20. Willow #2
My heart starts to race as I think about this man staying with me.
I’m going to be a nervous wreck the entire time!
He flirts with me now—well, I think he does.
But is that how he acts around anything with a vagina that’s in the same general area as him?
I’ve seen how the guys act at Uncle Mark’s clubhouse, and I’m not sure if I could start something with a man that has access to club girls and sees cheating as “a part of the life.”
I stop those thoughts in their tracks. Who even said that he was interested in “starting something” with me?
He is surrounded by beautiful, confident women, and even though I’m confident in my skills, that’s about it.
I’ve never considered myself sexy or anything special.
I’m plain, except for the random scars all over my body that I have collected over the years.
I could stand to lose a few pounds around my ass or that stupid cellulite that won’t fucking budge, but I refuse to make the sacrifice of sweets in order to do that, so at this point, it is what it is.
“I don’t think Will would want a stranger in her house,” Tell says, trying to come up with any argument, and it’s starting to piss me off. They are all trying to make plans to keep me safe like I’m a scared little girl again, and I have not been her for a very long time.
“Will can decide for herself,” I say in a quiet but strong voice, trying to hold back my annoyance.
I know they are all worried about me, but come on!
I’m not a damsel in distress. Mom always said that if you had to yell, that meant that no one was listening.
“I think you guys forget that I am a grown woman who can defend herself. I am giving you the reasons why I would like to stay in my own home. Not to ‘convince’ you, but to give you the reasons why I’m making the decisions that I am.
I love you guys, but you do not get to decide what I am going to do.
You can give thoughts and input to my decisions, but in the end, they are mine to make,” I say, looking between the four men in my life.
“I will be staying in my own home, and to compromise with you guys, I will take Knox up on his offer to stay with me in one of the guest rooms if he does not mind, until Dad gets back.” I finish my rant and just wait for what they will try to pull next.
“You just offered me two weeks off to make up for being gone for two weeks with Willow. I can stay at night. We already know how to live together, and she is probably more familiar with me than the biker, and I’m actually trained to keep people safe.
I didn’t learn my skills on the street.” Grey now speaks up, and I’m not sure if I am more shocked or annoyed.
Him and Knox are looking at each other in disgust. I have no idea what to make of it, but everyone’s eyes are bouncing back and forth between the two of them like they are watching a bad soap opera.
“I’m good. I think it’s best for your health if we aren’t in a confined area for a while after dealing with you for the last two weeks.
It honestly shocked me that I didn’t stab you.
I don’t think we should keep testing my patience.
I’m not a saint. I would rather take my chances with ‘the biker’ than deal with your ass in my personal space,” I say to Grey.
I’m done with putting up with his shitty attitude and keeping that from my family.
I was willing to let it go in the beginning because I figured he was just settling in, and I didn’t want to rock the boat for him.
But with his constant speaking down to me and treating me like I am some kind of spoiled princess, I’ve had enough.
I would rather risk embarrassing myself in front of Knox every day than have to deal with the inner battle of wanting to stab Grey and wanting to climb him like a tree—it’s exhausting. Damn hormones!
“Does anyone else feel like they are missing something?” Ben chimes in after being silent for the entire conversation.
He then continues, because he has never been the best at reading the room.
“Grey pissed you off while you were on the job, didn’t he?
” He then turns to Grey. “That sucks, man. She is like a pissed-off kitten if you get on her bad side: adorable, but likely to claw and bite the shit out of you out of nowhere.”
“More like a tiny demon,” Tell corrects him.
“I’m going to miss you guys when you leave, but you should really get a head start now. Wouldn’t want to be late getting back to your bases,” I say in the most sarcastic tone that I can.
“Back to the discussion at hand,” John says, trying to rein us all back in, like he’s been doing since we were kids. “This is a big house. How about both of them stay with her?” John looks at me while still smirking. I swear, that old man loves drama more than an old lady at a country club.
“No,” comes from everyone at the table except John.
My dad looks irritated and beckons me to make the final decision. He would never force me to do something that I was not comfortable with.
On the one hand, I know having Grey here would make him more comfortable since he knows him.
But on the other hand, he would probably be really mad at me if I stabbed one of his employees.
I’m not sure, but I feel like that could end in a lawsuit or something.
I really should ask my lawyer one of these days.
I let out a sigh, still making eye contact with my dad, and ask, “How long are you going to be gone for sure?” I know contracts can take longer, and I am not going to put up with this for longer than a few weeks.
“Two weeks, max. I will only be supervising the more intricate ones,” he replies. I look up at the ceiling, hating that I’m about to do this, but it’s for my dad to not have to worry about me while he’s gone. I don’t want him to have any distractions during possible life-or-death situations.
“Fine,” is all I say after I have accepted my fate for the next two weeks. I look forward to the men staring at me in question around the table.
“Fine to what, exactly?” Tell asks. I guess I have to explain myself.
“Fine. I will have both of them stay while Dad is gone. But I will only agree on three conditions,” I say, holding up my hand and naming my conditions off on my fingers.
I look between Grey and Knox making eye contact with them so they know I’m deadly serious.
“First. You will only be here at night. You are free—no, highly encouraged—to leave me alone during the day. Second. You will keep shitty attitudes and comments to a minimum in my house. This is my peaceful place, and I will skin alive whoever tries to change that. Lastly, you will stay out of my personal business while you are here.” I stop speaking, but don’t break eye contact with them.
I need them to acknowledge my rules out loud in front of everyone at the table.
“Deal,” “Fine,” they both say at the same time.
“Okay. Now that we have a plan, everyone finish eating. I don’t want to have to put away leftovers,” I say in a cheery voice, even though the urge to stomp away from the table and lock myself in my room is strong.
I should be used to it by now, but dealing with all the alpha energy in this room makes me want a nap.
When everyone at the table starts loading their plates with second helpings, Knox asks about the job that I just finished, and I welcome the change in topic.
I go into detail about the entire trip with Grey grunting every now and then.
Not sure if he agreed or disagreed with what I said, but I just ended up ignoring him altogether.
About halfway through, I think my brothers are less upset, because they start asking questions and butting into the story when they think I miss a detail.
After everyone is done eating the rest of the food, they all grab some of the empty plates and help me bring them to the kitchen.
“Flame. Grey. Can I get a word for a minute?” I hear my dad say, and everyone in the kitchen turns around to look at him in silence. Knox and Grey nod and follow my dad out to the living room, leaving the rest of us in the kitchen looking at each other.
“Since they are busy and I cooked, the five of you can clean up,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. I place my palms on top of the counter that I was leaning against and pull myself up so I can sit on it. John, Jackson, and my idiots look at me to see if I’m serious.
After a moment, I cross my legs, rest my hands on top of my knees, and raise an eyebrow, challenging them to argue.
Seeing that I’m not joking, they mumble, turn around, and start to get to work on cleaning my kitchen.
They should be happy; they are a lot better off than Grey and Knox right now, having to endure what I am sure is a serious conversation with my overprotective father.
I huff out a laugh just thinking about it.
I love my dad, and he is the best man in the world, in my opinion.
But I also know how terrifying he can be to people that are not his family.
I mean, the man can keep a bunch of soldiers in line.
Who knows what he will say to the men that are planning on staying with his only daughter while he is away? Sucks to be them.