He hadn’t said anything yet, which should have made me relax, but somehow it only ratcheted up my tension. Kane Beckett didn’t act hastily or without reason. If he was holding back, it was because he’d already figured out more than I’d intended him to. I knew eventually I’d have to face that conversation, but I was willing to let it remain unspoken for as long as possible.
Right now, the only thing that mattered was Aubrey. She was already too deeply entrenched in my life, home, and heart. There was no going back.
All the while, Tripp continued to fulfill his prospect duties with the same laid-back charm and easygoing attitude he always displayed. He remained present at the clubhouse, and despite my outward pretense of normalcy, I felt the frustration and resentment simmering beneath the carefully constructed mask I wore.
Tripp was far more observant than most prospects, and he’d clearly picked up on the subtle changes in my routine and attitude. He didn’t hesitate to tease me about it, tossing out knowing remarks with the casual confidence of someone who was convinced he had me figured out.
It took everything in me not to let my anger slip through and show him exactly how deeply his betrayal had cut me. Because even as furious as I was, things were becoming increasingly complicated every day. Many of Aubrey’s anecdotes painted her brother as a bureau problem child who constantly clashed with supervisors over choosing morality instead of procedure and integrity over protocol. There had been quiet pride in her voice when she explained how often he found himself in trouble for doing the morally right thing, even if it wasn’t procedurally correct.
She didn’t know much about his current assignment; the bureau kept details from family. But what little she knew was significant. She had told me that Tripp hadn’t wanted the undercover gig, that he’d argued strongly against taking it. In the end, the higher-ups had given him an ultimatum—take the assignment or find another job.
That revelation made me reconsider all the seemingly insignificant things that had always thrown off any suspicions I might have had about him. It made sense now why he’d subtly steered the club clear of potential trouble more than once, and why he’d never pressed too hard when a question was answered vaguely. He’d carried out every single duty asked of him as a prospect, and many of those tasks had skirted, if not outright crossed, the lines of legality. He’d done his job perfectly, playing both sides of his world with precision and internal conflict that I now understood had been genuine.
Of course, none of that excused what he’d done or the lies he had told. My anger wasn’t going away any time soon. But at least I understood now that Tripp hadn’t been some calculating snake pretending to be a friend for the sake of the job. The conflict I’d seen in him hadn’t been manufactured. And that made everything infinitely messier instead of clearer.
I had spent my life navigating the shadows, knowing that morality wasn’t black and white. The Redline Kings operated firmly in the gray, and the situation with Tripp had become just as murky.
By the time I returned home one evening, my mind was heavy with those complicated thoughts, exhaustion tugging at my edges. But stepping inside my house, the tension eased almost immediately. Aubrey stood barefoot in my kitchen, wearing one of my oversized T-shirts, which fell loosely around her thighs, offering an inviting glimpse of her legs. Her dark hair spilled around her shoulders as she moved about the kitchen, her smile easy as she told me about her day.
Everything shifted again, and my world narrowed down to the woman standing so comfortably in my space. Aubrey’s presence had filled every corner of our house, turning it into something more meaningful. Irrevocably hers as much as mine.
I watched her quietly, the sound of her voice washing over me as she spoke, laughter dancing in her eyes as she relayed some story about the kids she cared for. I caught myself imagining this exact scene happening day after day. Aubrey barefoot in my kitchen, telling me about her day, filling my space with her warmth, and the quiet intimacy we’d somehow managed to build so quickly. Only the funny stories would be about our kids.
The truth still hung over us like a storm cloud. Eventually, Tripp would discover the extent of our relationship, and Aubrey would learn the real reason I had sought her out in the first place. I couldn’t pretend that everything would remain easy. But I knew without a doubt that Aubrey was mine now. I wasn’t about to give her up, no matter the cost.
11
AUBREY
Islung my tote bag over my shoulder as I walked out of the lecture hall. Class had run a little long today, and I was already tired from nannying all afternoon before class. It’d been a long day.
“Aubrey, wait up!”
Mia, one of my classmates, jogged to catch up with me. She fell into step beside me, grinning. “You’ve been smiling all through lecture again. That’s the third time this week. It’s gotta be a guy.”
I felt my cheeks warm but couldn’t help laughing softly. “Yeah, there might be a guy.”
“Might be?” Mia bumped my shoulder playfully. “Girl, the way you daydream about him? I’m jealous. Most of us are stressing about finals, and you’re over here looking all in love.”
I adjusted my bag, unsure of how much I wanted to share. Mia was nice, but we didn’t know each other that well, and what I was building with Canyon felt too special to talk about with just anyone. “Hey, I’m worried about finals too.”
“Sure you are,” she murmured, splitting off from me with a wave to head toward her car.
I waved back, still smiling as I climbed into mine.
When I pushed open the door to my apartment, it was later than usual. My arms were full with my overstuffed backpack, purse, a couple of extra textbooks, and a drink I’d bought right before class and forgotten about. I kicked the door shut behind me and let out a tired sigh.
But after only a few steps into the living room, my steps slowed. Maybe it was because I was exhausted, but the apartment felt off. I set my things down on the small kitchen table and glanced around, trying to figure out why the space suddenly felt so empty.
My favorite soft blanket wasn’t draped over the back of the sofa anymore. My laptop charger wasn’t tangled beside the couch where I usually left it. Even the small stack of books I kept telling myself I’d finish soon had disappeared from the side table.
I walked into the kitchen and noticed my favorite coffee mug wasn’t in the sink or on the counter, as it usually was. Frowning, I headed to my bedroom and opened the closet. At least half of my favorite clothes were missing, the comfortable ones I reached for after a long day. I stepped into the bathroom next. My everyday makeup bag wasn’t on the counter.
Each missing item carried a little memory of him. The way he’d smiled and told me to just leave my toothbrush because I spent more nights at his place anyway. How he’d casually picked up my laptop charger and extra clothes, loading them into his SUV like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The more I looked, the more I realized so much of my daily life wasn’t here anymore.
Piece by piece, without me fully noticing, Canyon had been pulling me into his world. The things I actually used every single day were at his beach house now.
