Loving Nicole (Savage Brothers MC #3)(18)

“Tell me about Dani, Mama,” Dragon says and I wish I didn’t have to.

“She’s not from Kentucky and we didn’t go to high school together.”

Dragon’s body tightens against mine and I feel shame for lying to him. He doesn’t say anything though and he doesn’t push me away, so I soldier on.

“I told you my parents insisted I go to college to find a suitable husband, but I refused; though not at first. I went for one semester. They sent me to Three Oaks Academy in Maryland. It was the premiere private college where trophy wives-in-training go.”

Dragon kisses the top of my head and squeezes me to him. I take this as a good sign.

“That’s where I sort of met Dani.”

“Sort of?”

“Dani is a name she picked out of a Red Hot Chili Pepper’s song. Her real name is Melinda Marinetti.”

“Fuck me…”

“Of the Marinetti shipping…”

“I know the name, Nicole,” Dragon replies and his voice is not happy. I take a breath and dive back in.

“Her father had just died. She had no one but him since her mom died when Dani was…”

“Melinda.”

“She’s Dani to me, she always will be,” I try to explain and I can hear how upset he is, but I figure at this point in for penny, in for a pound—or whatever. “Anyways, when the will was read her father made it a stipulation that Dani would marry Michael or she would not inherit anything.”

“Jesus.”

“Pretty much. Michael was nice to Dani. He held her hand through the funeral, helped make the arrangements, and became her support system in a way. She thought he was perfect.”

“He wasn’t?”

“He wasn’t happy she came to school. The will stipulated that Dani finish so many hours of college and other weird shit though, so he didn’t stop her. After they married, that’s when he changed.”

“Changed?”

“Controlling, beatings…and more, but those things are Dani’s alone to know, Dragon.”

“Why didn’t she leave?”

“Hard to leave a man who has that much power. She was young, terrified. There were a lot of reasons.”

“She reached out to you?”

“I hated Three Oaks, one semester was all I could handle. I came back home and moved in with Roy’s parents.”

“Roy?” Dragon asks and his voice takes on that extra-growly texture to it.

“Cool your jets, sweetheart. Roy is like a brother to me and gay—very happily gay.”

“Dani’s brother?”

“He’s not actually. We met him in Maryland and just clicked, though he and Dani have always been super close. When things got really bad Dani had nowhere else to go, she called me and Roy arranged to go get her. He was dating a man who could help her start a new life. With his help, Melinda died and Danielle Grant was born.”

Dragon had shifted where he was on his side while we talked. When I finished he rolled over on his back and stared up at the ceiling. I lie there, not talking. Even remembering this story, totally glossing over the ugliness, exhausts me. I’ve told Dragon, but he has no idea, really. He couldn’t. Dragon isn’t a man who would ever hurt a woman—let alone hurt her in ways she’d never recover from and take joy from it.

“This is a f*cked up mess, Mama.”

“Yeah.”

“You should have come to me. You should have trusted me with this so I could protect you and Dani.”

His words hurt, I knew, of course, how he’d feel, but hearing it spoken out-loud and in his voice, a voice I love, wounds me. I shift to my side and prop my head on my arm. I would have liked to roll over on top of him, but our child prevents me. Instead, I take my free hand and exert enough pressure on the side of his face that he turns and looks at me. My thumb grazes over his strong chin. I try to will everything I feel for this man into my eyes. I want him to see how much I truly love him. I know I’ve done damage by keeping Dani’s secrets, but it’s important he sees it has hurt me too.

“Dragon, I love Dani. Until you and your club, she was the only family I ever had. I kept her secrets out of loyalty, because she asked me.”

“Nicole…”

“But even after I agreed to keep them Dragon, I was still planning on telling you. I just couldn’t right away. Dani has had so much betrayal. If I had betrayed her, I don’t think she would have survived.”

“Damn it. Mama, I can’t keep you safe if you don’t tell me. I can’t keep her safe! Nicole, she’s out there alone with no protection. That is not alright. You needed to let me in and trust that I can handle this shit.”

“I do! It’s not about if I trusted you. It never was! Dani didn’t want you involved. She didn’t want the club involved. You keep preaching, club business is club business. How you need to keep me safe. You should understand more than anyone that Dani felt this was her business, and she wanted to try and keep us all safe.”

“Running away won’t do it though. This psycho won’t stop until he has Dani, and now that he knows she’s been alive all this time and living off his money? He’ll want revenge and he’ll want it ugly.”

My stomach clenches and this sick feeling explodes inside of me. Realistically, he’s only telling me the truth, but I was trying to pretend differently.