She was in a trance, glancing around, but got off the bike when he tapped her leg. She grabbed his shoulders and swung her leg over the seat, dropping to the ground. Addison lifted off her helmet and stared at the house in front of her. It was beige with white shutters and two dormers on the second floor. Therewas a dirt walkway leading up to a porch big enough for two rockers.
“What do you think?” He lifted his chin to the house. “Promised you normal, right?”
Her brows dipped, and she darted her gaze between Cross and the house.
“This is your house?”
He shrugged. “Ours.”
She widened her eyes, stepping in front of him. “Ours?”
The corner of his mouth hiked, and he glanced over her head. “Probably won’t be done for another few months. We’ll stay at the rental until then. But yeah, it’s ours.”
It took a minute to process everything. Addison had made up her mind, and she was staying in Killcreek with Cross. But she hadn’t envisioned a home outside of the rental. They didn’t really talk about the future. They just knew they had one together.
She circled around the yard, glancing over at the house next to Cross’s then to the other two properties beside him. Directly next to him was undeveloped but the neighboring house seemed closer to being finished. The walkway was paved, and there was a soft glow on the porch.
“What are you thinking?”
Addison had a lot of thoughts racing through her mind but none more prominent than what stemmed from her meeting with Inez a few weeks ago. They hadn’t really talked about it. There had been a brief conversation that night, the two of them. Cross wanted to make sure she was really okay and not traumatized from the ordeal. She wasn’t, not in the end. But other than that, they kind of moved on, and she hesitated broaching that conversation again. It was digging into his past, which was sad. Addison didn’t want to drudge up old memories and force him to relive his grief.
“Addison?”
She tucked her hands in her pockets and turned to face him. He raised his brows, waiting on her.
“I don’t want to upset you.”
“You won’t.” If she had to guess, Cross sensed where this was going. And then he confirmed it. “Ask.”
She smiled, not for the subject matter but that he knew her so well in such a short time.
“I like normal.”
“But?”
“Is this the same normal your mom had?”
Cross stared back at her without much expression. He was impossible to read, though she was relieved he didn’t appear angry.
He grasped the back of his neck, looking over at the house. “We didn’t have normal. Never lived in a house, always apartments, and we moved a lot. Back then, things were different. More dangerous for my father and his position with Inez.”
“Which was?”
“A close ally and head of her security. She was still working up the ranks in her business under the organization.”
“What business?”
“If I tell you, then you become part of it.”
She furrowed her brows. “I’m with you, Cross. That makes me part of whatever…”
He shook his head. “No, it doesn’t.”
“But…”
“You’re not part of that world. I am, along with the club and Inez. Not you.” He smirked. “But you’re gonna reap all the benefits.”
“Is it illegal?”
