My gaze lowers to my watch, and it’s later than I realized. Blue had a meeting at the center today, then dinner with Scar, but I’m guessing she’s home by now.
“That’s it for me. I’m taking off.”
Ricky nods. “Don’t forget to text when you find a good day to go take care of business.”
“Will do.”
“And in the meantime, maybe put some of those millions to good use,” he grins as I stand from my seat. “I know things are tense with you and Blue right now, so maybe make it a point to remind her why she fell in love with your arrogant ass.”
I laugh as I pull the door open, giving his suggestion some thought, remembering my promise to Blue that I’d put in the work to be better.
“You might be on to something.”
“Of course, I am,” Ricky nods. “And remember… go big or go home, Rich Boy. No fucking shortcuts.”
I nod at him and my brothers, then head out as his words begin forming into a plan. I’ve been thinking of ways I can keep my promise to Blue, how I can show her I’m trying.
And according to Ricky, a grand gesture might just do the trick.
Chapter Five
West
Go big or go home.
That was Ricky’s advice, so here I am. Going pretty fucking big, if I do say so myself.
Ideally, my wife wouldn’t have a separate ride for a date, but this particular date has too many moving pieces to leave the setup to chance. So, I locked in and got it done myself. As I glance around, wondering if she’ll pick up on all the details linked to our past, there’s a smile on my face.
Not bad, Golden. Not bad at all.
I check the time on my phone, and the second it’s in my hand a text from Joss lets me know everything’s right on schedule. She and Blue have been out shopping, and Blue believes they’re on their way to dinner. I lied and pretended it was on me to lead a team workout this evening. There was no such workout, and she and Joss have no such dinner plans. Instead, she’s on her way here to, hopefully, see how much our marriage still means to me.
The sound of two car doors slamming shut has me breathing deep, knowing it’s time to get this show on the road.
Joss: Ok, she’s blindfolded like you asked, but she didn’t go down without a fight.
I smile at the text, imagining Joss and Blue going at it as Joss convinced her to go along with the plan.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I rush toward the back door, swinging it open as Joss escorts Blue toward the building, my girl stumbling over the uneven pavement like a toddler. Holding back a laugh, I mouth the wordsthank youto Joss, and she flashes a smile with the wordsgood luck.
“Are you seriously letting go of me right now?” Blue hisses in Joss’s direction as Joss’s hands slip off her shoulders.
I take over, leading the shit-talker inside. She shuts up right away, and I know she recognizes the hand now linked to hers as mine.
“West? What’s happening? Can I take the blindfold off?”
“Yes, it’s me. You’ll know in a sec. And, no, you can’t take the blindfold off.”
My heart’s racing as I lead her between shelves in the stockroom, making our way toward the kitchen as she sniffs the air.
“Is that cinnamon? Why do I smell cinnamon?” She sniffs again.
“A better question would be: why the hell do you ask so many questions?”
She punches my arm lightly with the hand not connected to mine, and I laugh as I push through the double doors for us to step through. I take another look around, hoping this plan lands as I turn to face her, gripping the edge of the blindfold.
Finally rid of the scarf Joss tied around her head, Blue squints, rubbing her eyes a bit.
