Blacklisted (Loveless, Texas #3) - Jay Crownover Page 0,111

liked the way it made him look even more rakish. Almost like a modern-day pirate.

“I won’t be out too late. Trust me, I know what I have at home will always be better than anything else out there.” I grinned. “And I bet Case gave Aspen a curfew.”

Of course, I was kidding. There was no couple in existence who had a more balanced and equal relationship than Case and Aspen. However, ever since he popped the question and put a very big, very sparkly ring on her finger, his possessiveness had seemed to ramp up a few notches. It was almost like he was afraid she was going to remember what a jerk he’d been before they started dating and change her mind. Everyone who wasn’t the surly sheriff knew that would never happen, but it was good that Aspen kept Case on his toes.

Aspen hadn’t really been eager to remarry after her first marriage ended in disaster, but she’d become very fond of and deeply invested in one of the teenagers involved in one of her more complicated cases and was beyond frustrated that the court had declined her offer to foster the young man because she and Case weren’t officially married. It was a common prejudice that women faced in small-town America, and especially in the South. Knowing they were going to be together until the end regardless, Case decided it was time for both of them to take a second chance on marriage. It was just a bonus that they would be able to help out a kid in need once they did.

Shot snorted at my comment and let me walk him backward toward the king-sized bed in the center of the room. There were so many nice things about being in my own house. A luxury bathroom and a big bed were just a few. I also liked that I didn’t really have any close-by neighbors, which was beneficial when I suddenly had a gaggle of bikers over.

The club was his family, and thereby had started to become an extension of mine.

Shot and I agreed that it was better for me to keep my distance from the clubhouse unless there was an emergency. However, I’d had to close more than one bullet wound since Stitch was getting older and less able as the tasks the club took on grew more and more varied and dangerous. He was still the club’s first choice to fix them up, but when the injuries were really serious, like life or death, they knew they could call me. I couldn’t say no, even though I knew I should, which meant I’d earned my stripes as far as the rest of the club members were concerned, even Top. Those who questioned why Shot was with me, or if I was a good fit for his lifestyle, were silenced once they saw how beneficial I could be. And I think Top finally realized that I loved his best friend so I would do my best to protect him, which meant keeping secrets that weren’t mine to share, and accepting that what I didn’t know couldn’t hurt me.

Another thing I liked about having property and a place of my own was that I now had room for a dog. I hadn’t committed to bringing one home yet, but it was on my to-do list. I wanted to wait until more of the renovations were done. I was finally settling in somewhere that felt like it wasn’t going to go anywhere. I felt like I could finally plant some roots and I was excited to see what was going to grow.

I also had room for family. I could host holiday dinners and weekend barbeques, taking some of the pressure off of Aspen, who was normally the one making room for everyone. I’d never had to cook or plan an event for the family before, but I was excited to take on the task. It made me feel connected to the Lawtons in an all-new way. There was no more keeping them at arm’s length and treading carefully. After Crew risked his life and his livelihood for me, I could no longer pretend like I would be okay if they were suddenly yanked away from me. I loved them all and could feel that they loved me. We were all still learning about each other, but it was the best education I’d ever received.

Crew and I had instantly bonded much tighter than we had been prior