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Willow
I stared in disbelief as Grey explained everything that had happened that day in Markin’s office. We were at my apartment that I kept, and he’d ordered Chinese and the doughnuts from the dessert shop in loved. That, in itself, had warned me that something was seriously wrong. Grey was giving me comfort food.
“You resigned?” I gasped as it finally sunk in.
“Not much choice in it, babe. Living twenty hours away from you ain’t an option. We’re planning a life together, Willow, not one that means we see each other a few times a year,” Grey stated and looked entirely too relaxed and at ease for my liking.
I scowled, but Grey shook it off. He wasn’t afraid of me.
“Shouldn’t we have discussed this first?” I demanded.
Grey shrugged.
“Babe, what was to discuss? I don’t want to move anywhere else, promotion doesn’t interest me. But it does you. And as Markin stated, you could go on to have a fantastic career, babe. I just like sticking my nose in shit and working out puzzles. With the business Hawthorne gets, I can remain doing that.”
“This is not fair!” I nearly shouted, waving my chopsticks about angrily.
“Isn’t it? Babe, eight years, we have gotten away with murder. Luckily, we’ve never been caught, but we’ve had to be damn careful. We can’t walk down the street holding hands. We can’t go to restaurants appearing like we’re on a date. Frightened of ruining our careers, we’ve always been constantly alert.”
“So?” I muttered mulishly.
“I want to be open with you, be seen holding hands and kissing you. Want to be able to wrap my arms around you and hug you. To declare you’re my woman and I am your man. Can’t do that with us in the same department. I’ll get to do the job I love while having a relationship that’s open and free,” Grey said with a sigh.
That stung. I wanted nothing more, too.
“But you had to resign,” I replied bitterly.
“And I am happy to do so because it means, Willow, we can finally live the way we want,” Grey drawled.
As I stared into his eyes, I could see the truth. Grey really wasn’t bothered about resigning; it was me who was. He desired a relationship like everyone else. At that moment, I’d never loved him more.
“We can start looking at houses. I’ve given a month’s notice, but Markin’s going to try to put two weeks of time in lieu on. That means I walk in a few weeks. So, it’s time to move our asses, babe—house, wedding, and kids.” Grey winked.
My jaw hit the floor. “Wedding? We’re not even engaged!”
“We’ll be soon. Just need to speak to Axel and receive his blessing. And you won’t want a big deal at the wedding, so we could hold it on Rage?” Grey suggested.
My chopsticks dropped onto my plate. “At Rage?”
“Yeah, they’re your family. Big Al can marry us because I’m sure Axel will walk you down the aisle,” Grey teased.
Blast him. He knew me too well.
“You haven’t proposed yet!” I taunted.
“Oh, I will, once I’ve spoken to Axel. And it’s going to be wonderful. So get your head around it now.”
“Grey! What about your mom? She’ll not like a wedding in Rage,” I muttered.
Mrs Grey, as she insisted on being called, was a control freak. She was a straightlaced woman who lacked humour and certainly had standards that Grey and I did not meet. Mrs Grey suspected there was something between Grey and me, but we’d never confirmed it. I wouldn’t put it past her to have phoned the Bureau in an attempt to get me fired or reassigned.
I honestly didn’t know how she’d birthed Grey. They were total opposites.
Grey loved having fun and having adventures. Mrs Grey, on the other hand, thought tennis was an appropriate sport for women—alongside sipping margaritas at the country club. Grey came from money and social standing. His father had died when he was young, so he became the soul focus of his mother’s attention.
Mrs Grey wasn’t a bad woman, but partying at an MC was her worst nightmare. She certainly would not approve. Plus, she wouldn’t dream of having her country club friends there.
I didn’t say anything, but I knew Grey was in for a battle that he wasn’t expecting. With Grey being her only son, Mrs Grey would wish to make sure that society was well aware of her child getting married. And she’d expect a wedding to match her ideals.
