“Well that was a short trip,” Skylar said in my ear as we pulled down a long gravel driveway that was lined with these tall skinny trees that reminded me of soldiers standing at attention. “Did Blizzard and Rose get a new driveway?”
I chuckled under my breath, she was observant. Blizzard and Rose’s house was just across the paddock from where we were. The club was on the outskirts of town, practically in the countryside but also in what you’d call an industrial area where there were a handful of multi-story abandoned factories, places that had heavy machinery and a recycling center.
We’d headed further out of town, there were still a lot of houses but they weren’t as grouped together. Instead, they all had a little bit of land, some space as opposed to the neighbors being able to look in your bathroom window while you’re taking a shit, like in the middle of town.
When the driveway finally opened up, there was a two-story home. It was a square shaped, white and gray house and had a porch and railing that ran the entire perimeter of the first story, big enough for summer barbeques. There were plenty of windows both on the first and second story, each with navy blue shutters on either side.
Neither Skylar nor I moved as I pulled up close to the steps that led up to the front door, she continued to peek over my shoulder, taking in the home and its fresh coat of paint. It wasn’t a huge place, three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and everything else downstairs. But it had what we needed.
I switched off the engine and Sky still didn’t move. “You want to go and have a look around?” I asked with a smirk.
“No,” she answered quickly, changing my excited smile to a frown.
“Sky…”
“I don’t get it,” she whispered. I could tell she was nervous, she didn’t know what was going on.
I sighed, taking her hand and pulling on it until she was forced to climb off the back of my bike, then I held onto her tightly as I swung my leg over, not letting her escape. I knew she was feeling strange, I could tell by the way she’d gone instantly quiet.
We decided when all this began that we would take things slow, we were together, that was for sure, but we still had a lot to learn about each other. Sky lived in the clubhouse, and so did I, yet now she wasn’t a club girl, it either meant she had to move out and find a place of her own, or she moved into my room. And while it had been amazing having her with me every single night, she also had one more thing to consider.
Emerald.
Her sister was struggling. The clubhouse wasn’t exactly the place she needed to be right now while she was working on finding out who she was, and finding out what she wanted in life while also dealing with the fact that she had taken another person’s life, no matter how deserved the death was.
I was falling for Sky, in a big fucking way, so for me, that meant putting her and her needs first. I knew she was going to fight me on this, I knew there was probably going to be an argument because this woman was as stubborn and strong as they came and she hated the idea of letting a man dictate her life. I just hoped she saw this for what it was, the start of an amazing adventure together.
“So I’m just going to lay it out there,” I told her as I held her hand and basically dragged her up the steps of the porch.
She huffed out a breath. “You say that like you don’t always just lay it out there.”
I smirked. Shit was true. I didn’t like to beat around the bush. At least she was expecting it.
“This place has been empty for over a month. I had a chat with the guy who owns it, and he’s happy for it to be rented out for six months or so and then he will let us decide whether we want to buy it, or move on.”
Skylar pulled me back as I reached for the front door, and I turned to see her staring at me with wide eyes, brimming with tears. “What happened to slow?” she asked nervously.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, if you’d let me explain rather than just freaking the fuck out…” Her returning glare did nothing but pull a smile on my face, but she closed her pouty lips and raised her eyebrows for me to continue. “Don’t think I can’t see the attitude behind that facial gesture.”
She kept her lips shut tight, but I could see the fire return to her eyes, and the smile that was threatening to follow.
“You and Emerald can move in here,” I finally continued. “I’ll pay half the rent, and spend half my time between here and the club. It’ll be like we’re dating, we’ll spend some time together, some time apart, until you’re comfortable with me moving in completely.”
Her mouth dropped open, and I could see her brain working through what I’d just told her.
I didn’t want to push Skylar to do anything that she didn’t want to do, she’d spent most of her life having it dictated to her by men, and the last thing I wanted was to put stress on our relationship by it seeming like I was doing the same thing.
“You’re going to stay in Athens?” she asked, her voice a little croaky.
I nodded. “I’m starting to realize that I was running from shit that I couldn’t change. There will probably be times where I feel like I need to take off, I’m hoping you’ll understand that, but I’m also hoping that when I do, you’ll come with me.”
She blinked.
Tears dripped onto her cheeks, and she laughed.
Athens had become home for me. The people here were the kind of people who I wanted at my back
“No more running?”