Reaper's Salvation: A Last Riders Trilogy by Jamie Begley (read a book TXT) 📗

too much alike, or they had been. He could see now what Ginny had been telling him; he had been running after fool’s gold. Like those miners, Reaper had clung to the belief that their relationship was the real thing, because he hadn’t been strong enough to kill off something Gavin had loved. With that admission, a final understanding of Rider’s actions finally clicked in place, as well as the knowledge of what Reaper had to do to move forward.

“Where’s your old man and kid?”

At his question, Taylor seemed taken aback. “Brandon is with his Burn. We’re getting a divorce. I couldn’t stay with him when I realized I wasn’t ever going to get over you. I married him when I thought you were dead, Gavin. You can’t hold that against me. I stayed with him because I was pregnant. I wanted my marriage to work, but I can’t stay with him when you have my heart, Gavin.”

Reaper turned his head to see Ginny moving toward the kitchen. “Ginny, come here.”

Flustered at being singled out in front of the other woman, Ginny started pulling her sweater together across her bulging middle.

Reaper took the steps necessary when she stopped short of walking directly to him. Placing a proprietary arm around her shoulders, Reaper gave Taylor an inflexible expression. “Go home. There’s nothing here for you.”

Reaper’s aloof behavior wasn’t affected by the devastation Taylor made no effort to conceal.

Catching Ginny’s hand in his when she wouldn’t quit restlessly stretching her sweater closed, he could see the discomfort, and the fear, in the nonchalant attitude Ginny was trying to portray.

“Who is she?” The venomous way Taylor asked the question had Ginny stiffening underneath his arm. Reaper released her hand to smooth his hand gently over the small mound of her belly to settle the mama and baby in his arms. “She’s none of your concern.”

At his movement, Taylor’s attitude changed. “Are you acting this way to hurt me? To pay me back for not leaving Burn when I came to see you at the rehab center? You can stop pretending, Gavin. I know the child isn’t yours. We need to talk privately. Let’s go upstairs where we won’t be interrupted.”

Taylor’s rudeness had Ginny giving a shocked gasp.

Reaper arched a brow at Ginny, waiting for her deny that she was pregnant, which she had done repeatedly each time her pregnancy had been mentioned. Any plan of using the opportunity to force acknowledgment out of Ginny failed when he saw the hurt deepening in her eyes as she tried to shift away from his touch.

He tightened his arm around her shoulders, holding her in place. “You couldn’t be more wrong. Taylor, when have I pretended to say or do something I didn’t mean? The baby Ginny is carrying is mine, and any future children she has will be mine. She’s mine, which fucking means I don’t want you. No amount of us talking will change that fact. Go home to Burn and your son. There’s nothing here for you in Treepoint. There never was.”

“I deserve to be treated better than this from you,” Taylor snapped, using a heavily ringed hand to toss her hair over her shoulder—making sure he noticed the sparkling jewel on her finger. “Do you know how I felt when I had to cancel our wedding? We didn’t know if you had taken off with the money for the business, or if you were dead. Do you know how many nights I went to sleep crying over you? I held out hope until Viper found your body. Even then, I wasn’t ready to let you go. Everyone kept telling me to move on, and then, when I did, what happened? They found you! What did you want me to do? Leave my husband and child when you weren’t in a good head place?”

Reaper moved himself and Ginny back a couple of steps when Taylor tried to come closer. Seeing what he was doing, Taylor stopped.

“I gave us enough time for me to see if I could make my marriage with Burn last, while giving you time to get over the trauma of what happened to you. Don’t send me away. Spend a couple of days with me before you decide. I love you. We can still be together, have the life we planned for, if you’d just give us another chance.”

“Another chance for what? To make both of our lives miserable? I’m staying put in Treepoint. You see yourself happy living here?”

From her expression, Reaper didn’t think she would be.

“You planning on walking away from your son? Burn might be willing to let you move away, but his son is a different story.”

“Nothing about you has changed. It still has to be your way or the highway.” Waspishly, Taylor turned her vindictiveness on Ginny. “You’re nothing but a stand-in for me. You’ll never replace me in his bed.” Taylor gave Ginny a smug smile, her eyes sweeping over Ginny contemptuously. “Three high-class whores couldn’t give him what I did for him. What I still could do when he’s done paying me back for the fact I didn’t divorce Burn sooner.”

Taylor’s gave him a suggestive smile. “I’ll stay at the hotel tonight. Come by if you want me to refresh your memory.”

“You did me a favor by not divorcing Burn. I’ll make sure to thank him personally.” Reaper’s words dripped ice. “This is Ginny’s party, and you weren’t invited. Leave now, or I’m going to forget you have a small child.”

Paling, Taylor turned hastily, and Reaper didn’t miss the look of contempt she treated the room of women to as she went to the door. Raising her hand with her car keys, Taylor popped the balloon as she left.

Moon raised a questioning brow at him at the doorway. “You want me to toss her down the steps?”

“No. Leave her be. She’s Burn’s problem, not mine.”

Reaper turned Ginny back toward the rest of the room. “I’m sorry for the interruption, ladies.