with me,” Crow replies, lifting his chin. “Always will be.”
“I know.” Neville nods, respect in his eyes. “Thank you for finding out the truth, Bronte. You’re a strong girl, you know that? And you were the apple of your father’s eye. He loved you more than he loved anything or anyone in the world.”
And the feeling was reciprocated.
“I know,” I whisper, forcing a smile and giving him a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says, squeezing me tightly. We stay like that for a few moments, and then I leave, feeling emotional but happy that the conversation transpired.
Billie calls me on the way home. “Hey, what are you up to?” she asks.
I expel a deep sigh. “Just left my uncle’s house. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing much,” she admits. “I just miss you, so I thought I’d call and annoy you a little bit. Did you still want me to stop by your dad’s place and get the box the movers forgot?”
“Yes, please, if you don’t mind. That would be awesome,” I say. I asked her to do it since it’s still hard for me to go there.
“When am I seeing you next?”
“I’ll drop in tomorrow night.”
“Sounds perfect. See you then. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
We hang up. Crow and I head back to the clubhouse, and all I can think is, what the hell is going to happen next?
* * *
A beautiful blonde walks into the warehouse, black heels clicking with each step. Her white bodysuit tucked into denim shorts show off her stunning figure, and her light eyes scan the room.
“Hey,” she says, smiling at me. “Is Crow here?”
“Ummm, yes, he is,” I reply, eyes slightly narrowing. “One second.”
Disappearing out the back, I approach Crow, who is kneeling near a motorcycle, examining it. “Crow, there’s a gorgeous blonde at the front desk asking for you.”
He lifts his head, brows drawing together. “What?”
“Yep,” I reply, trying to keep my expression neutral.
I have no idea who she is or what she wants, but after reading a romance novel last night, I picture the same thing that happened to the heroine happening to me. Now this woman is here to tell Crow she’s pregnant from before he met me, and he’s going to be a dad.
Just what I need right now.
Wincing, I walk beside him back to her. It better not be the case, because I’m not dealing with any baby mamas.
“Crow!” the woman yells out, smiling widely as she runs to him and throws herself in his arms. “I’m home. And I need the spare house keys. I accidentally left mine in my room.”
“Heidi,” he murmurs, smiling. He puts her down and pulls me next to him. “That definitely sounds like you. This is Bronte. Bronte, this is my baby sister.”
“Oh,” I mutter, eyes widening. Of course it’s his sister. Blonde. Attractive. Why the hell didn’t I think of that? This is the second time I’ve assumed something out of nothing and looked like an asshole. I don’t miss Crow’s smirk as he introduces us. I should be glad that it’s not an ex or baby mama, yet I still feel a little on the embarrassed side.
Good one, Bronte.
I need to control my jealousy around this man, because it’s really not that cute.
“Nice to finally meet you, Heidi.”
“You too,” she replies, glancing between the two of us. “My brother can’t stop talking about you, and I can see why—you’re absolutely gorgeous. I’d expect nothing else from Crow.”
“I was thinking the same about you,” I reply, smiling.
Crow fishes a set of keys out of his pocket and removes one. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” she replies, sliding the keys into her own pocket. “What are you both doing tonight? Do you want to come over for dinner?”
Crow looks down at me, and I nod. “Sure, why not?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you both around seven?”
“Sounds good,” Crow replies. I ignore his gaze while Heidi clicks away.
“You thought it was an ex-girlfriend or something, didn’t you?” He laughs, lifting me up and setting me down on my desk. “You should have seen your face.”
“She’s young and beautiful,” I reply, raising my chin and shrugging. “And she was asking for you. It’s a valid conclusion.”
“Even if someone came here looking for me, it doesn’t matter. I choose you over anyone, past, present or future, all right? You’re it for me, and my eyes sure as hell aren’t wandering,” he assures me, kissing my cheek. “Although you look cute when you’re mad.”
He laughs as he walks away.
Jerk.
Still,