“You were talking kids in church that day.”
“Yeah, but that was way in the future. This is now.”
I kiss her forehead and she gets a look that makes me hard.
“Stop,” I warn her. “I’m not done with my speech.”
“Continue then.”
“I want you to quit your job.”
“Why?”
“Isn’t that obvious? The hours suck. I can’t have my woman working in the middle of the night. If I bully the manager into giving you a better shift, some schmuck will end up with your shit shift. Do you really want that just so you can make minimum wage?”
“What will I do for money?”
“Take care of the house and your brothers. Make me happy. Look pretty. Oh, and a striptease a few times a week would be nice.”
Even smiling, Shay looks nervous. “I don’t want to be a mooch like my mom.”
“You’re my woman, not my burden,” I say then soften my tone. “I hate waiting for you at night. It drives me crazy and a million fucked up thoughts go through my head about what can happen to you. If you really want to get a shitty daytime job, have at it. I can support us and your brothers though.”
Shay lets this idea settle in and I’m surprised she’s so overwhelmed. I guess I expected after saying the words that she would have our lives planned out. Instead, Shay seems happy just to know I love her.
“I’ll quit, so you won’t have to worry. After the boys are settled in, I can think about finding a job with better hours.”
“Good girl,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “One last thing before we celebrate with you naked on my bed.”
“Our bed,” she reminds me.
Giving her a grin, I continue, “Pax doesn’t know yet. I needed to square things away with you before I told him. Of course, he’ll probably call you a few names and accuse you of being a gold digger. You’ll want to prepare for that. Even for all his bitching, Pax knows you’re mine. He knows, but me moving out of this area isn’t something he can tolerate. I know that sounds childish, but…”
Shay caresses my forearm. “You and Pax have always been you and Pax. I understand.”
“Of course, you do.”
I want to show her around the house, but I need to get her back to my bedroom. She’s driving me crazy with her hungry looks.
Taking her hand, I head outside where we ride the few houses down to our place. Pax is outside, working on his Harley. He barely acknowledges us as we hurry inside. He’s just as quiet when I return an hour later.
“Fucked the hell out of her, did you?” he says when I sit on a step near him.
“I’m keeping her.”
“I know.”
“Her brothers are moving out here.”
“Probably a bad idea, but you’ve had worse.”
Pax takes a swig of beer then narrows his eyes. “You’re bringing a family into our world at a bad time.”
“I can’t let her go and she needs those boys here for her to be happy.”
“Fine. If she’s yours, I’ll kill to keep her safe. The boys too. What’s yours is mine and all that shit.”
“We’re moving down the street into Dave Mooney’s house.”
Pax gives me a dirty look then shrugs. “Good. I don’t want kids around the house while I’m fucking chicks. Me and Shay have loud fucking in common.”
Standing up, I force Pax to look me in the eye. “I’ll need to tell her where we stash our money.”
I expect him to pitch a fit, but he nods immediately. “Blood is coming and we might not survive. You need to make sure your woman and those boys are taken care of.”
Pax tries to turn away and blow off this moment, but I make him look at me.
“It’s always been us and that won’t change.”
“I know.”
“Thank you for knowing. You can’t imagine how much I didn’t want to have to dumb shit down for you.”
“Turd.”
Smiling, I step back. “Don’t know if moving a few houses down will give me enough space to avoid listening to you and your hookups.”
“Life ain’t a picnic, Ford. You’ll survive.”
We share a smile then I leave him to work on his bike. Returning to the house, I find Shay waiting for me.
“You sneaked out.”
“You were sleeping.”
“I was dozing and saving my energy for more fun.”
Pulling off my shirt, I stop and look at Shay. She’s the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen and she loves me. Not a fairytale version either. The fantasy is dead and we’re living in a perfect reality now.
50
Shay
The Best Kind of Real
The last two weeks living with Ford is a dream. I thought the transition might be scary. Yet he clears out a few drawers and part of his closet one day and I’m living with him the next one.