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And that was not even mentioning how I knew for a fact the world was a better and safer place without that bastard Vince in it, and what happened to him from then on was not even going to be a second thought in my mind. He deserved no space there.
Calli tugged at my arm, and we rolled onto our sides, facing each other. We’d been doing this for years. Any time one of us found someone we really liked, we’d spend the next morning in bed and talk for hours about how they could be the one.
“Okay,” Calli started with a smile. “Beside the bumps, bruises, and near-death experience, you look happy.”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded as I fought another wave of tears. “I… I should have told you,” I whispered, blinking them away. “We both struggled with it. Neither of us wanted to hurt you. I just… I don’t…”
I stumbled over my words, not really knowing how to explain, but Calli simply reached out, taking my hand and squeezing it tightly. “I get it. Honestly, I wouldn’t have told me either. As we saw yesterday, I tend to run my mouth first, listen later.” She scrunched up her nose. “I was confused, scared, and a little nauseated.”
“And angry,” I offered with a smile.
“And angry,” she agreed with wide eyes and a slow nod. “But only because I thought you guys had some stupid fling, and it was going to ruin the perfect image I had of what my family looked like. Turns out, if I’d just taken a second to think about it, this is exactly what I’ve wanted for a long time. For Dad to find someone who fits so perfectly, it seems like they’ve just always been there. Someone who makes him happy.”
My head was still pounding. I felt like I might be sick at any moment, and I was still unsure of how I was going to cope with everything that had happened.
But none of that mattered right now. I already knew everything was going to be okay.
Things with Bishop.
Things with Calli.
And things with myself.
I was going to be okay because I had people around me who would make sure of it.
“He makes me happy, too,” I said, trying not to smile like a giddy teenager.
Calli rolled her eyes. “And I want to hear about it, but how about you give me the PG version?”
“That I can do.”
Chapter Forty-One
BISHOP
When we pulled up outside Brawlers, the place was alive.
The music pumped loudly like some kind of rave, and the glow from inside shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows we’d put in, lighting up the street.
It was a little after nine o’clock, and Blue had managed to pull together a last-minute event, which meant guys in the ring and a screaming crowd that—if everything went to plan—would be absolutely fucking perfect.
“Prez,” Chase greeted as we approached the front door, where he and Trigg leaned against the building. “He should be here any minute. I’ll bring him down when he gets here.”
I nodded and patted my brother on the back as Hawk and I passed by, appreciative of all my men for what they had managed to come up with in a hurry so that I could have what I needed to close this fucking chapter and finally move on, knowing Shay was safe.
We moved through the crowded gym, chaos erupting every few seconds as the men in the ring traded blows. We stood at the edge of the room, watching the two fighters bounce back and forth on their toes, almost like dancers, both matching the other man’s energy and steps.
Blue appeared beside me, wiping sweat from his brow. “I’ve got these guys finishing up, then a couple of girls from the teens’ program, then I’ll get in the ring and see if I can tempt anyone. That should give you at least thirty minutes.”
It wasn’t long, but I’d take anything I could get.
“Hopefully, it’ll be done quickly, and I can get back in time to see you crawl into the ring and pretend to be young again,” I teased with a grin.
He met my taunt with a smile of his own. “You get done early, Prez, and you’re gonna be the one I’ll be calling out to get in the ring with me.”
“Pretty sure it’s illegal to beat the elderly,” Hawk commented, the two of them cackling like fucking hyenas.
“Both you fuckers can go to Hell,” I said, turning my back and heading off to the right, throwing my middle finger at them over my shoulder as I punched in the code for the door that led to the basement stairs.
