I tried to convince John we should go to the farm with Blake and Liam so I could get my car from them and check on Jack and Jenny before going to his place, but he insisted on going home toshower and change first. All plans of giving his brothers more time to get the fuck out vanished because John seems so eager to continue hanging out with me, and I didn’t even have to beg or anything, so here we are.
I glance over at John, trying to gauge his mood. He seems relaxed, one arm resting on the window frame as he drives, his expression loose in a way that tells me the weekend did exactly what he needed it to do. Camping was good for him. Good for both of us, really, because he finally opened up about Luke.
As long as I didn’t fuck up all our progress with my surprise.
I check my phone again, shifting in my seat, nerves once again holding my focus.
“You okay?” John asks, and I look out the window. I’m sure my face is doing nothing to hide my nerves.
“Yeah, mm-hmm,” I confirm as we drive down the road to his house.
“We’ll see Jack and Jenny in like twenty minutes, but they’re fine. Wyatt coddles them just as much as you do, as you know.” He attempts to reassure me, and if I could think about anything other than this surprise, I would be eating that shit up like candy. John is getting more and more obvious about showing how much he cares about me, and it makes me so happy.
“Just my first weekend away from them, that’s all,” I respond, playing into his idea that I’m all fidgety because I’m anxious about leaving the donkeys for longer. I’m not all that worried though. Wyatt is amazing with them, they’re so smart, and they’ve got each other. I’m sure they had a great weekend.
As soon as John can see his house with his brothers’ trucks in the driveway, he visibly tenses. “What the fuck are they doing here?”
I chew on my lip because I have no idea what to say. My nerves feel like they’re clawing their way up my throat trying to strangle me. This was a bad idea, wasn’t it?
“Chad, do you know why my brothers are here?” John asksslowly when I don’t respond, facing me as he turns the truck off in the driveway.
“Uh, maybe? Let’s go and see them,” I suggest, quickly opening the door and running toward the house before he can ask more questions. “Guys! We’re here,” I shout the second I’m inside.
“Hey, we’re literally about to walk out the door,” Mark says apologetically, looking equally as nervous as I feel.
“Don’t bother,” John growls. “What is this? What’s going on?”
Fuck. I am dealing with too many emotions right now for him to add in that voice. I love it when he uses that tone. Even though he’s obviously upset, and I need to focus, it’s hard to ignore how hot he is when he’s all grumbly and scoldy.
“So, I’m aware you don’t like surprises, and I know I’ve been springing a lot on you lately, I’m sorry! I just can’t help it. I want to do nice things for you, so, I, um, asked your brothers to fix your fireplace this weekend to get it back to working order,” I rush out.
“You what?” John mutters, sounding more confused than upset as he storms past us all to see it for himself.
“We ripped out all the old crumbling brick and mortar, repointed the joints, repaired the damper with sealant and lined it with stainless steel,” James explains.
“We also replaced the indoor brick with stone and added a mantel. Outside, we only replaced the broken bricks and patched those up, but it should be working great and be safe now,” Mark goes on, knowing John would want the exact details and process.
Shit, that really was a lot of work. It looks amazing to me though. Drew had to be the designer behind it, so I smile at him and give him a thumbs up. With the stones, it feels modern and updated without being flashy or soulless. The newly added wooden mantel they told me about over text is an old barn beam, which really makes it fit the vibe of the space and goes sowell with the hardwood floors. I love it… I just hope John agrees.
“Everyone out now. Except Chad,” John demands, his voice back to being all gravelly.
“Fuck, please don’t be mad at him, bro,” Drew says, stepping between us. “He was just trying to do something nice for you.”
John glares at him, and I brace for him to demand they fix it like it was before, or tell me how much I overstepped. But he doesn’t.
Instead, he nods and slowly answers in that deep controlled tone like he’s about to snap. “It was very nice, and I love it. You guys did a great job. Thank you for helping him. But I would like to thank him properly, and that means I need to get Chad naked right now. So I’d appreciate it if none of you were here to see it.”
He loves it! Oh thank God. I feel like I can take my first real breath since we approached his house. He loves it so much he wants… Wait. Did he just say what I think he said?
Holy. Shit.
My mind kind of short-circuited when he said he loved it, but he loves itandhe wants to get me naked! This is amazing; the best possible reaction ever. Not to mention he basically just told his brothers we’re together.
I’m vaguely aware that my mouth is hanging open. One of his brothers says, “Oh,” and another says through a laugh that they “don’t need to be told twice.” They grab their stuff and leave, but the whole time I’m just staring at John adoringly. My big bad tattooed biker man is so perfect and wonderful. So sweet and thoughtful. So powerful and dominant. Somineeven if he’s still only getting used to the idea of us.
“You love it?” I repeat in question.
“Yeah, Princess. I really do,” John answers, his voice somehow even rougher than it was a second ago. His eyes move over the fireplace again, then back to me, something warm andalmost disbelieving settling in his expression. “And I want to show you just how much.”
