“It’s beautiful,” Lark whispered, shuffling around the room.
Dylan grinned at me. “I built the cribs, to ensure they were solid and safe.”
“Well done, man,” Aaron said, shaking his hand.
Lark exhaled uneasily. “Won’t be much longer.”
Sensing her fear, I hugged Lark. She leaned into the embrace and I realized she was shaking.
“You should sit down.”
Lark nodded then smiled at Dylan. “This is perfect.”
“It’s the least I could do as their uncle.”
Lark’s grin widened. “It’s so real.”
Again she sounded scared. Aaron took her hand and led her to the couch.
“I’m so sick of sitting on this fucking thing,” she sighed, finding a comfortable spot. “After they’re born, let’s burn the couch.”
“Or donate it,” Aaron said, bringing her a glass of water.
“Don’t ruin my destructive groove with your good sense.”
Aaron kissed her softly as Lark clung to him. Leaving them to share quiet time, Dylan and I climbed into his SUV.
“Those cribs are beautiful,” I said to distract from our worry over Lark.
“Thanks.” Dylan leaned over to kiss me quickly then smiled. “I want to show you the houses I’m working on.”
Grinning, I loved how Dylan took something ruined and rebuilt it. I wasn’t blind to the similarities to our relationship.
Tall, narrow, and grand, the first house was a Victorian. Once loved by a family, it ended up a college rental. Dylan took it from rundown and abused to grand again.
“Could you see yourself living here?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“No,” I said softly.
“Good. Me either, but I’d have moved in tomorrow if you said yes.”
Squirming around to face him, I sighed. “You’re so whipped.”
“I know, but only when it comes to you.”
“It’s only fair since you own my heart and could destroy me if you wanted.”
“Could, but never will,” he said, taking my hand. “Let’s go look at the midcentury house.”
“What if I don’t like that one either?”
Dylan opened the car door and shrugged. “Plenty of houses in Ellsberg that need love. We’ll find one and make it ours.”
Those others houses weren’t necessary. I loved the second house. The ranch style reminded me of my parents place, but Dylan had modernized it. With three bedrooms, it wasn’t too big. The kitchen was perfect for my fancy meatloaf dinners.
“I don’t want to be away from you,” he said as we stood in front of the picture window and looked out at the approaching evening. “I need you to be with me every night and smiling at me every morning.”
“What if you live with me and realize I suck?”
Dylan rolled his eyes. “This house won’t be finished until after the New Year. Until then, I’d like you to stay at my apartment. If it’s okay with your parents, we can stay at their house some nights too. Get you used to be away from them slowly, so you’ll be ready when the house is done.”
“We can’t have sex at my parents’ place,” I said, giving him a grin.
“You are so sex obsessed,” he said, sighing dramatically. “I blame myself for being that good.”
“Do you really want to do this? You don’t have to rush.”
“What’s the point of waiting, Winnie? People wait when they’re unsure. I’m not. I know what I want. Do you want to wait?”
I shook my head then looked around the room. “I can imagine us here. I can see my family visiting and the crew. This is a house meant to be filled with happiness. Maybe we can even get a dog one day.”
“I wonder what kind?” he teased, wrapping me in his arms.
My fingers teased his jacket where I knew the bulldog hid underneath. The sad pup needed a real home filled with warmth and stability, just like Dylan. Looking around, we’d found that home.
Chapter Thirty Two ~ Dylan
Early in the afternoon on an otherwise normal day, Cooper called and told me to meet him at Whiskey Kirk’s. I left Nick in charge at the worksite then drove my Harley out the bar where Cooper and Tucker sat on their bikes.
Cooper roared forward then stopped next to me.
“I know you’ll fight for the club because you stood up for Nick. I know you’ll die for the club because you took a bullet for Winnie and Harlow. You have balls, but so does Nick and he’ll never be part of the club. What he lacks is ice in the veins. If you want to be a Reaper, you need to look at evil without blinking. You think you can handle that, Dylan?”
“Yeah, man, what’s going on?”
Cooper looked back at his brother who was ready to ride.