Deleted Scene
The house smelled of dryer sheets when Ghost got back from Church.
Each Friday the club’s officers—Ghost, Lucky, Bulldog, Jumper, Demo, Bear, Ranger, and Keys—gathered to have a meeting.
Sometimes Scar showed up. He wasn’t an officer, but it also wasn’t like any of them could do anything to kick him out.
Ghost figured, because it was Scar, there was a chance he was listening in on the meetings when they couldn’t see him too.
Things were tense enough at work, but thankfully, both Ranger and Ghost seemed to be professional enough to be able to keep a civil conversation going during Church and club events. They both knew if they couldn’t, it wouldn’t be Ghost who would be stepping down.
But Ghost honestly didn’t think it would come to that.
Ranger would eventually come to terms with the fact that Ghost wasn’t just fucking around with his sister, and when that day came, the two of them would be right as rain again.
Until then, Ghost wasn’t going to coddle Ranger or put up with his bullshit.
Since Becks had moved into the house, it had started to feel like a home.
No offense to Ranger, but the two of them had just been roommates sharing the same four walls.
Having Becks around made the house feel homey and welcoming.
Ghost wasn’t making excuses to stay at work or in his office longer.
He wanted to finish up faster so he could come home to her.
He had no idea why it made a difference that Becks was here. After all, he’d also done laundry many times on his own, and he was sure he’d come back to the smell of dryer sheets before. It just smelled better knowing that it was because Becks was also there waiting for him.
Not seeing her downstairs, Ghost headed up. He found her immediately in their room, remaking the bed. A part of him wanted to stand back and just marvel in the fact that she was his, but the other part could not simply stand there and allow her to do all the work.
Didn’t mean he couldn’t resist slapping her incredible ass as he passed by.
Becks jumped, a squeal exiting her mouth. “Jesus! I did not know you were home.”
Yeah, he definitely liked it when she referred to their house as “home”, too. “Just got back, and came to find you.” He pulled the top left corner of the fitted sheet down as she worked on the bottom corner. “Thought we could go for a ride this afternoon before I have to get to work.”
Becks beamed at him. “I love that idea.”
As she stepped to the bottom right corner of the bed, Ghost hurried around her, not even pausing as he tapped her ass again, and got the top right corner.
He saw her duck her head, her long brunette hair falling between them like a curtain.
Ghost stepped forward as she straightened, lifting his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.
“What?” he asked.
She blinked, her eyes flicking between the bed and him. “What-what?” she returned, confused, but he wasn’t buying it.
“Don’t do that. Don’t hide from me,” he ordered. Ghost took her face between his hands, forcing her to look up at him. “Tell me what it was you were thinking that made you duck your head and hide behind your hair.”
She scrunched up her nose adorably. “Please don’t hate me for saying this, but I didn’t realize how invisible I was in my relationship with Ritchie until you came barreling into my life and basically put everything I do under a spotlight. I feel like I’m living under a magnifying glass with you.”
Ghost didn’t back down. “Good. Means I’m doing my job right as your husband.
As for that douchebag, while I understand that there’s going to be some comparisons that just can’t be helped, let’s agree to never mention his name under our roof again.
” Becks chuckled, her skin heating up under Ghost’s palms. “Still didn’t answer my question, though. ”
She stuck her tongue out at him, to which he only smirked. “Ugh. Fine, but you have to promise not to laugh.”
Ghost kept a straight face as he said, “Promise.”
“I was…surprised you helped with making the bed, and then, I thought that maybe you only did so it would be done faster and then you could fuck me over it once it was made.”
To his credit, Ghost didn’t laugh. “I am going to fuck you over the bed once it’s made, but helping you to make the bed had nothing do with it. Why was that a thought that made you feel like you had to hide from me?”
“I think it was more of the misogyny of the thought. I felt bad that I thought you needed a reason to help with it.”
Ghost took a step back. He sat down on the partly made bed and pulled her onto his lap. Her knees spread wide at his hips as she looped her arms over his shoulders. “We haven’t actually discussed my expectations with you as my wife.”
Becks blinked and then nodded. “No, we haven’t. I get that there are certain things and traditions that I’m going to have to do with the club too. I hope I haven’t slipped up and done anything that reflects badly on you.”
“Not yet,” he told her. “Now, when it comes to the house, we’re working on building you the at-home studio. Cage thinks it’ll be done by the end of the week. And, of course, there will be cleaning and laundry and cooking that will need to be done.”
Becks nodded along with his list. “I expected as much. I plan on making a recording schedule that matches up to when you’re at work, too, so we have more time together while you’re home.”
Ghost couldn’t resist the smile at those words. “That sounds great. As for cooking—”
“I know, I know… I suck at cooking. I even took cooking lessons last summer after Rit—I mean, last summer,” she quickly corrected herself. “I just suck at cooking, Ghost. It’s a skill I fear I’ll never learn.”
Ghost tried to keep the disappointment on his face, but wasn’t sure he succeeded.
“Fair enough. I’ve always been more of a take-out guy myself, but I wouldn’t mind learning.
Maybe we can have Tally over some time to teach us some basic things.
Nothing too extravagant, but I’d like to be able to offer my wife more than scrambled eggs in the mornings, which is about the extent of my culinary capabilities. ”
Becks blinked down at him. “I, uh… Wait, what?”
“What? You think because you have an awesome ass and incredibly distracting tits that you’re the only one in this house who can learn to cook?” He tsked his tongue. “That’s a bit misandrist of you, Rebel.”
Becks continued to stare at him for a solid thirty seconds before she shook her head. “You’re teasing me?”
He nodded, trying to keep the smile off his face.
“Baby, just because you’re ‘the woman’ or are the one of the two of us who works from home doesn’t mean the house is yours to take care of.
I’ll cook, I’ll clean… Hell, hand me a toilet bowl brush as soon as I walk through the door if you don’t feel like doing it that day and I’ll scrub all the toilets in the house before I eat you out over the living room couch. ”
Becks blushed. “I guess, I just thought that there were some things I could do around here to make your life easier.”
Ghost took her chin in his hand. “Same. This is a marriage, baby. That means we’re partners. You want to do something special for me, I’ll never say no to that. But don’t do it because you think you should, because you’re the wife or the woman or whatever other reason your mind comes up with.”
“Oh, don’t tell me that…” she practically moaned. “I could get spoiled real quick with an attitude like that, Ghost.”
He squeezed her chin gently. “Good. You deserve to be spoiled.” He indicated the laundry basket behind her. “Want to help me with that?”
Becks smiled. “I would love to.”
Ghost helped her to her feet and together they opened up the top sheet, shook out the wrinkles, and then got it onto the bed. Becks tossed him a pillow from the pile on the floor. She grabbed one too, and came over to the basket to grab a case.
Ghost tapped her gently with his pillow.
“So, an old TO of mine was a stickler when it came to our bunks. If our corners weren’t perfect or if there was so much as a wrinkle in the blanket, he set us to run until we puked.
I don’t know about you, but it was quite the incentive to make our beds properly. ”
Becks bit the inside of her cheek, likely to keep from laughing. “Run ‘til you barf? Um, yeah. I likely wouldn’t make it to the end of the driveway.”
Ghost chuckled. “Worse was when he put a timer on it. Two minutes to make our beds, or else. Well, this old bunkmate of mine showed a bunch of us a trick to get our pillowcases on faster when it was laundry day. Said to put them on like condoms, and it saves time, energy, and future marriages.”
Becks laughed. “Mom always had Dad hold his arms out straight. She’d put the case on his arms inside out, and then she pushed the pillow into it, making the case go on in the right way.
When I got old enough to be able to do it, it became a game to me.
Never knew until I was a lot older that I was helping with chores. ”
“See? Same thing. You didn’t even know it, but your parents were teaching you how to put condoms on.”
Becks’ expression was both amused and disgusted.
“Oh, yeah. Because we use condoms so much in this marriage that it’s really come in handy.
” She tossed her pillow onto the bed and picked up the next one.
“Although, I am tempted to hold a condom up now and have you do a running leap into it, like a knight jousting.” She smiled wickedly at the suggestion while moving her hips around in example.
Ghost, though, scowled and pointed a finger at her. “No! Absolutely not! There are no condoms allowed in this marriage.”
Becks laughed so hard she threw her head back and nearly lost her balance.
Ghost put a hand out to steady her. “And what are you planning on doing when we’re done having kids?
” she tossed back at him. “Or if I need to take a break between having kids? I can’t go on some hormonal birth control if I’m breastfeeding. ”
Ghost shrugged easily. “I’ll get a vasectomy, and I won’t even be a big baby about it like Pumpkin was.”
Becks snorted as the front door below them opened and closed. “Yeah, because I heard that worked out so well for him.”
Ghost shook his head at her comment while letting out a long whistle followed by three sharp notes. The answering whistle from the first floor sounded more like an owl hooting, but it was the proper response.
Becks stared at the floor like she’d suddenly developed x-ray vision. “What the hell was that, and who is in our house?”
“It’s your brother,” Ghost told her.
“And calling out a greeting would make too much sense?” she tossed back at him before exiting the room.
Ghost was slower to follow, situating the four pillows on the bed and then adding on the comforter. He heard the siblings talking as he descended the stairs, though neither’s tone indicated it was a pleasant conversation.
“When are we going to talk about this?” Becks asked. She was standing in the living room with her hands on her hips.
Ranger came out of his bedroom, the strap of a duffel over his shoulder. Clearly, he was here to get more of his things and not to move back in. “When Hell freezes over and you come to your fucking senses.”
“Hey!” Ghost stormed forward, getting right in Ranger’s face. “Don’t talk to your sister like that.”
Ranger’s eyes narrowed. “You may not know this, Ghost, but siblings bicker. We call each other names, we pull each other’s hair, and we pick fights. She’s my sister, and I’ve known her a hell of a lot longer than you have. So, I’ll speak to her as I always have.”
“Not anymore. Because now your sister has me—and I will always stand between her and any fight. Even if it’s with you.”