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"That's true."
"I'll miss my old people."
"Rumor has it, we have old people here too."
"Huck and the guys' lives are all about to change drastically."
"Yeah," he agreed, not trying to deny it, sugarcoat it. He knew I didn't need that. He respected the fact that I could handle it.
"I probably wouldn't have been seeing him as much anymore." While the business grew. While he fixed up the new clubhouse. While he scouted out new men. While he learned to be a leader.
Huck would have new priorities.
He would have less tolerance for me and my bullshit.
His life would move forward.
Mostly without me.
That was a hard truth I was struggling with facing up to.
But it was the truth.
What it all came down to was if I was going to let myself be left behind, or if I was going to move forward too. In a different way. In a different pursuit of happiness.
"That's possible," West agreed.
"So, really, I guess that leaves me with two choices. I stay down there, losing the connection with my brother and his friends, losing connections with the girls in my group who aren't much of friends anyway. Save for Ayanna."
"Or?"
"Or, I can start over here. With you. With this group of women who seem much more steady. I can take self-defense classes. Did I tell you I promised myself I was going to do that?"
"No, you didn't."
"It was in the trunk. Or when I was up in the tree. I don't know. It's all blurring together. But I promised myself I would learn how to defend myself."
"Well, this is one of the best places to do that."
"I noticed that."
I'd seen some of the women sparring in the backyard as a form of exercise since they couldn't get to the gym. They were scary good.
"I don't want to live in a clubhouse," I told him.
"Okay."
"Okay?" I asked, turning my head to look at his profile. "You can't just agree to everything I say."
"Why not?"
"Because this is your life we're talking about here too."
"I don't care where I live, pretty girl. If you do, then we will find a place. Maybe even somewhere with a yard for that ankle biter of yours," he said. She was currently one floor below us, curled up in a bright pink circle bed that looked more comfortable than the mattress West and I slept on.
"That would be nice."
"I guess we have to talk about the elephant in the room."
"The... what?" I asked, brows furrowing.
"The giant, scaly, beady-eyed, jaw-unhinging elephant in the room."
"Stop hating on Petunia," I demanded, smirking.
"She shouldn't be so hate-able then."
"She told me she would love to escape her enclosure, slither up the bed, and curl up on the pillow with you."
"She better the fuck not."
"We'll see."
"I will superglue her enclosure together."
"Then how would we feed her?" I said, smiling.
"The Devil would feed her, don't worry," he told me, grabbing a chunk of my hair, giving it a playful tug. "So, we are gonna do this? You're gonna stay here with me?"
"Well, eventually."
"Eventually," he repeated, body stiffening.
"I have to go back once my arm is healed. Then I can go back to work, say goodbye to my old people, put in my notice. Hang out with the guys for the last couple times for a while. See Ayanna. Clear out my place. There are practical things to deal with."
"Boring," he said, giving me a boyish smile.
"Well, you can maybe go down and help your brothers take down some Ukrainians."
"That could be a lot of fun."
"One of them called me a bitch, you know."
"Well, clearly, he needs to die for that."
"Totally," I agreed, smirking. "Even if it's true."
"Not gonna trick me into agreeing with that one, pretty girl. I don't put it past you to use that cast as a weapon," he added, folding up, reaching for his clothes.
"Did you see what Sugar signed it with?" I asked, holding my arms up so he could slide my shirt back on me.
"No. What is it?"
"He wrote 'How you get so fly?' What is that about? I wanted to correct his grammar."
"You're shitting me, right?" he asked, eyes scrunching up.
"Ah, no?"
"When we go back downstairs tomorrow, I got a song to play for you."
"Oh, okay. Cool."
"Don't get excited about it. Once you hear it, you can never unhear it. It will play on repeat in your head until your brain turns to mush."
"Ah, or we can avoid that."
"Nope. We all suffer with this every day of our lives. You have to suffer with us."
The next morning, I learned about a little one-hit-wonder duo known as Baby Bash and Frankie J.
And a song called "Suga Suga."
Nothing was ever the same again.West - 2 months"This is on you," Reign said, nodding his chin toward the building, talking to Huck. "We helped track 'em down, but this is your job. We'll wait here."
