Page 69 of Broken Warrior
Tate knows and I’m sure that’s why she left it so open-ended about me coming back over tonight.
So now I have to figure out what the fuck has been going on behind my back while my family made sure I was taking care of myself the right way and working my recovery, and I need to figure it out quick because I can’t keep any of them safe if I don’t know what I’m up against.
But I should probably do all of thatafterI stop home and get a clean t-shirt.
I have a feeling I’m already going to be all kinds of pissed off and anxious during this church service, don’t need to be covered in jizz, too.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
TATE
I wringmy hands nervously as I sit on Dori’s couch, my knee bouncing uncontrollably while I wait for her to get out of the bathroom.
It’s been hours since Fin left my apartment, hours since I talked to him, since I saw him smile or heard him tell me he loves me.
Despite my anxiety, I smile at that.
Hearing Fin tell me that he loves me, loves both James and I, saying the words out loud before kissing me in front of my son, it makes my heart happy.
The happiest it’s ever been, really.
I was worried that after so much time had passed he wouldn’t feel the same.
Recovery is hard, not that I know firsthand, and when someone works a program the way Fin has been, it can be even harder.
You’re forced to really look at yourself, at your life and the choices you made leading up to that new chapter, and sometimes things change because of it.
I had all the same fears Fin did, all the same concerns about what would happen to us during our time apart and what we did during it, but it doesn’t seem to have done anything other than make our feelings for each other stronger. What we have is real, it’s true, and nothing that’s happened changed one little thing about it.
Not yet, anyway.
No, there is one thing that happened while we were apart, one thing that keeps coming up that Fin is completely unaware of, andthatcould easily change everything.
Will it change how he feels about me or James? No. At least, I don’t think so anyway, if anything it’ll just make his overprotective side go apeshit, but Fin won’t love either of us any less.
He’ll be pissed though.
Fin will be so pissed, and not just at me, but at Jackal and Zak, at the entire Executive Committee, and he’ll even be mad at Dori because all of us are aware of what he is not, and even though he needed to be left out because of his recovery, Fin is going to lose his shit over it.
“Ok,” Dori says as she waddles into the living room. “The girls just pulled up, Zak is gone, I peed a damn river and peeked in on James.” She plops down on the couch next to me and immediately kicks her swollen feet up on the coffee table. “He is sleeping like the little angel baby he is already.”
I give her a weak smile and nod. “He was pretty tired. We had a long day yesterday.”
My sister frowns, then starts grunting and groaning as she wiggles into a more comfortable position. “Which is why you’re… what?”
“Nothing.” I giggle as I watch her sink lower on the couch.
“What?”
“Nothing, I swear.”
“Bullshit.” Dori scowls at me. “There is something because you’ve looked borderline terrified ever since you walked in the door and now you’re laughing.”
I shake my head as I snort. “Really, it’s nothing.”
“Tater…”
“Dori, I promise. It’s really—”
