Shotgun could feel Allegra’s eyes glaring, but he rode past it, which must have confused her. Finally, he parked up where the houses were and swung off the bike. Allegra climbed out, frowning, and hovered by the driver’s door.
“Shotgun, am I on Hellfire land?”
“Yeah. Needed you here, so sorry about the…” Shotgun broke off and pulled a face.
“Deceit?” Allegra shot back, and he shrugged. “What’s stopping me from calling you a raging, motherfucking asshole and leaving?”
“This,” Shotgun said. He swept an arm towards the construction behind him.
“Huh?” Allegra replied, looking confused.
“Grab a twin,” Shotgun ordered and headed for the passenger side. He unlocked Wade from the car seat and picked him up. “Keep hold of them because there are a lot of tools about.”
“Okay,” Allegra agreed, but Shotgun could see her wariness.
“This is my home, our home,” he stated and led Allegra up a couple of wide stairs. There was a wraparound porch, then the house’s timber frames.
“It’s not finished,” Allegra teased.
“Use your imagination. This is the entryway, and here is a play area for the kids.” Shotgun moved into a space that had stud walls up. Continuing into a large area, Shotgun announced, “This is the lounge with an opening into the kitchen.”
“Not open-plan?” Allegra asked.
Shotgun winked and walked into the kitchen area.
“The entire back wall of the house will have bi-fold doors. You often spoke about having bi-fold doors in the lounge, dining room, and kitchen. It was something you really wanted. Iincorporated it into the design. Above us is the master bedroom with a balcony. The base of which creates a cover for the open-air kitchen you dreamed of.”
Shotgun shifted over to another section. “This is Rain’s office, and mine’s next to it. There are closets and two half-baths thrown down here, too. Plus, a utility room, a large pantry, and a mudroom, as you spoke about having dogs.”
Allegra kept following as Shotgun walked around, and he wasn’t sure what to make of the expression on her face. Once, he was able to read her every expression. But not anymore. Shotgun hoped Allegra understood what he was attempting to say. He moved again, pointing out the five additional bedrooms and the adjoining bathrooms.
“This is… very nice,” Allegra finally said.
“There’s a third floor. That has three rooms. One is a darkroom.” Allegra’s head snapped up as he said it. “The other is an office slash gallery, the third is an enchanted library you mentioned you wanted. You’ve seen them on BookFace and fell in love with them. I had someone design you one.”
Allegra was silent, and Shotgun walked towards her.
“You’re scared of me; I understand. Hurt you badly, even though you don’t remember it, but you recognise that deep down. I fucked up, massively screwed up, and you took yourself away from us for two years. But I never gave up hope. When I explained my sexuality to Chance, he offered this. Everyone wanted it, Chance denied them. Claimed he knew he had to keep this plot.”
“Why?” Allegra whispered.
“Because Chance said it was meant for the heart of the MC, which is what he called me. I say that’s bullshit, but Chance insisted I have the best plot for my family. When I accepted, I’d no idea if I’d ever see you again. But I had hope, and I worked to design the house you and Rain wanted.”
Shotgun moved towards the back area and beckoned Allegra over. “We’re right on the lake. I’ve asked Apache to build a wooden path down to a dock for the kids to jump off. This part of the lake literally drops steeply to about eighteen feet. It’s deep. I can imagine the kids running down it and dive-bombing in.”
Allegra remained silent, and Shotgun waited. This was in her hands now. He could only wait. Shotgun had opened his heart and had given Allegra a very sharp dagger to stab into it. If Allegra refused, Shotgun would be devastated.
Allegra
Well, it wasn’t an everyday occurrence to be confronted with someone building a house for you. I gazed around, noting the little things Shotgun had pointed out to make it homely. And he’d done it without knowing if I’d ever come back. What was the answer to that? This was an immeasurable gift, and I recognised that. Fuck.
“I’m unsure if I want a triad again. Shotgun, how can I have a relationship when I’ve no idea who I am? Hell, you built me a studio, and I don’t even know if I can take pictures anymore.”
A sob hitched in my throat, and I looked away. I wouldn’t show weakness. A warm hand clasped my shoulder, and I was pulled into Shotgun’s chest, twins and all.
“You can. If that’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that, babe. That type of gift doesn’t fade. No trauma can delete that. The moment you pick up a camera, you’ll know what you’re doing. Got no doubt of that.”
“How can you be sure?” I whispered.
