Loving Laurel Animals MC book 6

Chapter Twenty One.

The next day was the day of the rehearsal dinner, Laurel and her family promised they would be there to help Addison wrangle all her children who each had a part in the wedding.

The house was busy that morning when Ivan got up and he barely caught a glance at Laurel, between helping Addison with the kids and her mom with breakfast she had her hands full.

He stepped out onto the back porch from some air and decided now was as good a time as any to call Wolf.

Wolf had been watching his club while Ivan was away.

"Hello?" Wolf answered on the third ring.

"Hey man, it's Ivan. How is my club?"

"Hey, your club is fine. That new Vice-President of yours is working his ass off for you."

"Yeah, he's a good worker. He's not Ezra but...nobody is."

"How is it going down there?" Wolf asked.

"Oh, uh...it's good...really good," Ivan admitted.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think...I think I might ask Laurel to move back in with me."

"It's going that good?" Wolf asked.

"Yeah, yeah it is."

"That's...surprising but great news."

"She's different when she's here and she's with her family," Ivan said.

"Yeah, I suppose she would be. Did she tell her parents what happened to her?"

"No, but...she's dealing with it now."

"She dealt with it once before, I understand it was you who didn't," Wolf said.

"This is different. I'm ready now to be a husband again," Ivan said.

"Don't you think that's a little selfish?" Wolf asked.

"What?"

"Well, now you're ready to be a husband she can come back? When she needed a husband you checked out. What if something bad happens again? you can't just leave everytime things get hard."

"I know that," Ivan defended.

"Look all I'm saying is keep in mind that it won't be the same here as it is there. She's already healed and she had to do it alone, you can't just waltz in now and pretend nothing happened."

Ivan frowned, deep down he realized Wolf was right. Things between him and Laurel were great right now because they were pretending they were.

"Well, I gotta go," Ivan said.

"Ivan, you're a good man and I don't mean to say anything bad about you but Laurel is my friend too," Wolf said.

"I know."

"Just think about things, put yourself in her shoes before you go doing anything stupid."

"I will," Ivan promised.

He hung up his phone and took a deep breath Wolf was right, Laurel already had a temporary husband and she didn't need another one. What she really needed was to get out of the club business and move home with her family.

He stepped back into the house where Laurel was zipping the twins sweaters.

"Are you ready?" Laurel asked as she stood.

"Can...can we talk?" He asked.

She sensed his mood and he saw it in her eyes she was wary. He turned and she followed him into the kitchen as everyone else went out the front door.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"I...I think I'm going to go back tonight," He said.

"Okay, I'll just go pack and..."

"No, Laurel...I want you to stay here." He interrupted.

She looked at him with a frown and truly broken look, then she shook her head. Realizing what he was thinking.

"No, Ivan..."

"You're so good here Laurel, with those kids and your family and this town. You're happy here, I can see the difference in you."

"I'm happy because I'm with you," She admitted softly.

"Laurel...it's not real. You just got caught up in everything."

"What about you? huh? you were in that bedroom...you...you couldn't have been pretending then."

"I do care for you Laurel...I will always care for you but I can't do this. It was never going to work. You're safe here, you're happy here. Just...let me go and tell your family whatever they need to hear."

Her lower lip started to tremble but she didn't cry and that was breaking him even more. If she would scream and be angry maybe he could walk away from her a little easier.

"You're a bastard and now...now...you've finally broken me...more than they ever did." She said.

He didn't say anything but he swallowed past the lump in his throat and realized he was blinking back his own tears even as her eyes finally started to water.

The fact that she didn't realize this was what was best for her made it harder. He couldn't go on pretending there was a chance they could have this kind of life and she couldn't live being a part of who they used to be.

"In time you'll see this was your best shot." He said softly.

She stared at him with piercing blue eyes full of tears and bit her bottom lip. Then she pulled her wedding band and engagement ring off of her finger and held them out to him.

He shook his head, he didn't want them. He never did not if she wasn't wearing them and last time she left them on his table.

"No...you want out of this...whatever this might be between us you take them. You take them off my finger and when you walk out that door you take your guilt and your conscience with you." She said.

He reached out and she dropped the suddenly heavy bands into his palm, they were already cold and foreign.

"Be packed and gone when we get back." She said.

He gave a nod to exhausted to speak.

Then she turned wiped her tears and followed her family out the door and out of his life.