Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
WES
Two Weeks Later
The thing no one tells you about open concept homes is how badly it echoes when there’s too many people inside.
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I stared out the living room windows, enjoying the view of the town when I heard Laura crack another joke, which resulted in Callie laughing so hard she snorted.
Usually, I’d love the sound, but after living with both women for two weeks, it was starting to get old.
I wanted to be the one that made my fiancée laugh, and our sex life had practically disappeared the second her best friend showed up. I didn’t mind Laura, but I was ready for her to move out. So much so that I was about to do something that was going to piss off my best friend.
Speaking of Killian, I watched his bike as it cleared the hill and he parked alongside my truck.
I’d put my bike away for the winter because I had a passenger every time I went anywhere now.
I knew the threat of Dirk and the Death Raiders was over, but I had a hard time accepting there’d be no backlash, and the other clubs had been concerningly quiet about the loss.
Using the excuse to leave the house, I exited and met my friend halfway up the porch steps.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
Killian flicked his gaze to the house once before following me down the stairs and into the garage.
I’d had it custom built for special projects; it could fit six cars if I needed it to.
Currently it held my bike, a work in progress, and my tools.
The waxed floors gleamed as I sauntered to the fridge and pulled out two beers.
Turning to hand one to Killian, I paused as he fussed with the sleeve of his shirt.
He wore a navy button-down shirt under his leather cut, and his dark denim pants looked new. Even his boots looked fresh.
“You dress up or somethin’?”
Killian gave me that deadpan expression before taking a drag of his beer.
“That what you brought me in here to talk about?”
Touché, asshole.
“I wanted to ask how church was going?”
He’d been leading them for the past two weeks after I’d told the club that I was having Killian take on more of a role as I moved. It was a great way to start getting them used to him giving orders and handing out jobs.
Killian shifted on his feet, tucking his free hand into his pocket.
“Fine…there’s some meetings coming up. Giles' cousin agreed to a meeting. Even if we’re not going to war right now, it’d be good to establish a connection with him. You’d need to be there for that.”
I nodded, because I had anticipated as much.
Killian took a long pull of his drink before jumping to the next topic. “There’s been talk about Simon…”
Having not told Killian what Sunday dinners entailed, he had no idea his previous president would be in attendance within the hour.
“We’ll ask him how he wants that handled. He’ll be here soon.”
Kilian’s verdant gaze clashed with mine in surprise.
“You fuckin’ jokin’?”
Shaking my head, I took another swig of my drink. “Sunday dinners. Family only.”
He had no idea that included Silas, too.
“Look, I need to know what you plan to do with the apartment? It’s yours to use as needed once you’re president, and you know I won’t give a fuck if you use it now or in six months. I also know you already have your own place, but Laura is driving me insane, and I need her to move out.”
Glancing off to the side quickly, he tossed his empty bottle in the glass recycle bucket.
“Seems like you made up your mind already.”
“You’re never there… I was thinking if you could talk to her and see if it would bother her if you did need to crash there, that way you’d have somewhat of a roommate situation.”
Killian laughed, with a shake of his head.
“You think that woman wants to be my roommate?”
Shifting on my feet, I crossed my arms, automatically sliding into president role. Something I needed to learn to stop doing.
“Frankly, I don’t care. You’re both adults, if she’s uncomfortable then she can find an apartment in town, but what I need is for there to be a gap in time where she’s not in my house every day. Callie told her to cuddle with her while they watched Twilight the other day.”
Killian shrugged. “So?”
“They were in our fucking bed. I ended up sleeping with Max on the couch. I want to be able to fuck my fiancée in our bed when I want. Or on the kitchen counter, or the table. I had big plans for this house when we moved in.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Killian let out a heavy sigh. “Fuck, Wes. I told you not to talk to me about fucking Callie. She is very seriously like my little sister, you asshole.”
“Then consider this your motivation speech to play nice and stay scarce so Laura can have the rental to herself.”
With a wave of his hand, he gave in while walking toward the exit.
“Fine, but if I have to crash there, I’m not worrying about offending her. If I take a sweetbutt back there, and we fuck, I don’t want to hear any shit from you or her. Or Callie!”
I’d let him think whatever he wanted to as long as it meant Laura was moving out.
Feeling happier about finally having the house and my fiancée to myself, I walked back inside and when I saw Silas leaning against the living room wall, dodging the sun like a fucking vampire, I didn’t even make a snide comment or try to hit him.
Callie had called a truce with the moody fucker, but he was still on my shit list.
It made me uneasy that he knew where we lived, and one day when Callie got pregnant and we started having kids, he’d know where my children lived. I had to play nice, until I moved at least, and he had no way to get to us. Didn’t mean I hadn’t reinforced the fuck out of our property.
“Yay, family dinner,” Killian said under his breath, passing Silas with a glare.
Seems it wasn’t just my shit list that Silas had landed on.
It was dark as Callie and I walked down the stone path to our backyard.
The night sky stretched above us, looking like a piece of velvet that’d been poked too many times with a needle, revealing white stars.
I’d placed a string of lights to illuminate the path from the house to the small fire pit with Adirondack chairs, then another hung from the pit to the large sycamore off to the side of the yard.
“Today was fun.” Callie sighed happily while leaning into my shoulder.
I grabbed her hand to keep her steady and smiled.
“Even though Laura left?”
“We were both ready for that.” She laughed, but because she was slightly tipsy, a cute snort followed up the tail end.
“But you seemed so happy to have her here.”
Rounding the fire pit, she was about to settle into one of the chairs when I pressed into the small of her back to continue down the path.
“Of course I was happy, but two weeks is a long time and I wanted to enjoy our new house without roommates.”
“Fuck, I’m glad to hear you say that.”
We walked down the stone path leading to the sycamore, and I didn’t suspect that Callie even realized what we were doing.
“Besides, she wanted that apartment. It’s nicer than anything she’d find in Rose Ridge that she could afford. She needs to find a job.”
I needed to close the Laura subject, so I offered, “I’ll get her something with the club. One of the businesses.”
Pulling her close and making sure she was in the perfect spot, I took out my bandanna and placed it over her eyes.
“Trust me?”
“Yes, honey. I think we’re past that.”
Gripping her hand, I led her forward until her hand was on the wood plank.
“Okay, put your foot here and then stand up.” She did as I said, and I stayed hovering behind her, making sure she made it up the rest of the way.
“Why am I climbing a ladder? I’m sort of drunk. This feels dangerous.”
Focusing on the wood and limited visibility, I hefted my shoulder into the door and lifted it.
“Okay, place your hands here and just crawl onto the platform.”
She was in a long sundress, so it was harder than I anticipated, but eventually she climbed all the way inside and I crawled in right behind her.
“Okay, take this off.” I helped to untie the blindfold.
She blinked and pushed a few pieces of hair off her forehead as she looked around.
There was a tiny glow lamp on the little table I’d built, but otherwise it was dark.
“Is this…” Callie turned her head, inspecting the space. “A treehouse?”
I smiled, bending my knee while staring at her.
“It’s our treehouse.”
Callie’s face snapped back, examining me with shock.
Placing my hand on one of the boards near the back, I dusted my fingers over the writing.
She moved on her knees, crawling closer so she could see it.
“Peter loves Wendy.” Her gasp was cut short as she spun back to me. “I wrote that while you were sleeping when we were ten. It was always about us, but I was too shy to ever admit it.”
I smiled. “I fell in love with you that first night you popped through that wood hatch. I couldn’t stop thinking about you all year.”
Callie swiped at her eyes letting out a tiny laugh. “I sort of had an idea when you brought two sleeping bags and enough food to feed five people, that next summer.”
Ducking my head, I toyed with the edge of her dress. “I just wanted you to be okay.”
“You pitied me?”
Scooting closer, I tucked a curl behind her ear and answered honestly.
“I did at first, but it was more than that. If it was just pity, I would have been able to stop thinking of you, right? I think I was obsessed, River. You were a little thief, sneaking in and taking my heart, staking a claim to my entire future.”
Warm lips landed on my jaw as Callie tucked her head into my shoulder.
“So you took it down and rebuilt it here for our kids?”
I smirked, stroking her hair.
“I tore it down and rebuilt it here for us, because it’s where we started. It’s our origin story, and if our kids want to play in it one day, then they will.”
Another kiss landed against my throat.
“I love you, Wes.”
Wrapping my arms around her, I whispered back.
“I’ve always loved you, River.”