“Yeah.” Slowly, he lifts his hand to my cheek. “Hope, I meant everything I said to you today. I won’t run from you, hide from you, or ever lie to you. Can I tell you everything the club is doing? No.” I open my mouth, but he raises his hand. “I can’t tell you everything for your own protection. We aren’t a one-percenter MC, but we still skate outside the law sometimes, and I’ll never jeopardize your safety. I’ll never lie to you, I promise, but there will be things I can’t always tell you.”
A lonely tear slips down my cheek, and before I can brush it off, Frost wipes it away with his thumb. “Give me a chance to win you back. Let me earn the right to sleep next to you.”
My voice is barely a whisper. “Just… hold me tonight.”
He nods. “Always.”
We both take a moment to get ready for bed. I crawl under the covers, and Frost slips in beside me. He tugs me tight against his chest, his face buried in my hair, his hands holding me like I’m the most precious thing in the world. His breathing eventually evens out, but I stay awake longer, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest, memorizing the warmth of him. He didn’t lie about the bunnies, but he’s a mess.
He’smymess, and God help me, I still love him.
The sun peeks through the curtains earlier than I’m ready for, but I feel energized. Frost could’ve omitted the part about the bunnies, which I would’ve eventually found out about, but he was up front and honest with me. He could’ve played dumb or acted like my feelings don’t matter, but he took a risk telling me. Am I pissed? Absolutely, but do I have a right to be? We all have a past. Hell, even I do. The difference is that I don’t live with anyone that I’ve slept with. It’ll be an adjustment, but for him, I’m willing to try.
He says he’s never letting me go and will spend the rest of his life making it up to me for leaving, so that has to mean something, right?
I need to show him I’m all in, something special. I need reinforcements.
Frost lets out a big snore, and it takes everything in me not to laugh too loudly and wake him. I slip out of bed quietly, grab my phone, and step outside his room, where I run into one of his club brothers.
“Uh… Hey. Hope, right?”
I grin. “Yep. The one and only.”
He wraps his arms around me like a boa constrictor, and I yelp. He releases me immediately. “Sorry about that. I’m Chaos. Frost is my best friend.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Thank you,” he says sincerely.
My brows furrow in confusion. “For what?”
“For giving him a chance, even though he fucked up. Most women would’ve walked away without letting him explain.”
A smile tugs at my lips. “You’ll find out, Chaos, I’m not like most women.”
He smirks. “And she’s a spitfire.”
I pat his chest. “You have no idea. Tell me, how can I get downstairs so I can enjoy the beautiful sunrise?”
“I’ll take you down,” he offers.
We step off the elevator, and I wave over my shoulder as I step out the main door. The early morning desert light paints everything gold, and it’s a beautiful scene I could stare at for hours. I tug my phone out of my pocket, open the family group chat to get the ball rolling on my secret mission.
Me: Can you guys come to New Mexico? I need help making Christmas special this year for Frost. Please?
A couple of seconds later, my phone starts pinging with responses.
Dad: We leave tomorrow. Tell us what to bring.
Mom: I’ll pack the decorations and the tree if I have to. Just say the word. Oh we can bake some treats!
Me: I’ll send you the address and more information about what to bring in a bit.
I swallow a lump in my throat. This is how my parents operate. No questions asked, no explanation needed. I tell them I need them, and they drop what they’re doing and come.
Maybe I can’t fix Frost’s pain, but I can give him something to look forward to. I glance back at the clubhouse, and for the first time since he left me, I feel whole again.
“I’m going to make this the best Christmas you’ve ever had,” I whisper to myself. “For you, for your mom’s memory, for everyone.”
