Page 8 of Rebel's Fairytale
Once they reached his house, she wasn’t at all surprised to find that it was a white, two-story house with a wide, covered front porch and a white picket fence out front. Rock was all about being a dad, a family man, and his house was the house of theultimatefamily man.
She would almost bet money that he had a shed full of the best engine-powered toys and a jungle gym in the backyard. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise her in the least if there was a treehouse back there, too.
He rode his bike into the open garage and cut the engine. She glanced to their left as she climbed off and almost giggled when she caught a glimpse of a go-cart lined up next to a dirt bike behind a few boxes. Yup, he had all the fun stuff a family man would have for the children who were the center of his world.
“What’s that smile for?” he asked as he got off his bike and took her hand.
“Oh… just thinking about how you are the ultimatedad.”
Rock looked at her and cocked a dark brown eyebrow. “What is the ultimate dad?”
“You have a go-cart.”
“I do.” He clearly didn’t understand her meaning, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to fill him in.
As he opened the door to his house, she patted him on the chest and cuddled up to his side. “Just know it’s a turn-on.”
He led her inside and gave her a crooked smile. “Then, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He gave her a peck on the lips before he made his way over to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple bottles of beer. He opened them both and handed her one.
“So, it can’t be too heavy of a talk if you’re handing out beer instead of whiskey,” she commented as she took the offered beer and slid onto a stool at the island in his kitchen.
The room was nothing fancy. It had light wood cabinets and white walls, and the tile was a mix between light gray and white. It was obvious that Rock liked things clean, but home decor was the least of his concerns.
Rock took a drink of his beer and set it on the island before he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed heavily. “No, it’s heavy. It’s a lot, but… I just have to say it.”
Mary gave a nod. “Lay it on me, Wes.” She switched to his given name in recognition of the fact that the man she loved was about to lay his heart open.
“You know everything I went through with Lace over the past few years… and what my kids have been through.”
Mary nodded and kept quiet, letting him get it out.
“Now that she’s gone, I’m… almost relieved. I hate that she’s gone because I cared about her and my kids loved her, but… I feel like a jerk for being relieved.”
Mary felt for him. It was difficult to have a spouse with addiction issues. Having kids with that spouse and having to help them grieve while you also grieved was overwhelming. Having to witness someone slowly killing themselves and knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop it would make anyone feel a bit relieved when it was over. She didn’t take that to mean he was heartless or cold. It just meant that he had been suffering with Lace and was grateful they weren’t in that seemingly endless cycle.
“Wes,” Mary began softly, “it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling.”
“I still love her. I probably always will. And I hate her for not putting our kids first, for not putting me first, but I’m sad that my kids will grow up without her.” He huffed out a breath. “I sound like an idiot.”
Mary slid off her stool and made her way around the island to his side. She cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. “You arenotan idiot, and I don’t appreciate you talking about my man that way.”
A sexy smirk appeared on his face. “Your man?”
“Well, aren’t ya?”
“That depends on whether or not you still want me when I’m done telling you everything I have to tell you.”
Mary shrugged and dropped her hands to her sides. “Then it’s settled because I’m not walking awayregardlessof what you tell me. And want you? Wes… there hasn’t been a day since I met you that I didn’t want you.”
He pressed his lips to hers and gripped her hips, pulling her against him. When he broke the kiss, he said against her lips, “Maybe we should shelf the conversation and do something else.”
“No.” She extracted herself from his hold. “Let it out, so I can prove that I’m in this. Then you can strip me down and have your wicked way with me.”
The lust that flashed in his eyes had her backing her way around the island.