“Babe,” I say as I think of something to get me out of it. “I have to stop by the bank.”
“Were you gonna take the earnings from last week? I can run out after this if you want.”
I’m thrilled to see that she’s already stepping up to take more care of the business. After all, we’re married now, and the shop is ours.
“You’re the best, babe. Thanks for taking things off my plate.”
She gives me a kiss. “You’re welcome.”
I’m gonna text Marissa that I’ll be coming over tomorrow. I want to enjoy this feeling for at least one more day.
*
“I don’t know why you have to explain yourself to her at all,” Rebel says as I park in front of the house.
I’m happy she’s jealous of Marissa, but I still try to reassure her. “It’s not about explaining myself, it’s about informing her that you’re Junior’s step-mom now, that’s like, basically his third parent.”
Rebel looks away, and I can tell that she’s hurting. I put her hair behind her ear and turn her face to me. “Bell, I know it’s still hard sometimes. But we’re a family now, you and I and DJ, and we’ll soon have more babies of our own. We have to look ahead, okay?”
“Okay,” she says quietly, and I exit the car.
I can do this, I tell myself as I walk to the house.
Marissa will probably lash out again. But there’s also a tiny chance that she’ll finally get it into her thick skull that this isn’t some cheap fling. Rebel’s here to stay, and we all need to figure out a way to communicate better, for DJ’s sake.
She lets me in, and as she’s fixing herself some lunch, I carefully say, “Listen, Riss, there’s something I need to tell you.”
She looks up from the deli meat. Her skin looks dull, as does her expression.
“Rebel and I went to Vegas this weekend, for her birthday.” I want to make it clear that this wasn’t premeditated or intentionally hidden from her. “And we… got married. Spur of the moment. It was funny, actually… Well, never mind, I just thought you should know.”
I anxiously look at her, and she is watching me impassively.
“Good for you,” she says, very slowly, and goes back to assembling her sandwich. “While we’re sharing about big life events and plans, you should know that DJ and I will be moving out of the house soon.”
I frown. “What? Why?”
“It’s time. I’ve been thinking about a fresh start for a while now.”
“You don’t have to... I mean, it’s your house.”
“No, it’s your house,” she tells me pointedly. “Besides, you and your wife are probably tired of living in the clubhouse and would like to have your own home, now that you’re newlyweds.”
The truth is, Rebel loves the clubhouse and never mentioned moving. But Marissa is right. We need our own space. We’re adults, for heaven’s sake.
Besides, things have been tense with the Wolves lately. After everything that happened, Truck’s ol’ lady refuses to set foot in the clubhouse again, and he’s been mentally checked out since we gave Preacher the money.
And Prez can’t even say anything. Truck is still doing the things that are his duty as VP, but he’s stopped picking up Sly’s and everyone else’s slack, so things have been falling through the cracks, especially on the business side.
“I don’t know what to tell you. Where are you moving?”
“I have a few options I’m considering. I wanted to give you a heads up so you can plan.”
“Okay. I don’t like it, but okay.”
I go kiss my napping son and walk back to the car in slow motion. I’ve always envisioned Junior growing up in this house, but maybe this is for the best.
“How did it go?” My wife asks.
