Chapter 12
Gray
“A re you at the garage?” Frankie asked curiously. “I’m waiting on Tommy, but I don’t see your bike.”
“No, I’m in town,” I replied, leaning against the wall behind an old bowling alley.
“This is me not wondering why,” she grumbled. We’d had the short and vague conversation about what I did for the club. She couldn’t hide that she was curious, but she’d also grown up with Myla and knew better than to ask.
There were things I’d never be able to tell her. She said as long as they didn’t affect our life together, she could live with that. It was my job to make damn sure that they didn’t.
“Is there a reason you’re callin’?” I asked, grinning at the ground.
“Am I meeting you at my house or the camper tonight?” she asked.
“Do you have a preference?”
“Well, it’s easier to get ready at my house.”
“Then I’ll meet you there.”
“Can we take the Tahoe? I’m wearing a dress.”
“You don’t have to dress up, baby.”
“I know, but I want to wear a dress. Can we drive the Tahoe? Because if not, I need to find something else to wear.”
“Tahoe’s fine.”
“Cool.”
A familiar shape rounded the counter.
“I gotta let you go. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay, love you, bye,” she said quickly, hanging up before I could say goodbye.
Telling her that there wasn’t any rush never worked. The woman was always in a hurry unless we were in bed.
“Jake,” I greeted as the off-duty cop came to a stop a few feet away.
“Gray.”
“Any news?”
“Not a peep,” he said with a sigh, putting his hands in his pockets. “It was a quiet summer, and it’s rolling into a quiet fall.”
“You hear anything about a task force?” I asked, watching his face for any change of expression. There was only surprise.
“What task force?”
“Don’t know, there’ve been some whispers.”
“I haven’t heard shit.”
“You do, you’ll let me know?”
“Of course.”
I straightened from the wall.
“That guy who said you were roughing him up,” Jake said, stopping me in my tracks.
“Yeah?”
“Was that you?”
“No clue what that idiot was talking about,” I lied.
“All right. Just wondered. I’ll see you around.”
“Until next time,” I said, walking away.
I had two more meetups before I could head home to meet my woman. If I got done quickly, I might have time to shower with her before we had to leave. I moved faster toward my bike.
When we stepped inside my parents’ house, the living room was packed. Harper was home for a few days, my grandparents on both sides had shown up half an hour before, and my mom was flitting around like a butterfly, so happy she barely touched the ground. She loved having everyone there, and my dad didn’t care what was happening as long as she didn’t lose that look on her face.
I took it all in for a second as I quietly closed the door behind me.
Frankie laced her fingers through mine, oddly nervous for someone who’d known these people since she was a kid. She’d changed her clothes three times before we left the house and ended up wearing the first thing she’d put on. I’d just watched her, everything inside me calm.
Life had fallen into a familiar pattern, and it worked for both of us in a big way. Frankie and I didn’t spend a night apart, but we alternated between the camper and the little house she shared with Lou. It was way too soon to live together, but as long as she slept beside me, I didn’t care where we were.
I left for work most mornings before she was awake, and when she woke up, she either started working or drove over to her house so she could work there. The hours she put in were a lot less than the eight-to-five she’d been working before, but she said she felt like she got twice as much done in a day because she didn’t have to deal with anyone coming into her office to bug her. She lit up when she talked about what she’d done all day. I was so fucking proud of her. She was killing it at Tommy’s company.
The boys had stopped fucking with Scott on the night we’d come back from California. I sent over the receipts Jake had asked for so he wouldn’t get jammed up at work, but we’d both known nothing would come from it. Scott had looked like a moron, complaining that he kept getting jumped even though no one but his cronies had ever witnessed anything, and he appeared fine. It had taken Frankie a couple weeks of looking over her shoulder before she was confident that she wouldn’t have to deal with him again. I knew after that moment in her old office when he’d finally looked at me that we wouldn’t hear from him. He no longer existed for my woman, and I would’ve done anything to make sure it stayed that way.
We’d spent a lot of time with the group that Frankie had made her family, but this was the first time that she’d gone home with me to see mine.
“Oh, good, you’re here,” my mom called out.
The moment was insignificant. Frankie had been around my family hundreds of times in the past—but this felt wholly different. I felt like I’d been punched in the chest.
Frankie’s hand tightened on mine.
“Ma,” I said, my voice low. “You know Frankie.”
Mom’s eyes met mine and softened, a smile spreading across her cheeks.
“Hello, Frankie,” she said solemnly, her eyes twinkling. “It’s good to see you again.”
Frankie looked up at me and then back at my mom. “Thanks for having me.”
I’d brought someone home to meet my mother. I didn’t think Frankie understood the gravity of that, but I was sure my ma did.
“Frank!” Harper yelled, hurrying around the couch.
“Hey, Harp,” Frankie replied, laughing as my sister practically tackled her with a hug. Our fingers lost their grip.
“I have so much to tell you,” Harper said quietly, her eyes widening. “Gray, you get her all the time. I’m stealing her. Bye.” She tugged Frank out of the room.
“You found her,” my mom said, grinning. “Took you long enough.”
“Yeah.”
“I like her. I’ve always liked her. She reminds me of your Auntie Rose.”
“Jesus, don’t say that,” I griped.
Mom raised her eyebrows and shrugged. “Would Grandma Farrah be a better comparison?”
I shuddered, and she laughed.
“She’ll be good for you,” she said, wrapping her arm around my waist as she pushed me toward the kitchen. “You’ve always been too serious for your own good.”
“I have not.”
“Grayson brought a girl home,” my Grandma Farrah teased. “Will wonders never cease?”
“I’m just glad it’s a good one,” Grandma Brenna said with a wink as she passed us.
I leaned against the counter while my mom stirred something on the stove.
“I wonder if she’d let me have a go at her hair,” Grandma Farrah joked as she sat down at the kitchen table.
“ Mom ,” my ma groaned.
“What?” Grandma Farrah asked flippantly. “She’s got good hair. I would’ve killed to make my hair look like that when I was her age.”
“You should’ve dyed it,” my mom replied, looking over her shoulder.
Grandma Farrah laughed. “The blonde would’ve been easy to cover, but the volume? Shit. Not even on my best day. Gray’s kids are going to have good hair. And that skin? Fuck me.”
“Could you stop?” my mom hissed, glaring at her mother in exasperation.
“No, I cannot. It’s one of the benefits of old age, I can say whatever the fuck I want.”
“Oh, please,” Mom said, spinning around. “Like you haven’t always said whatever thought pops into your head.”
“That’s true.”
“Gray doesn’t need to worry about kids yet.”
“He’s not getting any younger.”
“They just got together. Give it a rest.” My mom’s head turned toward me. “You don’t have anything to tell me, right?”
“Nope.”
She turned back toward Grandma. “Could you please behave yourself?”
“I’m just saying all the things she won’t,” Grandma Farrah told me with a sly smile. “But if I say it, and she scolds me, then I look like the nosy one.”
“That is not true,” my mom shot back, eyes wide.
“Do you need me here?” I asked, gesturing between them. “Seems like you could’ve done all this without me.”
Grandma laughed, and my ma let out an exasperated sigh. The two couldn’t have been more different.
“Hey, baby,” I called as Frankie wandered in. “Harper let you go?”
“I escaped while she ran to the bathroom,” Frankie joked. “Hey, Farrah.”
“You can call me Gram now,” Grandma replied.
“Uh, okay,” Frankie mumbled.
Grandma rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to be with one of my favorite boys on the whole planet, you deserve the honor. Plus, I like you.”
“Stop harassing Frankie,” Ma ordered as she went back to the stove.
“Me and Frankie are old friends,” Grandma said with a scoff, smiling.
“You ready to bail yet?” I asked, pulling Frankie against my side.
She looked up at me happily. “Are you kidding? This is awesome. Farrah just welcomed me into the fold, and as soon as Casper gets in here, I bet I can lure him into an argument about car emissions or something.”
I choked on a laugh.
“Dragon’s more like you, so I think if I just keep all sudden movements to a minimum. He’ll realize I exist, but I’m also not a threat.”
“He likes you,” I assured her.
“He doesn’t really know me yet.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “But your Grandma Brenna digs me, so that should be smooth sailing.”
“I thought you were nervous,” I mused, letting my hand slide down to her hip.
“I was for about half a second,” she replied, turning further into me. “But then I realized that number one, I already know all these people.”
“Which is what I’ve been tellin’ you for days.”
“And two,” she continued. “If you thought anything would go wrong, you wouldn’t have brought me.”
“Girl, who taught you manners?” my Grandpa Casper groused as he walked in from the living room. “Don’t even say hi when you come into the house?”
“Sorry, I was raised by wolves,” Frankie chirped, going over to give him a hug. “How you doing, old man?”
“That’s it,” he barked, shoving her away playfully. “This one’s defective. I’m clearly in my prime. Take her back, Gray.”
Frankie looked at me wickedly over her shoulder and whispered. “I didn’t even have to mention the emissions.”
Both me and my mom, who’d clearly been eavesdropping, burst into laughter.
“Good job, son,” she murmured, loud enough that only I could hear her. “Perfect for you.”
I smiled and watched as Frankie pretended like she had to escort Grandpa to the table while he brushed her off, laughing.
“Heads up,” my dad said, pausing next to me on his way through the kitchen. “Brody’s on his way to bail Bas out.”
“He got arrested?” My gaze shot to his. Frankie was going to freak.
“Assault,” Dad muttered, shaking his head. “Idiot.”
“Who’d he assault?”
“No fuckin’ clue.”