Needing to change the subject slightly, I blurt out. "Dime told me he wants me to stay here with him forever."
"Al! What are you going to do?"
I pause the show, needing to give this conversation my full attention. Whiskers protests with a small meow, but settles back down when I keep stroking her.
"I want to stay," I admit. "God, Dani, I really want to stay. Being here with him feels more like home than anywhere I've ever lived. But I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of what happens when everyone finds out the truth. When the club finds out that Dime's been lying to them this whole time." I set my hand on top of Whiskers, stilling my movements. "What if they turn on him? What if they turn on me because I knew? What if they turn on you?"
Dani shifts on the couch, turning to face me fully. "Do you think Devil hasn't thought about that? Do you think Dime hasn't? They've been living with this every single day, knowing that at some point the truth is going to come out."
"That doesn't make it easier."
"No, it doesn't." She reaches over and takes my hand. "But here's what I know. I know that Devil is a good man who's trying to do the right thing. I know that he loves me enough to risk everything, including his cover, to keep me safe. And I know that when this all comes out, whatever happens, I'm going to stand by him."
Tears prick at my eyes. "Even if the club hates you for it?"
"Even then." Her voice is firm. "Because at the end of the day, I have to be able to live with myself. And I can't live with myself if I abandon the man I love just because things get hard. Even if it means turning my back on family, and please know you're the only one I've admitted this to."
I swallow roughly. "What if Dime gets hurt? What if someone from the club finds out and they?—"
"Stop." Dani squeezes my hand. "You can't live your life in what-ifs, Al. Trust me, I've tried. All it does is make you crazy and keep you from being happy in the now."
"But how do you just turn that off? How do you stop worrying about what's coming?"
She's quiet for a moment, and when she speaks again, her voice is softer. "You don't. You worry, you stress, you lose sleep over it. But you also choose to be present in the moments you have. Because those moments? They're what we're lying for. They're happening right now. And if you spend all your time worrying about the future, you're going to miss the beautiful things happening in front of you."
I think about Dime holding me in the shower, telling me he's in love with me. I think about him bringing Whiskers into his lap and making her purr, how he makes me purr. I think about all the small moments over the last few days where he's made me feel safe and loved and like I matter.
"You're right," I whisper. "You're absolutely right."
"I know." She grins at me. "It's annoying, isn't it?"
I laugh, and it feels good. "So fucking annoying."
"So what are you going to do? About Dime asking you to stay?"
I take a deep breath, and as I let it out, I feel something settle in my chest. A decision being made, a line being crossed. "I'm going to stay. For as long as he'll have me."
"Good." Dani's smile is wide, a mischievous glitter in her eyes. "Because I was going to be pissed if you said anything else. You two are perfect together."
"We barely know each other in the grand scheme of things."
"You know the important stuff. You know how he makes you feel. You know that you trust him with your life. Everything else is just details."
Before I can respond, I hear the rumble of motorcycles outside. Both of us go still, listening as the engines cut off.
"They're back," Dani says, releasing my hand.
"That was fast."
"Whatever they were doing, they must have gotten it done."
The front door opens, and I hear Dime's voice, low and familiar, followed by Devil's deeper rumble. They're talking about something, but I can't make out the words. Then they're walking into the living room, and Dime's eyes find mine immediately.
"Hey, baby," he says, coming over to the couch. "Everything good here?"
