Sawyer experienced a pinch of disappointment, knowing he was letting the others down. But that he could handle better than the tension he’d been feeling around Chloe. “I think it’s time for that, yes.”
“Fuck.” Miles straightened on his stool, ignoring the food on his plate. “This is not what I expected to hear tonight.”
There was an awkward pause among the men, while all around them the noises of the busy pub continued. Finally Dmitri asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”
Sawyer knew the implication of that question. His decision would be final. If he walked away from Club Sin, he couldn’t go back. It would leave the members with a bad taste. They needed stability and strength, not Masters coming in and out of their lives.
With no indecision in his mind, he nodded. “Chloe is not made for the lifestyle in the sense that we have lived it. It’s different with her.” He spotted both apprehension and sadness in the expressions around him. “I want to see where this takes us. And to do that, I can’t have the responsibility of being a Master at Club Sin. I need to focus on her. I can’t be divided between two separate worlds.”
Dmitri gave his friend a soft smile. “I hope you know that this changes nothing. That tattoo made you one of us. That won’t change because you are out of the dungeon.”
“Thank you.” Sawyer exhaled a relieved breath, glancing at his tattoo. What once meant so much to him now would become something like his military life: a life that he had once lived, but which he’d given up for something better.
Kyler picked up his burger again. “Besides, it gives us an excuse to get together outside of the club.”
The other men around Sawyer nodded.
Porter grinned. “This is good. You’re doing right by her.”
“Is that the big brother giving his approval?” Sawyer mused.
Porter shrugged. “Chloe deserves the world, and I’m glad you’re giving it to her.”
Some decisions were tough, Sawyer realized, but this one wasn’t. “She deserves me at my best. And this is how I’ll give it to her.”
—
“Wine. It’s a girls’ night must.”
Chloe sat in the small living room above the bookstore and glanced up from her spot on the couch, finding Presley offering her a glass. “Thank you. It sure is!” She accepted the glass, and Presley dropped down next to her. The apartment had knickknacks everywhere. Kenzie had a tiny, cute apartment, but Chloe knew that Porter would never live here. He liked open spaces, or so he’d told her once.
She sipped the dry wine. Ella and Cora were on the love seat, and Kenzie had taken the recliner in the corner of the room near the bay window. It’d been so long since Chloe’d had a girls’ night, and giddiness coursed through her. Before coming here, she’d tried on three outfits, finally opting for jeans and a simple blouse. Which made her glad, because the other girls were all dressed down, too. And these women certainly knew how to look sexy. She took another sip of her wine, noticing that Cora held a glass of juice. “Not drinking tonight?”
“Well, it’s not a good idea.” Cora smiled. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh,” Chloe said in surprise, spotting the huge smiles on every face. “That’s amazing. Congratulations!”
“Thanks.” Cora ran a hand low across her stomach. “I’m only a few weeks. I know you’re not supposed to say anything until after the first trimester, but hell, I couldn’t keep this a secret.” She shrugged. “Besides, I have the worst morning sickness ever, so I thought it would be pretty obvious.”
“I hear morning sickness is the worst,” Chloe replied. “But a baby is great news.” Babies? God, she couldn’t even imagine that for herself right now. Her life wasn’t stable enough for a child, but she did have dreams of becoming a mother one day. First she needed a husband, though. And she smiled at the thought that maybe she’d already found him.
Ella plopped her feet on the coffee table, holding her wineglass on her lap. “Look at us. We’re all turning into a bunch of housewives.”
Kenzie laughed. “I never thought I’d say this, but I’m looking forward to it. And how weird is that coming from my mouth?”
Confused by her statement, Chloe glanced to Kenzie’s hand, noticing a diamond ring. “Oh my God, did Porter propose?”
Kenzie nodded. “He did. A week ago.”
“I didn’t know!” Of course, she hadn’t seen Porter since she’d been abducted. Both Porter and Sawyer had thought she deserved a week off, and she’d happily agreed, pretty much abandoning her phone for the entire week. Now she wished she’d called to check in with Porter.
“Don’t worry, only our tight circle knows right now,” Kenzie announced. “But to be honest, I think you had a hand in his proposal.”
“Me?” Chloe exclaimed. “How?”
Kenzie pulled her legs underneath her. “When we heard what happened to you with that crazy fucker, we were here at home. After Porter got off the phone with Kyler, he went into the bedroom and came back out with the ring. He told me he was tired of holding on to the ring and waiting for the right time. That he realized life was damn short and he needed to do what he’d been thinking of for a long time. It was pretty sweet. And I never thought I’d be one to love the gushy romance stuff.” She glanced down at the princess-cut diamond, sparkling in the light. “We were going to call you, but Porter thought you and Sawyer needed time alone.”
“You should have called!” Chloe placed her glass on the table and rose from her seat, moving to Kenzie. “I’m so happy for the both of you.” Even if she didn’t know Kenzie all that well yet, she offered a hug. “Congratulations all around, then.”