His Dangerous Ways✔️

Chap. 17 Confessions

I nodded as curiosity filled my mind. River took a deep breath before he pulled me up on to his lap as that I was straddling his hips. His hands were interlocked behind my back to support me and he made sure that he wasn't holding me too close in fear of hurting my ribs. "Before I start, all of this was in the past and even though I still think about what happened, I have learned from my mistakes and have moved on," he started and I nodded, telling him to go on. He sucked in a huge deep breath before letting it out and starting. "Almost three years ago I met this girl named Grace while I was at a football game," he started. "She accidentally stumbled into the boys locker room while she was looking for the bathroom," he chuckled at the memory. "And right then, when I saw her with our team colors painted under her eyes and the team sweatshirt she was wearing, I knew I liked her."

A pinch of jealousy moved through me as I saw how happy he looked when he talked about her, but I pushed it aside and continued listening to him. "From then on we were inseparable. Before I met her, I was a player. You know, messing with girl's hearts until I got what I wanted before I left them the next day, but I changed for her," he mused before he continued. "A few months after we started dating I...I found out she was pregnant," he said barely above a whisper and I couldn't contain the small gasp that push past my lips. "She wanted to name the baby Bryce because she had a feeling it would be a boy so we did and from that moment on, my whole life revolved around them. I would run all over the place to get things that satisfied her cravings. I would stay late nights to teach her what she was missing at school. I even put my job on hold for her despite the dangers. I put everything on hold for her and Bryce. I grew accustomed to her weird pregnancy changes like how she always craved ice cream and how she somehow enjoyed sleeping with the lights on," he chuckled as he shook his head. "She was nuts, I tell you, but she was my nut and I truly cared about her."

By now a suffocating tightness was growing in my chest at how much affection was drowning his voice as he spoke about her and I couldn't help but wonder if he thought about me like that...

"But one day everything changed," he said, his voice becoming low as he looked at his tattoo. "Rival gangs had been trying to get to her because they knew that she was important to me so, being the cowards they are, they tried getting to me by going after her," he bitterly stated. "I'd successfully taken out all of the threats that stood against her but one," he said before he tightly closed his eyes and took a shaky deep breath and when he reopened his eyes, I could see the tears that were building up in them. "I was out taking care of business at the institute and she was at her house alone...She'd been telling me that she was tired of relying on me for everything, but I'd talk her down, but that night she just didn't want to listen," he said, his voice becoming softer and softer. "Somehow they found out where she was driving and followed her. She was at a red light and they came up behind her in their car and slammed into her, pushing her into the traffic. The impact from behind gave her a concussion but then a semi came and..." He trailed off as a few tears escaped.

"River look at me," I gently said as I cupped his cheek and gently stroked it with my thumb so I could wipe his tears away like he'd done for me all those times. "You don't have to-"

"No Cat," he cut me off. "I want you to know this. You need to know this so that you can understand where I'm coming from." I looked at him for a moment before I reluctantly nodded. "The collision killed her and the baby on impact and when the truck was done with her, her car was wrapped around a tree."

"I'm so sorry, River," I whispered, but he shook his head.

"At first I thought it was an accident but then the Silencers started mentioning it in their threats against me and that's when I put the pieces together. And to make it worse, Bryce was due only a week after the collision," he whispered and my heart instantly hurt. Not only did he lose his love, but he also lost his child...