Chapter 12
BEX
Normally, I’d love to spend a day off with my best friend, but I was disappointed that Corbin wouldn’t be with me.
We’d spent so much time together over the past four days that I’d gotten spoiled.
Before we left his house, I crossed my arms and glanced over at Corbin. “Are you sure you can’t stick around?”
“Sorry, baby. Need to head to the compound.”
He hadn’t given me many details about what he planned to do today, so I figured it was club business.
Or something illegal related to Nina’s ex.
Whatever it was, I knew better than to ask too many questions, no matter how much I wanted to know all the details.
But he’d been such a good sport about me helping out where I could.
It was only fair for me to give him the same respect.
“I understand.”
At least I got to ride on the back of his bike to Jacqueline’s ranch. Being wrapped around him with the engine rumbling beneath me was one of the best parts of my day.
Corbin pulled up in front of the house and cut the engine.
Two of the Black Crowns were already visible near the barn, another by the front porch.
The place had always felt safe to me because it was Jacqueline’s favorite place in the world, but today the extra security made the reason I was here impossible to ignore.
He waited for me to climb off before doing the same, taking my helmet from me and putting it in his saddle bag. Then his hand settled at the small of my back. “You stay inside the house. Ghost has men on the perimeter too. You need anything, you call me.”
“I will.”
He leaned in and kissed me, and when he pulled back, his thumb brushed across my lower lip. “Be good.”
“I’m always good.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Debatable.”
Jacqueline stepped out onto the porch, and Corbin dipped his chin in greeting before climbing back onto his motorcycle. I stood there and watched until he disappeared down the long drive.
Jacqueline came down the steps and linked her arm through mine. “Come on. I have coffee ready for you.”
“Thanks.” I let her steer me toward the house, wishing we didn’t need armed guards for me to visit her. But I didn’t feel like Corbin had gone overboard, especially since Jacqueline was pregnant right now. “I’m surprised Stryker agreed to let me come over.”
My best friend snickered. “Only because he has this place locked down like Fort Knox. There’s no risk because nobody will be able to get close to the house. He made sure of that after the brick through the window incident, and then Ghost sent over armed guards.”
“And Corbin told me there are more guys on the perimeter of the ranch too,” I added.
“Corbin, huh?” She led me into the kitchen and got me settled at the table with a mug of coffee before making herself a cup of herbal tea.
Then she sat down across from me and quirked a brow.
“You want to tell me what’s going on with you two?
Or am I supposed to pretend I didn’t just hear you call him Corbin when the Black Crowns have very few exceptions about who can use their real name? ”
Heat crept up my neck. “It’s…new.”
“Uh-huh.” She wrapped both hands around her mug and gave me a knowing look. “I’m well aware of the timeline. I was there at the wedding, remember?”
I rolled my eyes. “It would’ve been weird if you weren’t, what with you being the bride.”
“Good point.” She laughed softly.
“But nothing actually happened at the wedding.” Unfortunately, because now it felt like we’d wasted three weeks that we could have spent together before my life went to hell.
“I saw the way he watched you, Bex. And the way he shut it down.” Grinning, she did a little bounce on her seat. “I’ve been waiting for this ever since.”
“Me too,” I mumbled before taking a sip of my coffee.
“I know.” She reached out to pat my hand. “I’m really happy for you. You deserve someone who looks at you the way I just saw out there.”
I bit my bottom lip. “How did he look at me?”
“Like you’re the only thing he can see.”
“Wow.” I ducked my head and took a sip of coffee to buy myself a moment. Her smile was wide when I looked up again. “I guess you’d know since your baby daddy looks at you like that.”
She slid her hand over her still-flat stomach. “I should definitely call him that tonight.”
“Shhh.” I covered my hands with my ears. “These virgin ears don’t need to hear details like that.”
Jacqueline rolled her eyes and giggled. “I guess that answers one of my questions about you and Cipher.”
“We are not having this conversation.” I banged my head against the table with a groan.
“We’re best friends,” she argued. “If you’re going to talk to anyone about your sex life, it should be me.”
“It isn’t much of one,” I grumbled.
She wagged her brows. “I’m sure that’s going to change soon.”
“Yeah.” Considering how hard he was each morning and all the kisses, I had a feeling she was right. Even though I understood why he was waiting for the right moment, I was hoping it came sooner rather than later.
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Then the thought in the back of my mind all morning slipped out. “It’s killing me not knowing what he’s working on today.”
Jacqueline’s expression softened with understanding. “Yeah. That part takes some getting used to.”
“How do you do it?” I asked. “Isn’t it hard to accept that there are things Stryker can’t share with you?”
“I’m not saying it’s easy, but that’s the man I fell in love with.
” She took another sip of her tea. “Being an old lady means accepting that Black Crowns justice doesn’t always look like the kind your dad deals out.
And there will be things the men keep to themselves because it’s safer for everyone that way.
But the same could be said for your mom and dad back in the day.
I’m sure there was plenty of stuff he couldn’t share with her since he was a deputy. ”
“Yeah.” I traced the rim of my mug, thinking about how my parents had been together, back before she’d been diagnosed with cancer when I was twelve.
“Mom never gave him a hard time about it. She said that she knew what she was getting into when she fell for a police officer, so she couldn’t blame him for being the man she fell in love with. ”
“Your mom was awesome like that.”
I nodded. “She really was.”
My best friend showed how well she knew me, sitting in silence while I thought about my mom. She’d been taken from us much too young, and I missed her every day. Especially now that I’d found a guy I could picture spending my life with.
“I know he’s got tattoos and is part of an MC, which makes him everything mothers usually warn their daughters about, but I think Mom actually would’ve liked Corbin for me.” I flashed her a watery smile. “He really listens to me and values my opinion. I’m not just the ‘sheriff’s daughter’ to him.”
Jacqueline sniffled. “That’s all you’ve ever wanted.”
“Yeah.”
“Cipher might not be able to tell you some stuff, but the upside is you’ll never need to worry about him lying to you.
” She leaned back in her chair, her eyes getting the soft look that only Stryker gave her.
“Brogan doesn’t pretend everything’s fine when it isn’t, and he shares what he can.
Like when my safety is on the line. I know I can trust him.
And when it comes to club business, I’d rather have silence than a pretty lie. ”
I thought about the blunt way Corbin spoke, and his refusal to give an inch when he decided something. “I can see that absolutely being true about Corbin, too. He doesn’t waste words or try to make things easier to hear.”
“The fact that you can see that already means you’re further ahead than most. Just remember that loving one of them means making peace with the parts of their world that are kept from us for good reason.”
I stared down into my coffee, mulling her words over. As sad as I’d been about being away from Corbin for most of today, it really was good that I had this time with Jacqueline. If I was going to let myself fall even harder for him, it was good to know what I was getting into.