CHAPTER 9
COWBOY
I look around the space and a feeling of rightness washes over me. It’s the perfect space for Brielle’s studio. Seeing the possibility isn’t difficult and I can almost hear the soft music and the sound of dancers giggling.
Ace lets out a low whistle behind me and I turn toward him slightly. His eyes are wide as he looks around. “Tell me again what this is for?”
“My woman wants to open a dance studio,” I tell him simply.
“And you’re going to do what?”
He looks so confused that I can’t help but chuckle. It’s not like I can really blame him. He’s still young and he’s never met a woman who has stopped him in his tracks. When it happens, I hope I have a front row seat.
Ace is only 22, but he’s been a brother since he turned 18. Prospecting when you’re 17 isn’t usually allowed, but an exception was made for him. He needed a home and a family, and we were more than happy to be what he needed.
We got a brother who is loyal to the club in a way that is almost obsessive. Because we are the only family who has ever made his life better.
“I’m going to give her this building. I’m going to renovate it as quickly as possible,” I tell him.
As I look around, I muse, “It shouldn’t take too long.
New flooring for sure. A mirrored wall. Safe spaces for people to change and a sound system which can be controlled throughout the entire space.
” I put my hands on my waist and blow out a breath.
“And a security system that locks this place down.”
Because I will never allow my woman to be in danger. Hell fucking no. Just the thought has my stomach clenching.
“That,” Ace pauses and looks around, “sounds like a lot.”
“It’s not enough,” I fire back without a single ounce of hesitation.
It’s not enough. I wish the space were bigger and could have more than two dance spaces. But this will be a way for her to start, and I don’t want her to be overly anxious with a bigger space. Getting her dream shouldn’t be overwhelming; it should only be exciting.
“She told me how she wants grey toned wood floors with pink accents throughout the room as well as colorful lights lining the dance spaces,” I say the words absently, mentally making the changes in the room instead of worrying about Ace and his opinion.
I head down a short hallway and find the office. The memory of the way her eyes lit up as she was talking about the logos she’s mocked up and her dream of helping young dancers feel free slams into me.
The wall of her office will make the perfect place to put a mural, one filled with the logo, dancers, lights, and color. It would be a source of inspiration on hard days.
Because there will be hard days; there always are.
When I step back into the large space in the front which can easily be turned into two large dance spaces, Ace is still looking around curiously. It makes me smirk because he’s so damn clueless.
“A dance studio,” he says the words slowly as if he doesn’t quite understand what they mean.
“Yep,” I pop the p. “This room can easily be split into two while being big enough for a class or practice space outside of class times. She could bring someone else in to teach as well and use both rooms.”
Ace studies me intently. “You’ve really thought about this,” there’s no accusation in his words, just an acknowledgement of fact.
“I have,” I admit with a nod.
“Isn’t it too much?”
When I tear my eyes away from the space, seeing the ghosts of dancers twirling in the room, I find Ace watching me with a furrowed brow.
“Hell no,” I bark. “I need to get my woman out of Elysium. I can’t stand watching her dance and having any other man witnessing it.
” I rub my hand over my face and huff out a breath.
“I realize it makes me sound like an asshole, but I can’t stop the way I feel.
If she has this then I won’t be tempted to commit murder on a nightly basis. ”
Ace chuckles, his eyes sparkling with mischief and a little bit of understanding with my confession. “I see,” he teases me, “it all makes sense now. This isn’t about her dream; it’s about you missing a murder rap.”
“No,” my voice is firm, “this is about her dream. I can give her what she wants, what she really needs, and there’s a benefit to me beyond knowing I’m making the woman I love happy.”
“You love her?” Ace presses his hand to his chest like he’s clutching his non-existent pearls. “Woah,” he breathes out.
“I’ve always loved her,” I admit, “and I never stopped. Life just took us in different directions and we couldn’t stay together.
I kept an eye on her over the years, though.
” He looks at me with wide eyes, but I’m sure as fuck not going to apologize for it.
“Just updates, nothing invasive. I wanted to make sure she was safe.” I grunt, “Didn’t know she was moving to Vegas, so there’s that. ”
“Oh, okay,” he mutters. “For a moment there it sounded like you were stalking her.”
“No, just got updates now and again.” Now I’m wondering if I should have kept a closer eye on her, but I shake off the feeling because it’s not something I can change now.
“And then she just showed up in your town and starts working for your club’s casino?”
I eye Ace because I don’t like the suspicion in his voice. He’s dangerously close to me punching him and I’m barely holding myself back. Seeing the look in my eyes, he holds his hands up in surrender.
“Sorry, brother,” his voice takes on a serious tone which is not normal for him.
He tends to be the brother who always finds the joke and spends most of his time with a smile on his face.
That’s who he is but seeing him take this seriously stops me from throwing the punch.
“I don’t mean to question your woman, her loyalty, and why she’s here.
I’m glad she’s come back into your life; it’s just a shock.
I’ve never seen you give any attention to the women throwing themselves at you. ”
I chuckle low, “I learned my lesson after Shania.”
“That’s Rian’s mom, right?” He watches me closely while asking, but I can tell he’s only curious.
I don’t blame him. He came around after the drama with Shania, and I avoid mentioning her and seeing her if I can, but everyone knows the story.
Why would I bring that vile woman up? She’s only interested in her daughter when she thinks it can gain her something; that’s not someone who deserves my attention or my thoughts.
“Yeah,” I breathe out. I look at the room around me without really seeing it. “You want to know something?”
“What’s up, brother?”
“When Shania told me she was pregnant?” I look at Ace and he nods, encouraging me to continue and I swallow hard before saying something I’ve never said out loud before.
“The first person I thought of was Brielle and how she wouldn’t be the woman carrying my child, if the baby Shania was pregnant with was mine. ”
Ace stares at me for a beat before blowing out a breath. “That’s heavy, man.”
“I know,” I shoot him a wary look, “but it’s true.” My shoulders drop slightly, “I’ve never regretted Rian coming into my life, I love her more than I can even express, but that was still my first thought.”
“It’s obvious you love your daughter,” he tries to placate me.
“I know,” I sigh. “But I can’t be a mom for her, never could be.” The laugh I let out is self-deprecating, at fucking best. “The best I’ve been able to give her is a clubhouse full of uncles who would burn the world down for her and a family a few hours away who love her fiercely.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad to me,” there’s something vulnerable in his voice that has me looking at him.
The mask is completely gone; the jokester he always is has given way to a broken boy with the shadows of his past written all over his face.
“No,” I agree, my voice softer than it normally is with my brothers, “it’s not. But I’ve always wanted her to have a mom, someone who could understand her and help her dream big.”
“Has Rian met Brielle?”
I’ve played this whole high school sweetheart reappears in my life situation close to my vest. I haven’t shared everything that’s happened. Not because I’m hiding it, but because it feels sacred and like I need to close ranks around it to protect it.
And I haven’t been ready to let anyone else in. Even my brothers.
I smirk. “Rian was there when I ran into her and then she found Brielle in the practice room. They danced together,” I admit.
“Oh,” understanding dawns on Ace’s face and then he’s grinning like the cat who got the cream, “Rian’s all in on momma Brielle, I take it?” I shrug and nod. “And you’re all in on claiming your Old Lady?”
“You better fucking believe I’m claiming my woman as my Old Lady. As soon as I get the cut, it’s going on her back. And I’m going to give her this,” I wave my hand around the space.
He nods and crosses his arms across his chest, mischievousness in his eyes.
“Then,” his voice is overly magnanimous, “I’m going to give you some advice.
Get the building, make appointments to meet with contractors, but get her involved now.
Let her sink into her dream fully, let her build it.
If you just hand it to her, she might see it as control instead of care.
” Then it’s like a lightbulb goes off above his head and he snaps his fingers, his voice excited, “Are you taking her with you back home this weekend for Rian’s birthday? You should.”
I blink at Ace a few times before narrowing my eyes at him. “What are you even talking about right now? Are you some woman whisperer?”
After throwing a wink in my direction, he wiggles his eyebrows. “I’m just a guy who likes a good rom-com every now and again and I do alright with the women. Which you should remember when you finally bring your woman around.”
Even though I know he’s fucking with me, I still growl out a warning. Ace throws his head back and laughs. As the sound fills the room, I look around and realize he’s right. She needs to be here to make it happen.
But I’m still going to buy the building. I call the realtor and tell them to make it happen while I flip off Ace. He sobers up quickly when he hears me on the phone, his jaw falling open.
As I stride past him with a grin on my face, I slap his shoulder.
“No time like the present. I’m going to take your advice on getting Brielle involved.
I just didn’t want her to try to tell me I can’t pay for the renovations.
But I’ll just get her to marry me and then my money is hers.
Also, yes, I’m taking her back home this weekend, I need both my girls with me. ”
He sputters and follows closely behind me as I head out of what will be Brielle’s studio and lock the door behind me, “I-I-I never said to buy the building right now or marry her.”
“Oh, I know,” I assure him. “But I think it’s the only way she won’t try and fight me. I see no fucking reason to go slow, not when I know she’s always been mine.”
I’m throwing my leg over my bike when Ace finally starts moving. “I think this is little more than a rom-com hero could pull off,” he mutters while looking at me and shaking his head like I’ve lost my fucking mind. Maybe I have.
But I don’t think so.
I think I finally have something I’ve been lacking for years—clarity.
My Tiny Dancer is back in my life and the only speed I can take this is full throttle. Fuck a rom-com.
We start up our bikes and head back to Elysium. I don’t get to experience the wind in my hair for nearly long enough, but it’ll have to do. The next time I’m on the back of my bike, I hope Brielle will be wrapped around me.
I can’t help but grin at the thought while taking the elevator up to the clubhouse floor. Ace keeps looking at me like he’s not sure if he should egg me on or do research on psych holds. I’m not worried about it, he’ll see.
The first person I see when I step into the main room of the clubhouse is Pope. I give our Prez a chin lift and realize he’s been waiting for me. He crosses his arms across his chest while studying me.
“Heard you bought a building?” He arches an eyebrow in challenge, “You want to tell me what you’re up to?”
“I’m giving my woman the dance studio she’s been dreaming about opening.”
Pope rears back like I slapped him. Not surprising, all things considered.
“Your woman?”
Ace chuckles next to me. “Came as a surprise to me as well.”
I shoot him a look, but he doesn’t give a fuck. He only rolls his eyes when I glare at him.
“Brielle,” I tell Pope, “she’s the new dancer.
Just so happens she’s the girl I grew up with, that I fell in love with.
At 18 she went one way and I went another.
” I shrug one shoulder, the move casual even though nothing about how I feel for Brielle is casual.
“Now she’s back in my life and I’m not letting her go.
She wants a dance studio, and I can give her one while also getting her off the Elysium stage before I kill someone.
” The smile I shoot my Prez is sinister as fuck. “Win-win.”
Pope looks at me for a long moment before he tips his head back and barks out a laugh. “You need help with the studio? You know the club has your back,” he shoots me a meaningful look that is heavy with implications and words left unsaid, “and your woman’s back.”
“I know,” I tell him with a nod filled with certainty. “I want this to be hers. I never touch the money I get from my partnership in the ranch. Wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it since the trusts coming my way was transferred over for Rian’s future.”
I don’t mind telling my brothers, it’s not like I ever hid anything from them. My shares in Sagebrush aren’t as high as the rest of my family. And they shouldn’t be.
Because they’re there and I’m not. But I’m still a Connors.
Now I can do something good with the money.
“Fine,” Pope’s word lands with finality. “Do what you need to do and then make sure you bring her around. Rian’s party?”
“She’ll be there,” I tell him, knowing she will be. Rian invited her and I know my woman won’t let her down.
“Good,” he grunts and strides away.
“Well,” Ace slaps my back and I glare at him, “looks like all that’s left is to make sure Brielle is on board with your plan.”
I can hear the doubt in his voice, but I’m not worried. She’s already mine.