worried. “Sorry, but you have to admit that was only slightly better than we need to talk.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I kissed Corey’s shoulder. “And it’s nothing bad, I promise.”
“I trust you.”
God, did he have any clue how those three words hit me? I cleared my throat, repeating to myself
that this wasn’t a bad thing and Corey would understand. “Okay, so we both know the club’s been
getting busier, right?”
“Yeah. If it keeps up, I could quit working at the mall, but the hours don’t work for the nights I
have Willow.” I filed that bit of information away for later. There had to be a way to shuffle hours
around, so he wasn’t killing himself.
“Well, Jack needs help. Just like us, he and Slade are trying to find a way to spend time together,
which means Jack can’t be at the club all the time,” I explained, hoping that by giving him a frame of
reference far from this being about me getting to spend time with him. “Since I’m there all the time
anyway, Jack asked me again if he could bring me on to oversee the back deck.”
Corey chuckled, just like everyone did when they heard the ridiculous name Jack had given the
more hardcore side of the club. His amusement gave me hope he wasn’t going to freak out.
“I thought you didn’t want to be tied down.” That had been the go-to excuse every time anyone
asked why I wasn’t officially an employee.
I laced my fingers through Corey’s, bringing our joined hands up to my lips. “I didn’t, but now I’m
seeing the benefits of sticking around. A few months ago, I’d been itching to get away for a bit. I told
myself I was staying in town so I could help my sister, but she’s a pain in my ass.”
“You love her,” Corey argued. “Of course, I’m still questioning if she actually exists because I
never see any sign of her coming or going from the house you claim she owns.”
“That’s because, so far, I’ve been able to sneak you in and out without her knowing,” I admitted. It
wasn’t that I was ashamed of Corey, it was more that I knew he wasn’t ready for meeting the family,
and once she knew he was staying at my place more often, there’d be no stopping her from stopping in
to say hi. That didn’t exactly work when Corey liked my place because it was where he could be
little. “But yes, I do love her. She was the reason I came back after leaving the military. She’s a kick-
ass single mom, and I was trying to make up for lost time. After he started college and insisted on
moving into the dorms, I hung around, telling myself she needed me. She’s been making it clear for a
while that it’s time for me to live my own life.”
