More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“It never ends, Billie Rose. Grief is a funny thing. It comes and goes in waves. Sometimes, you will remember him, and pure joy will fill your heart but other times, it will feel like a punch to the gut. And the shitty thing is, it will come out of nowhere. Grief isn’t a destination, it’s a journey. One you will be on the rest of your life.”
The truth. That they are right and I’m just a worthless princess who needs everyone to keep her safe. Someone who needs others to slay her dragons.
Elijah sits down in front of me and pulls me into his arms. “I know, baby. I know. You did so good. So good.” He kisses me on top of my head, and I whisper a little thank you to grandpa. I don’t know how much longer I would have been able to hold on.
“That’s good.” I slide my hand down her thigh. “Because I would have to kill anyone who had touched what’s mine.”
So, I spent the next few years turning myself into the man she was going to need. One that would unapologetically reach in and pull her out.
“Promise us you won’t hurt herself again. That you’ll reach out to someone. I don’t give a fuck who it is. It can even be this dipshit. But promise me you will never take a blade to your skin again.”
“Oh, no way, I’m not going to betray her.” “Not even for my blessing?” he asks. Shoving my hands in my pocket, I turn to walk away. “No. Whatever she said to me, she said in confidence. Jesus, I just got her to start talking again. Kick me out, do what you gotta do but I’m not divulging her secrets.”
“Because I would have done something stupid. I wasn’t ready for war.” He tilts his head to the side. “I needed to become someone worthy to stand by your side.”
What do I want out of this? If I’m being honest, I want him to feel comfortable. Like I did, sitting in the truck with my grandpa and then I want his world to come crashing down around him. I want, no scratch that, I need to watch him suffocate with the realization that I’m the judge, jury, and executioner.
She might as well learn right now who’s in charge. Billie Rose is strong, wild, and untamed. She needs a strong man to keep her grounded and balanced. She’s not even aware just how strong she is. But she will.
Anyone who tries to keep her away from me will be eliminated from our lives. Whoever and however it needs to be accomplished.
Her innocence is going to be the death of me. I want to corrupt her. Just for me. I want to make her my own personal plaything.
“God, Rosie, I was so angry that you were hurt. I went back to my apartment and furiously swiped everything off my dresser. The rose fell to the ground and broke in a hundred pieces.” He kisses the back of my head before continuing. “I sat on my floor and cried, Rosie. A grown-ass, twenty-three-year-old man, crying on his bedroom floor. I knew right then I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from getting to you. Not your dad, the club, nothing was going to stop me.”
“I will always be your shadow, Rosie. And not because some club elders tell me I have to be. I will always stand behind you, trapped in your shade. I welcome it. It’s where the parts of you that no one else can see reside. I love all of you. Every single piece.”
