CHAPTER TWO

RILEY

*FIVE YEARS LATER*

I stared at the new masterpiece I had just finished working on, unable to take my eyes off it and continued grinning from ear to ear. It had taken me just an hour to lain the wolf claw marks onto the Harley engine, but each minute was worth it.

Then a familiar memory hits me. This looked like the wolf claw marks that Knox had drawn on my Harley back in high-school when we had newly begun dating.

Deja vu.

I wavered off the thoughts, reminding myself that there was no need to think about it. It's been five years and I've started a new life. After that day, I ran away to start a new life in Seattle and when it seemed like everything came crashing down, I found out I was pregnant.

I wanted nothing more but to be with knox at that moment, but the rejection still stung. He was hard to forget anyways—the mark hunted me day and night. But, it was because of my children I was able to pull through. They were the only ones that made life worth living after Knox betrayed me on what was supposed to be the most joyous occasion of our lives.

Harley and Hunter.

My two priceless jewels.

“Mommy,” a familiar voice called.

I turned to see my little boy—Hunter. His face scrunched up, and he rubbed his eyes with his adorable fingers. I dropped the pain brush and walked towards him.

The look on his face was clear enough to know that he had just woken up from a nap. I left both of them in my office, covered in my black leather jacket.

I caressed his face gently. “I thought you were asleep, honey. What woke you up?” I asked.

He pouted. “Harley kept kicking in her sleep and I missed you, mommy.”

My heart melted. He had a way of putting a smile on my face so effortlessly. “I miss you too, sweetie,” I pecked his little adorable nose.

He giggled softly.

Then his face changed into something serious, I don't think I've ever seen him with a stern expression before. “What's wrong, baby?”

He sniffed. “I…I can smell something, mommy. Like, there's someone close by,” he explained.

My brows furrowed. This wasn't the first time he's said something mysterious, but I was never one to put them away as their sweats interested me.

I scooted Fuether. “What are you smelling?” I inquired, my voice quivering, like if I walked any louder then it'd trigger him.

“He's coming, mommy.”

My breath hitched. I stared at him, unable to say a word. My tongue felt tied and my stomach churned. I wanted to ask for more explanation, when my phone rang.

“Gove me a sec, baby. “

I placed a kiss on his forehead and grabbed my phone. The caller was none other than Damien Voss—My fiancée. When I recently moved to Seattle, he was the one who helped me settle in. I don't think I'd have made it without Him and my kids.

He's been after me for a while, but I wanted to heal and focus on my kids. But after a while, I realized I couldn't be hung on by Knox. I agreed to date him and then a few months later he proposed, which I said yes too.

“Hello,” I greeted, my voice calm.

“Hey darling,” he responded. “I'm sorry for disturbing you. I know these are your working hours. But I need you to know that the engagement party would be held at your apartment and the guests would arrive soon. Don't worry, everything has been taken off the care.”

I felt a lump in my throat. This was one of the things I didn't like about Damien—never discussing things with me first. But still I didn't complain.

“I'd close the shop early and head home.”

I heard him sigh in relief. “Thank you so much, baby. I'm sorry it's so impromptu but I'd make it for you.”

“Sure,” I simply replied and hung up.

I closed the shop and headed home with the twins. The shop was within walking distance to my apartment, so it wasn't any trouble.

I got to the apartment building and literally stopped dead on the sidewalk. The whole front was already done up like some P*******t board exploded.

Fairy lights wrapped around the railing, huge flower arrangements by the door, those fancy gold balloons that spell out “SHE SAID YES” floating everywhere. There was even a guy in a suit standing outside with an umbrella like we suddenly lived in a five-star hotel. I just stood there holding Hunter’s hand and Luna was on my hip rubbing her eyes and I’m pretty sure my mouth was hanging open.

“Mommy, it looks like a princess party,” Hunter whispered, eyes huge.

“Yeah baby… Mommy wasn’t expecting this either,” I muttered.

I pushed the door open and almost dropped Luna. The hallway was packed with catering people running around with trays, someone was setting up a champagne tower, and there was a giant ice sculpture of two swans or something. My tiny apartment had turned into a whole event. Damien really went all out without even texting me first. Again.

I forced a smile at the random staff smiling at me and hurried past them to our actual apartment door. The twins were already whining about being hungry and I just wanted five minutes to breathe.

“Okay okay, let’s get you two changed first,” I said, unlocking the door and kicking off my boots. The place already smelled like flowers and fancy food. Damien had people in here decorating while I was at the shop. Typical.

I carried Luna to their room and Hunter ran ahead, jumping on his bed. “Mommy can I wear my new shoes with the lights?” he asked, already pulling them out.

“Yeah sure baby, just don’t jump on the bed with them.” I put Luna down and she immediately ran to her closet looking for something “sparkly.”

I left them giggling and arguing over who got to wear the crown hair clip and went to find something decent to wear myself. My hands were still kinda greasy from the shop so I was scrubbing them in the kitchen sink when I heard it.

A low rumble. Like thunder but… different. Deeper. Familiar.

I froze with soap up to my elbows.

The sound got louder, closer, like it was circling the building. My heart started doing that stupid fast thing it hadn’t done in years. I told myself it was nothing, just some biker passing by, Seattle has tons of Harleys, right? But my body knew better. My skin knew better. That mark on my neck started tingling like it remembered.

I dried my hands on a towel and walked to the window, telling myself I was being dramatic.

Rain had started falling, big fat drops hitting the glass. The streetlights made everything look blurry and yellow. And then I saw it. Matte-black Harley, silver claw marks scratched into the tank exactly like the ones I just painted today. Exactly like the ones Knox put on my old bike when we were seventeen and stupid in love.

The bike slowed down… circled once… twice… then rolled to a stop right in front of my building.

My stomach dropped to my feet.

The rider sat there for a second, rain pouring off his helmet. Then he reached up, pulled it off slow, and shook out wet black hair.

Silver eyes looked straight up at my window.

Straight at me.

Knox.

My phone slipped out my hand and hit the floor. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Just stood there like an idiot staring at the man who broke me while rain poured down his face like he didn’t even feel it.