I keep wondering what she would have done had I confessed the truth when she asked me if I were fucking her husband. Would she have washed her hands of him? Would she have fought me for him?
“Alexa, James and the guys will be here in about fifteen minutes with the last of your furniture. If you don’t need anything else, I’m going to take Rochelle out for lunch. Some mother daughter time.” Pain flashes behind her eyes, and I realize she must be taking her out to break the news that her grandfather is gone.
“I’m all good. Call me later, Ro?”
“I’ll probably be back over. No way is my bestie getting her own apartment without me.”
“Slow down. Your dad isn’t ready to let you fly from the nest just yet.” Ruthie guides her daughter toward the door.
“You coming with us, Colter?” Rochelle grins at him and my stomach drops. That joy on her face is about to be snuffed out.
“No,” Ruthie answers first. “It’s just you and me today, kiddo.”
“Dad wants me here to help carry the heavy shit.” He flexes his muscles, and I roll my eyes.
“Catch up with me after then?”
“You know it, babe.”
“All right enough of that. Let’s go, Ro.”
They leave and I start to work on unpacking the kitchen stuff Ruthie gave me. She said it gives her an excuse to get new stuff for hers. Colter’s gaze pierces through me. “What?” I look over at him and he shifts his focus out the kitchen window to the parking lot.
“They’re here.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
He scrubs a palm over his head, then pulls his dark hair back to show off the shaved sides. “How long are you going to lie to them?”
I stare at the floor. “I don’t like doing it.” I meet his gaze, hating the judgment being thrown back at me. “She’s my best friend, but you need to understand that I love him.”
“Doesn’t make it right.”
“I never said that it did. Are you going to tell her?”
He scowls. “No. It’s not my place, and I don’t want to be the one to hurt her like that. I’ll leave that to you. I’ll be there for her when it’s all said and done. But you need to tell her.”
“I know that. I just can’t. Not yet.”
He nods and the front door opens. I smile at James and hope he can’t tell its forced. “Someone order a couch?”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.” He enters followed by Colter’s dad, Papa. If I didn’t know better, I would swear they are brothers. Both of them are tall and muscular but not in that body builder way. They’re lean and tone. Tattoos of dark elements. Reapers. There is something otherworldly about them. I can’t put my finger on it.
“Colter,” his dad calls him over. “Let’s get this furniture moved and there might be some date money in it for you. We passed Ruthie and Rochelle on our way in. Your girl mentioned wanting to go to a movie.” He wraps an arm around his neck and roughs up his hair.
They disappear out the door.
“Shouldn’t you be helping them?”
“I will but first, I’ve been dying to do this for days.” Stepping into my space, his hand cups my jaw, then he kisses me soft and slow. It’s been two weeks since everything went down with Lion. James has been busy being named the new Prez of the Royal Bastards. I don’t know the details because well its club business. I only know he’s been taking a lot of meetings and cleaning up Lion’s mess.
Then there’s Ruthie. I know she’s suspicious, and we have to tread carefully. I mostly worried about Rochelle. I told her that I thought he was hot once and she pinched me so hard I had a blood blister.
Breaking away, he grins at me. “Things are going to be different, Lex. You’ll see, baby. This is just the beginning.” I pray he’s right. I don’t know how much more bad I can handle. “I better go help.”
“Yeah.” I nod. “You do that.” I kiss him again.
It didn’t take them long to bring up the couch and get my bed set up. Colter and Papa are gone and now it’s just James and me. I collapse on the couch, and he drops next to me, slinging an arm around me. His lips meet my forehead and I let out a happy sigh. I wish this meant he’d be living with me. I know better though a girl can dream.
I stare at the kitchen and imagine myself preparing him dinner and him coming in after a long day with the club. I’d have him a cold beer waiting next to his plate. He’d smile at me and tell me about his day over dinner.
Someday we’ll have that.
One day we won’t have to hide our love.
One day I’ll be his Old Lady, and he’ll be my man for real.
His cell phone goes off. I shift so he can dig it out of his pocket. Mouth turned down he swipes a finger across the screen. “Yeah? Just finishing up putting this shelf in the closet. I’m almost done. Gimme’ about ten minutes. I’ll get it. That bad, huh? Right.” He pauses. “Love you too.”
I stiffen at his words. Hearing him say what I long to hear so freely to her hurts more than I want it to. The call ends and he goes to his feet.
“You’re leaving, already?”
“Yeah, Ro isn’t taking the news of her grandpa that great and
