Chapter 44 ZODIAC
ZODIAC
Ford and Shay did nothing to hide how much they hated Baton Rouge’s humidity. Elle was also bothered from time to time, seeming lightheaded and exhausted by the heat. Clint often fanned a flushed Ivy. Meanwhile, Sutter used the sticky air as an opportunity to study up on the local climate.
On their first night in town, I tried to win them over by taking them to trendy downtown spots.
The next day, we visited the Louisiana Art & Science Museum in the morning before heading to Louisiana State University to meet a professor from the Physics & Astronomy department.
The guy was so impressed with Sutter that he wanted to invite his colleagues to join us.
The kid seemed very excited about having local access to smart people.
The next day, a realtor met us at the property I most wanted. I knew the house might be a tough sell, so I told the chick to have a few fancier places ready in case Elle nixed this one.
Six months ago, I never could have imagined living anywhere except downtown. Now, the idea of a crowded area felt unsafe. The entire point of moving Elle to Baton Rouge was to allow me to focus on the club without constantly worrying about her.
“Why this place?” Ford asked while I drove his SUV ten minutes outside of town.
“It’s in a quiet area with low crime,” I said and then admitted, “This property needs updating.”
“Is it a dump?” Elle asked, sitting next to me in the front passenger seat. “Why wouldn’t you let me look up the info?”
“It’s sitting on more than twenty acres. We’d have privacy.”
“Uh-huh,” Elle said and glanced back at Sutter sitting between his grandparents before asking me, “How bad is this place?”
“It’s ugly but has a big main house and two smaller ones. There’ll be space for your family to stay over.”
Though Elle didn’t reply to that, I felt her growing curious.
“What’s the neighborhood like?” Ford asked when his daughter fell silent.
“It’s a little rural, but there are stores. It’s also close to the highway to reach downtown.”
Shoved into the back row with Ivy, Clint asked, “What if Sutter wants to attend a physical school again?”
“The local schools are ranked well. If they don’t have what he needs, we’ll fix that.”
“I don’t want Elle living in a dump,” Shay mumbled, fighting a scowl.
“It’s not that far from shit,” I grumbled, feeling attacked. “If Elle doesn’t like it, there are fancy houses like Lula has. But this place offers land and space. We can create whatever we want. There’s even a barn where we could build Sutter an observatory.”
Elle patted my thigh to get me to settle down. I wasn’t used to anyone soothing me. Her gesture felt belittling at first. My old habits roared to life. I nearly pushed away her hand.
But I wanted Elle to make me feel better.
I deserved to be happy. Rather than feel coddled, I decided her gentle touch meant she appreciated me.
That was how I needed to view these moments.
Elle wasn’t a bitchy foster parent or asshole relative trying to make me obey.
She was a woman who chose me over everyone else.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, we pulled up the driveway to the massive traditional ranch. The realtor unlocked the door while I kept trying to sell my vision for the place.
“The main house is over seven thousand square feet,” I said when Elle seemed concerned about the overgrown landscape. “It’s functional right now, but it needs updates.”
“Taking on renovations seems like a bad idea when there’s a baby on the way,” Shay said, giving a voice to what everyone was thinking.
Rather than lose my temper, I used logic and pointed out, “Exile and Nova bought a fixer-upper when she was nearly ready to pop. She was able to put her taste into everything.”
“I might not be as tough as Nova,” Elle said, doing little to hide her anxiety about this location. “Do you know reliable people to do the renovations?”
“My club runs a company. We work with the best Baton Rouge contractors. Those businesses know who we are and what would happen if they fucked with my house.”
When Elle smiled at my words, I felt her calming down. I came around to open her door while the others exited the SUV.
“The décor inside is weird, like a hunting lodge mixed with a cult compound. But none of it will stay. We can do whatever we want here.”
Both nervous, Elle and Sutter held hands. I worried none of them could see past the ugly wood trim and brown tile floors.
“It’s big,” Shay said helpfully when we stepped inside.
“That’s good,” Elle told Sutter. “Even though it’ll only be the four of us most of the time, you know how crowded the house gets when the whole family and clubs get together.”
Sutter nodded and tightened his grip on her hand. We walked into the large, ugly kitchen with natural wood cabinets and a ridiculously large ceiling fan.
“It’s functional,” Elle said as she looked around. “I could watch the boys from here while I’m cooking.”
“You mentioned a cult,” Ford said and gestured at the two fridges. “What was this place?”
“No clue, but it’s priced cheap for everything we’re getting.”
“I’m going to say it,” Elle announced and looked at Sutter. “This house is butt ugly, but I see a lot of potential.”
Shay immediately said, “But you’re on this land away from other people.”
“We’ll have privacy.”
“I don’t want you to feel isolated.”
Elle hugged her agitated mom, even while remaining focused on the future.
“In the beginning, I’ll be busy with fixing the house and helping Sutter with his schooling.
Then, the baby will be here, and we’ll have lots of visitors.
Over time, I’ll meet local people, so Sutter and Trent can have kids to play with. ”
I smiled at how Elle was already set on this place, and she hadn’t even seen most of it.
Shay looked to Ford, who shrugged. “The upside to all this space is obvious. But the location could be good for safety, too. People can’t just ride up to this house without tripping the security we’ll set up.”
Clint checked out under the sink and frowned. “I worry about what you’ll find once you start updating.”
“Maybe we should look around more,” Sutter said and gripped Elle’s hand. “I want to see everything.”
As we walked around the large main house, Sutter zeroed in on a particular bedroom. Based on the décor, someone’s grandma likely lived here.
“I could fit a big desk and workspace in here,” Sutter said, mentally arranging the furniture. “It’d be way bigger than my room now.”
Elle smiled at his enthusiasm. When we got outside, he started talking about space for soccer. Plus, the boy was excited about the gated pool.
While Ivy followed after Elle and Sutter, Clint kept whispering with his parents. I sensed Shay wanted the men to use logic to shut down the move.
Before they could gang up on me, Elle hugged her mom.
“This place could be really cool. We’d have the space for both clubs to hang out.
The main house has space for you and Dad to stay with us.
Clint and Ivy, too. If I’m going to live far from home, I want my people to be able to drop by without worrying about space. ”
Shay’s face twisted into a sad expression as she mumbled, “Far from home.”
Elle hugged her mom tighter and whispered promises about how everything would be okay.
“What if the three of you living together doesn’t work?
” Ford asked me. “The plan is to give it a year. What happens if you realize you don’t want to be a domesticated man?
Sure, Elle, Sutter, and the baby can always come back home.
We’ll build them a house in the community.
They’ll be fine. But do you really want this big fucking house if you end up single again? ”
“I’ll just move a few of my guys onto the property.
We’ll have endless orgies,” I said and smiled at how Elle rolled her eyes.
“I always figured I couldn’t do the family thing.
Monogamy felt like a crime against humanity.
Fatherhood seemed like a way to snip a man’s brass balls.
Yet, Elle does something to me that overrides my old thinking. ”
Elle’s smile made me lose my earlier edginess.
She was committed to giving life in Baton Rouge a real shot.
What surprised me was how gung-ho Sutter was about the move.
Unable to see past his big nerd brain initially, I had read the kid wrong.
But like the other males in his family, Sutter owned a steel spine.
I hoped my boy would inherit the good qualities I saw in the Reed family. Trent had a shot at a great life with none of the hardships that had held me back. If Elle and I stayed on the same page, I couldn’t imagine anything standing in our way.