“Strawberries and maple syrup and butter. I’m a girl with simple needs.”
He chuckled and I could see he genuinely found it funny with the way his eyes crinkled at the sides. He was so gorgeous when he smiled. It filled me with a little pride that I’d been the one to do that to him.
“Now, what did you want to show me?”
He moved around the bench and over to a door I didn’t even realise was there, just off from the livingarea. He opened it and turned the lights on. It was a makeshift gym in what was once a garage.
“I figured if you ever need to work out some excess energy or you’re bored, you can come in here and work it off.”
I had missed working out, and the way Rebel was feeding me, I was going to need some way to work off all the sugar and carbs.
“You mean so I don’t turn into a major bitch again?” I joked, turning around in the room to then look up at him.
“You had every right to, I should have known something was up before I said anything.”
“Kendrick, you can make it up to me with pancakes.”
“You got it, princess.”
He left me in the gym and I moved around the room, taking in all the equipment. I wondered if he would ever work out with me. If I would see him on the bench press and watch as his muscles bunched under the weight.
Jesus, girl, you need to stop.
He clearly hasn’t got a problem hooking up with women and why would he? He’s fucking gorgeous, especially when he smiled. Was I jealous? A little, but there was no way in hell he would be interested in me. I knew that. I knew it was crazy to assumehe would ever break that protector barrier and make me scream all night.
But a girl could dream, right?
FOUR
Rebel
Shona had already dropped all the things I asked to make Darby’s birthday one to remember, even being locked away for it. I hated that she was stuck here on her birthday. I already knew she was growing on me, I’d been serious when I asked her if we could be friends. She wasn’t a spoiled princess even if I still called her that, she was someone who I could quite easily see myself being friends with after all this is over. She was sweet, funny and honestly, spending so much time with her, even with limited words, it was refreshing to be around her. A calm to my insane life.
It was going to be limited, I knew it. Especially when she found out I wasn’t telling her the truth about her family.
Fuck…maybe we wouldn’t be friends.
That sent a cold shiver down my spine and made me want to keep her locked away in this bubble with me forever.
Shona had wanted to stay and yet I’d made some flimsy excuse for her not to. I don’t know why but I didn’t want anyone else to be here with us, especially when it came to Darby’s happiness. Her whole life was going to be upended when it all came out what had happened to her family. I wanted to give her something to smile about while I could.
Was it weird? Yeah and even Shona didn’t understand but when Savage pulled her away, I noticed he did. Should I have understood my own actions? Probably, but I’d rather not look into it too thoroughly. I set up the table with her gifts from Shona and the club and the thing I asked Savage to get me. I had the cocktail bottles over on the far wall and even her pre-mixed drinks she asked for in the fridge.
For some reason, I was nervous, as I looked over at the table full of balloons and party confetti which Shona insisted on. My gift was at the back of the table, away from the others, and decidedly not in the colour theme Shona had picked out. I don’t knowwhat it was about it but the pastel purple and pinks didn’t really suit her. I knew she wore a lot of darker pinks and her Chuck Taylors were even a dusky pink rather than pastel. Sure, she liked pink but what I saw on the table is probably what she liked when she was five.
Fuck, why was I even judging this? It was last minute, and even Shona had forgotten her own sister’s birthday. At least she had dropped everything to run around and get the things I needed. I had the cake I started making earlier this morning in the fridge. I knew she liked my cooking so I could only imagine she liked my baking too. I didn’t want a store bought one, I wanted one that she would like, and one I could give to her that I made myself.
I shook my head. I really was losing it here. I’d never cared about this shit before. I never cooked for anyone else, and I certainly never told people my real name. The princess was growing on me and I needed desperately to put some space between us.
After her birthday…
I looked at the time and saw it was time to start the pancakes. She usually rose when I started cooking but lately I knew she would wake up no later than eight in the morning. It was almost that time so I set about pouring in the batter I’d prepared earlier, a buttermilk concoction with maple syrup infused.As the cakes were cooking in the pan, I sliced up strawberries and pulled the whipped cream can from the fridge along with the strawberry sauce and blueberries. Variety was the spice of life as my grandma would say.
She was constantly on my mind lately, and as much as I didn’t mind, I found myself wondering if she would approve of my lifestyle now. If she would like that I was looking out for Darby.
No, she’d be horrified that I was lying to her about her family. I couldn’t believe they still wanted me to hide the fact they were mostly dead. If she ever found out, she’d be so upset and pissed and it most likely would be aimed at me. That didn’t sit right in my chest. But it wasn’t my call. It was the Prez’s and I would follow his ruling to the day I died.
I flipped the pancakes and prepared a plate to rest them on. I was just finishing up the last of the pancakes when I heard her gasp from the doorway. Turning around, she was looking at the table, her eyes wide and a huge grin on her face. I had a strange sensation running through my body at seeing her happy.
