That just means I’m a man who knows what the fuck he wants and my woman is the hottest fucking thing on Earth.
We pick out a fridge and a whole pile of shit for her house.
I tell her about Sunday family dinners and she stares up at me like a deer caught in headlights. It’s cute but it’s also non-negotiable, Keely is a force of nature and Hawk made it clear that he’s expecting us to go along with anything she wants.
She wants to meet Angel properly and she wants grandbabies.
I’m only bringing one of those things up with my girl today because I’m not a dumbass and I know Angel has a list of shit she wants to get done before I tie her down like that but fuck if it isn’t tempting.
I buy anything Angel so much as looks at, every little appliance and piece of cutlery, and when she gets flustered at me I swat her on the ass and ignore her fumbling words.
When we get back to her place Angel is distracted as she puts away her new shit. I give her some space to work her own shit out while I get her fridge installed and the other kitchen appliances plugged in.
She’s still not right when I go for a shower.
I try not to let it eat at me but when I walk back out she’s stripped down to my shirt again and something eases off in my chest a little. She’s all over the place tonight, none of the calm she had this morning and it sets my teeth on edge. I don’t fucking want anything upsetting her.
She ducks into the bathroom to brush her teeth and it only takes me half a minute to get the fold-out set up and the pillows and blankets sorted out. I strip down to my boxers and lie down to wait for her, my mood getting fucking worse as the minutes drag on.
She’s freaking out about something.
I hate it.
She finally comes out and turns all of the lights off on her way in. One of the perks of this place being so tiny, there’s not very far to go in the dark once she’s got everything turned off.
She climbs in and even though she tucks straight into my body there’s this tenseness to her, like she can’t fully relax and I’m not fucking standing for it. There’s no way I’m sleeping like this.
“What’s happened, sweetness? Didn’t we agree that I fix your shit?” I murmur, aiming for hushed and gentle for her nerves.
“I’m trying to figure something out with the floor in the bedroom. I could polish the floorboards but there’s a few spots that need to be patched. I’ve just got a lot of classwork going on and Rue mentioned you’ll be at The Boulevard more often so I need to figure it out.”
I shift her around a little so she’s lying over my chest more securely. “What happened to Kyle and his boys laying the carpet? You change your mind?”
She fidgets like she’s being interrogated and I have to force myself to stay calm and relaxed underneath her even though I feel anything but fucking relaxed. “They cancelled the job and gave me the money back. Apparently they don’t like money from my type. It’s—I mean, it’s not a big deal. I’ve got other options. I just need to figure out what I can get done around school.”
My arms turn to stone around her.
There’s no fucking way that I’m letting that shit fly. This goes beyond her being my fucking girl. Nah, this is about a girl who has worked her ass off and sacrificed fucking everything to support herself and take care of her own shit and I’ll be fucked if I let people think they can treat her like that.
There’s no fucking way I’m letting it go without setting them straight on how my girl will be treated around here.
I have to grit the words out through my teeth. “I’ll sort it out.”
She cringes a little like she’d like to get away from me but my arms stop her from going far. “It’s fine. Honestly, what can I expect from people? We’re in the south and I—”
I’m too harsh but I’m also fucking livid. “Don’t finish that fucking sentence. I said I’d sort it out so you’ll trust me to get it sorted out, Angel. Forget about it, sweetness, and go to sleep.”
Chapter Thirty Three
Angel
I completely forget about the family dinner until there’s