Semua Bab Pucking Forbidden Claim: Bab 231 - Bab 240

Kade POVThe second I step in, I hear soft laughter coming from the living room and I move toward it and find Harlow sitting on the floor, her dolls spread out in front of her, while Rose watches from the couch, half-focused on her book.Harlow spots me immediately and beams.“Daddy Mercer!” she cheers, scrambling to her feet and running toward me.I let out a slow breath, my body instantly relaxing as I crouch down and scoop her up. “Hey, little troublemaker,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.She pulls back slightly, pouting. “You took forever.”“Yeah? And what’d you do while I was gone?”“I won!” she exclaims, throwing her arms up.I raise a brow. “Won what?”She huffs, twisting in my arms to look at Rose. “Tell him.”Rose chuckles, shutting her book. “We played two games. She beat me at both.”Harlow looks back at me, all smug satisfaction.I shake my head. “And you didn’t let her win?”Rose smirks. “Absolutely not.”Harlow grins, wrapping her arms around my neck.

Rook POVI don’t move right away, making sure he’s actually calm before I let up slightly.Tyler sighs dramatically. “This has been fun. We should do it again sometime.”Kade lunges again, and I swear to God I might have to fucking knock him out at this point.Tyler sits up slightly, rubbing his jaw where Kade clocked him, before tilting his head with that same smug smirk that makes me want to punch him myself.“You know,” he muses, “you really don’t appreciate what you have, Mercer.”Kade’s nostrils flare, his jaw clenching. “Shut the fuck up, Tyler.”Tyler grins, clearly enjoying himself. “I mean it. You act like Rook’s just yours like he couldn’t have anyone else if he wanted.” He leans back, shaking his head. “But damn, man. Last night? He was sitting close, leaning into me, hands on me—”Kade bucks beneath me again, but I shove him back hard, my patience gone.“Nothing fucking happened!” I snap at Tyler, my voice louder than I meant. “Jesus Christ, would you stop?”Tyler just lau

Kade POVThe second the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve fucked up.Rook goes still, just for a moment, before something explodes in him.His face twists with pure rage, his chest rising and falling sharply as he takes a step closer, his fists clenched so tight I can hear his knuckles crack.“Loyalty?” he shouts, his voice sharp, raw. “You’re throwing fucking loyalty at me?” He lets out a harsh, bitter laugh, shaking his head. “How the fuck can you say that to me when you’ve been sneaking around behind my back?”My stomach clenches, but I don’t speak, don’t get the chance to, because Rook’s not done.“You want to talk about betrayal?” He scoffs, stepping in closer, his eyes burning. “How about the fact that while I was out there, drinking, trying to forget for one fucking night that everything feels like it’s slipping away, you were sitting in a fucking meeting discussing how to take over behind my back?”My jaw locks, my body tensing, but he keeps going, pushing.“My own husband. My

Kade POVI see how much time I’ve let slip through my fingers, how I let myself get pulled further and further into my work until I wasn’t even paying attention to what it was doing to them. To us.I run a hand through my hair, sighing. “Rook—”He laughs, sharp and tired. “You say you’ll change, but then what? You’ll get pulled into another meeting, another job, another fucking crisis, and suddenly, we’re right back here. I’ve heard this before, Mercer.”His voice isn’t angry anymore. It’s defeated, and that fucking kills me.I shift closer, reaching out again, but this time, I don’t just hold his chin, I take his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me.“No, you haven’t heard this before,” I tell him, my voice low, steady. “Because I didn’t fucking see it before. But I see it now, and I’m telling you, I’m fixing it.”His jaw tightens, his breath slightly uneven, but he doesn’t pull away.“I dropped hockey to be with you,” he mutters after a beat, and for the first time, his voice

Kade POVTyler scoffs. “That’s what I thought.” He crosses his arms. “You want to know what I see? I see Rook with Harlow, all the time. I see him alone at the rink, at the bar, everywhere. But you?” His eyes narrow. “I never see him with you anymore.”My stomach clenches. “That’s not fair.”“Isn’t it?” He raises a brow. “When’s the last time you showed up for him? Actually showed up? Not just physically, but fully fucking there?”I grind my teeth, my hands curling into fists. “I’ve been busy—”“We’re all busy, Mercer!” Tyler snaps, throwing his hands up. “That’s a fucking excuse. You chose to put everything else first. You chose work, you chose obligations, you chose—” he gestures vaguely, “—whatever the fuck it is you’ve been doing for your father-in-law. But you didn’t choose him.”His words slam into me like a wrecking ball.Tyler lets out a breath, his voice quieter now. “As a friend, I tried to tell you. I tried to warn you. But you brushed it off like it didn’t mean shit.” He t