"No. But I don't care if he does or not. You're mine and I'm keeping you."
He almost smiles. "Possessive."
"You have no idea."
Later, we're lying in bed and Rush is finally relaxed against me.
I run my fingers through his hair and think about everything that happened tonight.
My dad showing up, confronting Rush, testing him.
Rush standing his ground without breaking.
Ciara watching from the sidelines, storing ammunition.
This was only round one.
I know my dad's not done. He's going to keep pushing, keep testing Rush to see if he breaks.
And Ciara's going to use every crack she can find to wedge herself between us.
But I'm not backing down.
I chose Rush knowing it would be hard. Knowing my dad would push back, knowing the club would have opinions, knowing there would be pressure from every side.
And I'm choosing him again now.
Not because it's easy.
Because he's worth it.
The storm has started, and I know it's only going to get worse before it gets better.
But I'm not running.
I'm standing beside him.
And that's enough.
18
RUSH
I wake up at five in the morning and I can't get back to sleep.
Diesel's words are still ringing in my head.
"Men like Rush don't change. They just get better at hiding it."
I lie there in the dark thinking about every time I've felt the violence stir, every moment I've had to lock it down.
Every second I've spent terrified I'll become the thing I'm afraid of.
Everly's asleep beside me, her breathing steady and even.
She defended me last night, stood up to her father for me.
That steadies me, but it also scares the fuck out of me.