I’m still weighing the pros and cons. A breakup would come at a high cost.”
It’d be a high cost to me, emotionally—and it might cause friction within the clubs, which only doubled the pressure.
“So what would happen if it went well?” Dad asked. “What would that look like?”
And… honestly, I hadn’t considered it.
I’d been so wrapped up in what would happen if things went wrong that I hadn’t even considered what it might look like for things to go right. What if he did want it? What if he really was looking for a man like me to give him stability and guidance? To be his foundation? To be his provider and protector, but always his equal.
In Hell’s Ankhor, he’d clearly learned to hold his own. Blade and his enforcers were protective of Heath, and I understood why. But Heath had a solid courage that straightened him up at the most important moments. If he did want to be with me, it wouldn’t cause friction between our clubs, and I knew I wouldn’t be the one to convince Blade. Heath would be.
And that kind of boldness and inter-club relationship wouldn’t be bad for the Liberty Crew, either.
Dad grinned at me like he could read my damn mind. I steeled my face into a neutral expression again, and that just made Dad bark out a laugh. “Bring him for dinner. Just me and you and the Kid. Let your dear old dad scare him a little bit.”
I stuck my finger in his face. “You better not. I’ve put a lot of work in making him not scared.”
Dad laughed again. “You know I’m just kidding. Seriously, I just want to get to know this guy who’s got my son all wrapped up in knots.”
And he really did, didn’t he? I hadn’t felt this way about someone… maybe ever. I couldn’t remember ever feeling this way about Eddy.
It was different. And that scared me. Getting what I craved meant potentially losing it. But maybe Dad was right—and Tru, too. Maybe it was time for me to truly trust my heart and take a risk. I’d already taken the first, hardest step, and now I had to commit to the fall.
If anyone was worth it, it was Heath.
20
Heath
“You really think this is a good idea?” I asked as Jonah drew the eyeliner pencil along my lower waterline. I was sitting on the edge of the bed while Jonah leaned over me, working carefully, as Logan picked through my closet thoughtfully.
“Yeah,” Jonah said. “Obviously. It’s a date. And you have pretty eyes, this’ll just bring them out a little more.”
“Trust him,” Logan said over his shoulder. “He knows what he’s doing.”
Jonah leaned back and checked his work. I wasn’t wearing much makeup—just the eyeliner, a little bit of tinted lip balm, and some concealer that covered the worst of my healing shiner, still more makeup than I’d ever worn before—but Jonah nodded seriously like he’d just given me a full makeover. “Looks good. What do you think, Logan?”
Logan glanced over his shoulder and wolf-whistled. “You look hot. Dante’s gonna fall all over himself. More than he already does whenever he’s within ten feet of you, I mean.”
I blushed. “You really think this counts as a date?”
“What else would it be?” Jonah asked. “He asked you to dinner. To meet his dad. That’s pretty clearly a dating thing to me. Trust me, I’ve been there. At least he told you you’re meeting his dad before you show up on his doorstep.”
Anxiety bubbled in my chest. This was serious, wasn’t it?
“Don’t freak out,” Logan said, his green eyes flashing like he could see the nervousness rising. “They both live in the clubhouse, there’s no avoiding it. It’s not that serious.”
“It’s a little serious,” Jonah said.
Logan threw a t-shirt at Jonah. He squawked as it smacked him in the face.
Then Logan pulled a simple white oxford from my closet. “Wear this,” he said.
“That?” I cringed. “It’s way too big.” It was just a hand-me-down from one of my roommates before I moved into the Hell’s Ankhor clubhouse, back when I was really broke and wouldn’t say no to any free thing offered to me.
“That’s the idea.” Logan tossed it to me, and I sighed, obliging him by pulling it on.
It was definitely too big: the sleeves hung past my knuckles, and the hem landed at the top of my thighs. I went to button it fully, and Logan hurried forward and knocked my hands away from the buttons.