Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

32

David hadn't expected him to cut off the man's genitals. Then again, what did he expect when he handed Russell the knife? It had taken everything in him not to stop the younger man from finishing the asshole off, but it was done now. It was over, and now the real healing could begin. He glanced over at the table as he sipped his coffee. Smiling, he watched as Russell helped Jaxon and Lukas put together a model car.

Russell had promised to take them to the upcoming Technology convention but failed to keep his word because he was helping David with Skylar. Jaxon understood and, upon seeing the model car he'd had his eye on for a while, instantly forgave Russell for the transgression. Now, with his best friend at his side, the three of them were working on putting the model together.

Grinning, David took in how easy it was for the younger man to fall in with the boys. It was as if Russell was healing his inner child by doing things he’d never done before with them. He’d never really taken in how he got along with the kids, and now he felt he was seeing the younger man through new eyes. Nodding, he turned to the stove to stir the pasta he was cooking.

“Oh, come on! Is there really?” Jaxon suddenly exclaimed.

Without turning, David listened to Lukas laugh, taunting his best friend. “No, seriously. The new motherboards have been released. I wanna go get one so freaking bad, but Dad says he can’t take me cause he’s got some recon mission with Thom. Kenni and Memphis have been keeping to the shadows because of the baby and the club overhaul. She. Went. Ballistic. And it was awesome!”

Russell laughed. “You don’t say?”

“Oh, look, Jax,” Luke snarked. “Captain Sarcasm’s back!”

Giggling, Jaxon said, “You try dating my sister. Besides, him and Dad took out the i***t that hurt my Sky. Having Kennedy turn her club upside down and inside out was a given anyway. It’s been a few months, and it seems like talking to a therapist on her own is helping. I still can’t believe their baby came out looking just like his father.”

“Your Sky? What about me?” David chuckled as he turned around. “Besides, Francis will likely end up with his mother’s stubborn attitude. Just you wait and see. Baby Francis is her legacy now, so expect Ken to be twice as fierce.”

Russell looked up, nodding solemnly. “Protecting her friends is one thing, but protecting her family? That’s something else entirely.”

“I don’t get it,” Luke stated as he finished the part he was working on.

Jax snickered. “Dude, think of it this way. Kennedy put her life on the line for Phoenix, right?

“Yeah.”

“Well, Romie wasn’t family, and she killed for her. Can you imagine what she would do if anyone went for Memphis and Francis?” his best friend advised.

Lukas paled slightly. “Oh, s**t. Yeah, I forgot we were talking about the Cherry Bomb of the crew. She’d burn the world.”

Smiling, David shook his head. He was actually fond of the strange way she could switch up her plans and behaviors according to the situation, putting the rest of them to shame. Then again, she did have Declan as a father figure in her life from day one.

He scowled as he looked at the clock, his brow furrowing as he realized that he hadn’t seen his daughter at all that evening. "Russell, go check on Sky for me, would you? She’s too quiet.”

Without looking up, Russell handed the glue to Luke and left the room. He knew what David was thinking, and he knew what the man wanted from him. David was too tired, too weak in his sleep-deprived state after accepting four missions in a row to talk to his daughter and remain calm throughout the whole conversation.

David was also afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle seeing his now-adult child cry. He feared that he wouldn't be able to hold in the dark, brooding hatred that bled from every pore as he thought about the woman who'd chosen a damn i***t over her own daughter.

Russell took his time walking to the closed door that separated them from each other. They were so close, yet so far away.

A little over six months ago, he'd left her to think about what she was doing to him, to their relationship. Then, when the proverbial s**t hit the fan, he'd forgiven everything and taken her back without even thinking about it. It had been a few weeks since he finished off the man they had caught and killed.

He'd never worked with David before, and having the man encourage him after saying he worked like his brother gave him courage. That courage was put to use as he called his sister, brother, and David together once again. After talking things out and leveling with them, he was shocked when David walked up to him and shook his hand.

“You have my blessings. However, if you ever hurt her, I’m killing you,” David said.

Laughing, Russell nodded. “Like Nix said when he got married, if it comes to that, I’ll give you the ammo to do it.”

Stopping in front of her door, Russell blew out his cheeks. He knew he had to tell her what had happened, but he didn't really want to. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see her reaction to the news. Finally, he walked in, leaning against the wall until she noticed he was there.

“What’s up with that look?” she asked, clearly confused by his presence.

Russell raised a brow. “Look? What look?”

“That ‘I got something to say, but I’m not sure how to say it’ look. Jax gets the same way when he’s got something to do and needs help. So freaking glad he fell in with Lukie, though. They get along so well,” she said, hiding her pain behind her bright smile.

Licking his lips, Russell crossed the floor to sit on the bed with her. “How was your session with Mallory?”

“I’ve resolved a lot, but I was told that I need to forgive and forget to heal. I’m not quite sure what she meant by it,” she told him.

“I hear ya. Maybe I can shed some light on that for you,” he said.

Putting her phone aside, she sat up. “Explain?”

“She means that you need to forgive yourself for carrying the burden alone. Forgive yourself for letting people get away with s**t that never was, and never will be, your fault. Evil is attracted to good because it wants to extinguish the light and hope it gives off,” Russell replied softly.

Closing her eyes, Skylar pursed her lips. Her frown made him smile. Opening her eyes, she pegged him with a stare. “Is that how you started healing?”

“Yeah, it is,” he admitted softly. Smiling as he nervously bit his lip, he huffed out a breath before speaking again. “So, I was thinking of having a do-over of that dinner we didn’t get to enjoy before my accident.”

She huffed. “I’m so sorry about that, Russell. I’ll be…”

He cut her off, kissing her gently as he pulled her close. She tensed, obviously fighting with her inner demons before she relaxed in his arms. “Stop blaming yourself, Sky. I didn’t help by keeping things quiet, either. I could have reacted differently the night of the dinner. The way I see it, we’re both at fault for not coming clean sooner and facing reality before s**t seriously hit the fan.”

“Yeah,” she breathed. “A do-over sounds great. Latoya called to let me know that I have a few photo shoots coming up, too. One this week, and two next week. Oh, and she wants Jaxon to come work for her, as well. Not sure he’d go for it, but she totally loves his enthusiasm for fashion.”

Looking at her now, he could tell she'd been crying again. Her eyes were puffy, red, and swollen with the rush of tears that had fallen every day since coming clean. Her father had come in earlier that week, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that the monster from her childhood was dead. “Were you crying again?”

She nodded, "Yeah. Um, thank you, by the way."

Sitting beside her, he said, "For what, sweetness?"

"For staying with me, helping me, and not blaming me," she explained. "I just don't understand why. I mean, you had every opportunity to hurt me, to make me suffer the way I did to you. You could have gotten out of the relationship for good, but you came back. You could have taken advantage of me, but you’ve remained so damn strong. You’re like a pillar of hope and safety for me."

"Sky," he whispered. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he kissed her head. "I've got no reason to put you through any more pain, baby. Have I ever done anything that made you think I was going to hurt you? Have I given you any reason to fear me at all?"

She shook her head, "No. Not that I can recall."

“You would tell me if I had, right? You would speak up for yourself so that we could make things better, wouldn’t you?” he pressed.

A sly smile crept across her face, “Yes, but if you really screw up, I’ll call Kennedy.”

Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for the emotional storm that was about to hit. "He's gone now, Skylar. He can't hurt you or anyone else anymore. Your dad and I… we got rid of him."

"What?"

"The bastard that hurt you is dead," he repeated. "He’ll never hurt another precious soul, and it’s all thanks to you coming clean. When Ken found out, she lost her s**t and killed his accomplice, too. You weren’t the only one, but he can’t physically hurt anyone else anymore. The entire club is up in arms and thankful you spoke up because now those kids are getting the help they need.”