a few hours. You can take my room, Emily.”

  I get this knot in my stomach. “Actually, I have to talk to you,” I tell him and Blake starts to get up. “Molly and I are going to get dinner with Will. We’ll be back.”

  I smile at them and say bye.

  “What is going on?” asks Owen.

  I sigh and stay where I am. Owen stays on the couch next to me.

  “I have to go back to the dorm,” I blurt out.

  He laughs. “Do you think he’ll leave you alone after that punch?”

  I look away. “Owen, you can’t protect me forever and either way, I’m not your responsibility.”

  “I would feel better if-“

  I look back at him. I cut him off as I get up. “Please stop. I need to leave, okay?”

  “Give me one good reason why you can’t stay here until you know for sure he is going to leave you alone,” he says and I can feel myself getting annoyed by my inability to tell him no and sticking to it.

  I stand up. I feel angry and, even though I’m mad at myself, I lash out at him. “Because you warned me not to fall for you and I’m not sure I can keep that from happening anymore.”

  He stays where he is and just stares at me.

  I tilt my head to the side. “Like I said. I need to leave. It’s best for both of us.”

  I leave him sitting there. I go into his room and start packing my things. I feel annoyed, angry, and sad as I throw my things in the suitcase, and when I turn around to grab my other bag, he is standing behind me.

  “Don’t go,” he says, and before I can say anything, his lips are on mine. Within a matter of seconds, I’m laying on the bed with him leaning on top of me.

  When we’re both out of air, he pulls away, and I get the strength to say, “Owen, I have to go.”

  He smiles. I wish he’d quit doing that in a way that makes me not think straight. “You don’t seem like you want to go,” he says in a playful tone.

  I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m not ready to be with anyone. And you were right. I’m the relationship kind. I‘d want more and you don’t.”

  He hesitates and stares into my eyes. “What if I tried it your way?” he asks and he has this lost look about him. He is as confused as I am.

  I smile sadly at him. “I don’t think you’re ready for that,” I say and he leans back down and gives me a soft kiss before he gets up, followed by a sad smile. “I have to get to the club,” he says and he just leaves without saying another word.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  OWEN

  Although the club is just around the block, I need to go for a drive I blast the music up in a useless attempt to not think. She’s right. She’s so fucking right. I’m not cut out for relationships and I don’t even know why I would think of attempting it. I lay my hand on the horn so the slow out-of-towner in front of me will get his ass moving. I end up going around him and stop in front of the club. I throw the keys at the valet and head inside.

  The club is as full as I expected. I look over at the bar and see a new guy working along with Shayne. I approach them and reach over the counter to grab a bottle. The new guy grabs my wrist with a firm grip.

  I look up at him, “You have one second to let go before you’re fired,” I say and Shayne comes rushing from the other side.

  “Jax, he’s fine. That’s Owen.”

  “Oh, man. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  I ignore him and look at Shayne. “Where the fuck is Justin? And when did we hire new people?”

  “He’s out trying to get more inventory before we start to run out. We won’t, but you know how he is, and if you were around, you’d know when we hired new people,” she snaps.

  I cock my head to the side.

  She sighs. “Sorry,” she says. “Long day.”

  “I’ll be in my office. Call if you need anything.”

  I close the door behind me and drink straight from the bottle. I stare at the tattoo on my arm and think of how fucking stupid I was to get mixed with this crap and how my life would’ve been otherwise. I take another drink and think that maybe what I need is to get laid and stop thinking about all this crap that I can’t change. I get up to head to the bar, when Shayne walks in.

  “Oh. Were you getting ready to go out there?” she asks.

  “Yes. Do you need help?”

  “Actually, it just slowed down for a bit. I just came to apologize for earlier. Justin and I ended things and it’s just been a long day.”

  “You and Justin ended things?” I ask in a doubtful tone.

  She shrugs. “It wasn’t working out.”

  I nod. “Well, we should get out there.”

  She smiles, and lets her hair down as she closes the distance between us. Then she kisses me. I pull away. “What are you doing, Shayne?”

  She has her hand on the back of my neck, her nails, softly scratching my skin. “I missed this,” she smiles. “The whole thing with no strings attached.”

  I raise an eyebrow at her. “You did?” I ask and she nods.

  She shrugs. “Come on. You look like you need it more than I do.” She laughs.

  She starts to lead me toward the couch as she pulls my shirt over my head. When she starts to unzip my pants, I stop her. “This is a bad idea, sweetheart.” She smiles, pushes me down on the couch, gets on top of me, and pulls her shirt off faster than I can move to stop her. She leans down to kiss me again when the door swings open and the music blasts in. I look over and find Justin standing there.

  “We had a fucking deal,” he yells over the music as he closes the door behind him.

  “I thought you were broken up,” I say, and he rolls his eyes at me and crosses his arms. I look from him to Shayne. She’s smiling and she mouths a ‘sorry’.

  “Get the fuck off me,” I say.

  “We’ll deal with this later,” he tells me and he leaves without saying a word to Shayne.

  I get up and stare at her. “What the fuck, Shayne?”

  She acts like it’s nothing and quickly turns to grab her shirt and then turns back toward me.

  “What the fuck is that on your lower back?” I ask. She doesn’t say anything. She just smiles.

  “Turn around,” I order her and she does.

  She has the same tattoo as I do on my arm. The one that says she has been involved with black magic. And it’s not fresh.

  “How long?” I ask and she chuckles.

  “Since before we met, sweetheart,” she says. “Your dad hired me to play a part. I made sure the tattoo was covered, and we did what he had to make sure I was under a spell so I wouldn’t screw things up. He molded me into someone you would want to help, and I must say, becoming one of those poor lost women you usually date really screwed with my head at first.”

  “Why?” I ask and she shrugs.

  I clench my teeth together I am so fucking pissed. “I asked you why,” I growl.

  She puts her shirt on and adjusts her skirt. “He was pissed you had all this power you didn’t deserve. He wanted to make sure you lost everything that matters to you. I guess I wasn’t really having an impact after you met Emily, so he made sure Craig turned her into what you needed - a helpless little princess in need of being rescued. Emily is so screwed up from her mommy issues that it wasn’t even a challenge, and the last of it was losing your best friend and the club. I would say mission accomplished, wouldn’t you? Lose the best friend, the club goes along with it, especially it being your fault.” She grins.

  “Get the fuck out. Don’t come back.” I say. The bitch gives me a wicked smile before she leaves.

  I sit in my chair and drink the night away until the club closes. Once I know everyone is gone, I leave, lock up the place and walk back to the hotel.

  I walk in a little past five and I’m ready to crash when I see Emily sleeping in my bed.

  “Fuck. Why didn’t she leave?” I think as I watch her sleep.

  I sigh, head to Molly’s room, grab a pillow, a blanket, and I crash on the floor, next to Molly’s bed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  I feel someone poking me. “GET UP!” Molly yells. I try to open my eyes, but decide against it when I realize that my head is pounding.

  “What?” I mumble without even opening my eyes. I yawn and start to roll over.

  “Get your ass up and go talk to Emily.” She’s in a pissy mood.

  “Is she still here?” I ask sleepily.

  “Yes, and she’s angry as hell. You need to go find out why, because she’s not telling me.”

  I get up faster than I should and I stumble my way across the suite. My room is empty. I look over and see the door open and I hear Blake and Emily out in the hallway. I can barely make out what they’re saying. I open the door all the way. “What is going on?” I ask. Emily glares at me and Blake crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head.

  I look at Emily. “Are you really leaving?” I yawn.

  “Do you even really care?” she asks in a frustrated tone.

  I rub my eyes and try to wake up. She is mad and now I’m a whole lot more awake. “Yes, I care. What is going on?”

  She throws a set of keys at me. “Justin stopped by. He said make him an offer and keep the club. And then he told me why he’s doing this.”

  “Emily, I didn’t,” Fuck. I wasn’t going to fuck Shayne, but I can’t even say I didn’t do anything because I didn’t stop Shayne from kissing me, or taking my shirt off,” I let out a frustrated growl, “I didn’t mean to-”

  She clenches her fists and stares into my eyes. “Didn’t mean to what? You didn’t mean to sleep with Sarah? You didn’t mean to sleep with Shayne? You didn’t mean to screw over your friend? You didn’t mean to hurt me?” She shakes her head and gets angrier. “You’re not stupid. You’ve got to know I keep sticking around because I care for you. More than I should.” She stops and glares at me. I hold her gaze but I don’t say anything. She goes on though. She is so mad that her face is red. “What you did is something that John would’ve done.”

  That hits me like a ton of bricks. I stand here not sure what to say. Actually, there is nothing I can say to salvage this. She is in tears, but from anger, which is unlike her. “Emily,” I start to say not sure what is coming after. I take a step toward her and she takes a step back.

  “I’m going back to my life, Owen. I suggest that you take a look around and see the people who are always there for you. You’re not alone in this. You don’t need me,” she turns around and storms off.

  I start to go after her, but Blake steps in front of me. “Let her go,” he says in a low and calm tone.

  I look over at Blake.

  “You’re not even fully sober. I can smell the alcohol. And that is not going to help your case. Get inside,” he says and he follows me in. “Give me the keys to the club,” he orders as he extends his hand. I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’ll talk to Justin. It’s seven in the morning and you reek of alcohol. I was in that place once. I’m not going to let you drink your life away in an attempt to hide from everything you have going on. You’re coming to the island with Molly and me. You can figure out the club when we get back next weekend.”

  I laugh. “No need to rush back for the weekend. I’m not going on Sunday. Do you know what will happen to that family if John ever finds out? I can’t destroy more lives because he’s out to get me.”

  “What do you mean, he’s out to get you?”

  So I tell him about Shayne. Blake listens to my side of the story before he says, “I’ll talk to Justin, and you’re still coming to the island, so start packing.”

  ***

  We get to the island early afternoon. Molly doesn’t talk to me on the way. Blake only talks long enough to say that Justin will take care of the club and that we’ll talk about it when I’m ready to go back and not drink the club into bankruptcy.

  At the island, Blake pulls up the boat on the side near the old house.

  “Why are we here?” I ask.

  “Because you look like shit. Your nieces love you and they’re not going to see you like this. Get a shower and some sleep. Just get it together and then come to the house.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Yes, sir,” I say in a sarcastic tone.

  “We’re taking the boat to the other side, so hop off.”

 

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