Cameron’s pout pissed him off, because Ghost was sure she’d gotten her way many times with that look. She must have realized it had no effect on him, though, because she snapped out of it like someone had flipped a switch on her face. Rolling her eyes, she scoffed, “Whatever,” like she was fucking fifteen, not… Well, Ghost actually had no idea how old she was. He couldn’t even hazard a guess with how she dressed and her makeup and her ditzy demeanor.
Turning her nose up at him, she walked off in her sky-high stilettos. Becks loved her heels, and they were fucking hot when she wore them. But Cameron looked silly because she had no idea how to walk in them, like she’d break her ankle with her next step.
Shaking his head and feeling like he’d dodged a bullet, Ghost headed inside. Sometimes being chivalrous just was not worthit. He was a married man, and he wanted no one in his personal space except his wife.
Yes, he was very aware that made him whipped, and no, he did not care. Becks owned him, heart, body, and soul, and he was proud of that fact. When he took her in to get her property tattoo, he planned on having Angel add Becks’ name to his back.
The bar was busier than Ghost expected with it still being early. A city bar might be packed by five-thirty, but this was a small-town bar with predictable routines. Grumpy sat at the bar with deputies Danny Weiss and Scott Pan. A local couple Ghost recognized but had no idea what their names were sat cattycorner to them, though the two parties were not together. Monica was walking into the kitchen, looking at something on her notepad, while Gracie was serving beer to a group of local bankers by the pool tables. To Ghost’s surprise, Frankie was behind the bar pouring drinks.
He walked up to Pumpkin’s nanny on the opposite side of the front bar from her. “What’re you doing?”
Frankie was mid-twenties, a college friend of Sissy’s who’d needed a place to stay some years ago. She’d originally been hired as the club’s nanny, but after Pumpkin’s accident, she’d demanded to take care of SJ while Pumpkin was recovering. For a little bit following his return and getting together with Dosia, Frankie had returned to working with the other club kids. But then Dosia announced her pregnancy with RJ, and now she was pregnantagain. Frankie had since moved into their house to help, and Pumpkin was having Cage look into adding on an addition to the single-story home so Frankie didn’t have to sleep on a cot in the kids’ room or the couch anymore.
He wasn’t mad about Frankie being behind the bar. He trusted her, even though she wasn’t an employee of the bar, but it begged the question where Specs was.
Frankie smiled up at him. “Just helping out. Specs went upstairs to grab something, and I said I’d?—”
BOOOOM!!!
Ghost’s entire world was filled with heat and fire as his body was flung backwards through the air. He didn’t remember landing, nor did he recall the ceiling collapsing down on top of him. All he knew was pain and darkness.
Becks had reachedher tipping point with Liam. He might be the older sibling, but right now, he was the one acting childish. She washappy. Why couldn’t he accept that?
Ghost did not beat her, berate her, or make her feel anything less than perfect. In fact, it was a bit heady how flawless he made her feel. Her ego certainly could get used to it. And maybe it was cheesy to claim their relationship was love at first sight, but Becks truly believed to the bottom of her heart that that’s what happened between the two of them. Hell, not even her engagement to another man could keep them apart. It had been four weeks, and not only did shenotregret her impulsive decision, but she was the happiest she could ever remember being.
Nothing could get her down, especially not this night. Ghost had said he’d pick up some pregnancy tests at the pharmacy before heading into work tonight. She was only four days late, but the fact that she was lateat allwas something. And maybe the test would be inconclusive or negative tonight, since it was recommended she wait until five weeks from her last period, but the anticipation was killing her. She’d take a test nowandanother at five weeks if that’s what it took. If her period did start, then they’d just try again.
One thing she knew, though, was that she wanted things to be fixed with her brother before she learned whether she was pregnant. The only person who knew that Becks and Ghost were even trying to get pregnant was Libby, because Becks hadn’t been able to keep that from her best friend. Libby suggested Becks confront Liam rather than waiting for her brother to come to his senses, and as much as Becks hated conflict, she knew that Libby was right.
Liam was staying with Cameron, and after a little online snooping, Becks figured out where Cameron lived in town. It was an apartment complex Becks had passed numerous times when going into town, yet had never known that was where her brother was currently living. Why were men so stupidly stubborn?
Becks had barely driven her car since getting to Mount Grove. She could argue that she’d been busy setting up the house that Ghost gave her free rein to redecorate and reorganize to her heart’s content, or busy getting her video side of her podcast up and running, or busy getting to know the other ol’ ladies, the club members, and the club kids—or she could just admit to herself that shelikedbeing a homebody. After traveling for so much of her adult life and the fact that she’d never not lived in her childhood home, Becks liked having a house that washers.
Curious to see how far Ghost could actually let her go, Becks and two ol’ ladies, Sophia and Jasmine, had decorated the master bedroom in glittering, neon pink with Chinese lucky cats everywhere. Turned out, Ghost might allow her to decorate the house however she wanted, but he was not shy about telling her whether he liked it or not. Which he hadnot. Thankfully, neither had she.
After parking at the apartment complex, Becks headed up the stairs where she found the entry door wide open. She definitelywas not used to living in a small town yet, but at least she didn’t have to beg entry so she could talk to her brother.
Becks knocked, praying to any deity that could hear her that it wasn’t Cameron who opened the door. She still hadn’t gotten over Cameron’s crude comment about getting fucked by her brother. If she saw the woman and Liam together, she might just throw up.
The gods were with her, because it was Liam who opened the door. His shock was evident as he looked around her before giving her a once over like he was checking her for injuries. “Becks?” he pulled her inside. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Becks took a look around the small apartment. It wasn’t messy, per se, but it also wasn’t particularly neat either. There was a dish or two in the skin, an unfolded blanket on the couch, shoes scattered in various corners, and an open laptop on an end table. The kitchen was to her immediate right with the living room directly in front of them, and then a small hallway that she assumed led to the bathroom and bedroom.
“Are you alone?” she asked Liam, not seeing Cameron.
“Yeah. Cami’s running late at work. What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
Becks ignored the nickname. Reaching for her brother’s upper arm, she gave him a sharp pinch with her fingers.
“Ow!” he yelped, pulling away. “What the hell was that for?”
“Why are you being such an ass-butt?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “It’s been four weeks, Liam!Four!Why aren’t you over what happened? It’s not like you were the one left at the altar. So why are you so pissed at me?”
“I’m not!” he immediately argued back. “Fuck, B, you’re my baby sister. I could never be mad at you.”
That somewhat gave her a warm feeling inside, but she refused to let that distract her. “But you’re mad at Ghost when he’s your best friend?”
Liam’s expression turned annoyed. “That’s different.”
