Reaching out and taking her hands, I hold her gaze so she can read the truth in my eyes. “Yes, you are mine with everything you are. Just as I am yours with everything I am.”
Rose gives me that beautiful smile as a single tear trails down her cheek. I lean in and kiss the tear away. A happy tear. My happy tear. Never going to waste those happy tears.
“Then I will stand proudly at your side. I will lean on your strength and trust your judgments. I will give you my heart in the hope that one day I can have a piece of yours as well.”
Silly woman. “Don’t you see it?”
With a confused look, she asks, “See what?”
Chuckling, I lift her hand and place it on my chest. Directly over my heart. “You can never have a piece of my heart, Rose.” At her look, I hurry to finish. “You can’t have a piece, because you already own the whole thing. I am wholly yours, sweetheart. You own me, heart and soul.”
Rose hops up onto her knees and stares down at me. “Wait,” she says. She pauses and just looks into my eyes. Deeper than she ever has before. Understanding what she’s looking for, I let it all show. Every last bit of love I have for her is right there for her to see.
“You love me?” She asks. I don’t give her a verbal answer. I wait for her to fully grasp what she’s seeing.
“Oh god, you love me.”
“Yeah, she’s finally getting it,” I say right before I grab the back of her head and slam my lips onto hers. I only let myself have a small sip before I reluctantly move back.
I stand up and gently place Rose on her feet. “Let’s head downstairs.”
I reach the door before she speaks up, “Bear, I love you, too. So very much.”
“I know, baby. I can see it shining in your eyes.”
***Rose***
It’s been a few days since Bear issued a lockdown. He did explain to everyone who I was and what was going down with Roman Hernández. He gave them just enough detail to be on the lookout without them knowing too much.
My brother decided to stay until Hernández was no longer a threat. That didn’t go down well with Trigger. Apparently, Josh is Trigger’s least favorite person at the moment. For reasons, I don’t quite understand.
There are a ton of people here. No matter where I look, there’s always someone there. It’s not really a bad thing, I’m just not used to being around so many people. It’s emotionally exhausting, to be honest.
Bear is usually in meetings or outside on watch duty most of the time. So, I don’t get to see him much during the day. But every night he climbs into bed behind me kisses my shoulder and holds me tight against him for the rest of the night.
One night after he pulled me to him, I could feel his hardness against my back. I know about intercourse. I know what that hardness meant. I also know the first time is said to be painful. With that thought in my mind, I tensed up. Bear must have felt it because he tightens his hold on me and whispered in my ear, “When you’re ready, baby. Not a second before.”
“How will we know when I’m ready?” I whispered back.
“At that moment, we’ll both feel it,” was his answer.
I also got to know Princess and Ma better. It was nice spending time with the two females. Today we were in the kitchen cooking the largest pot of chili I have ever seen. Well, Ma was cooking it. She kind of took over when Princess and I weren’t preparing it the way she wanted.
“What are you ladies up to?” Hawk asks as he sits beside Princess.
“We’ve been booted by Ma,” Princess answers him. “Apparently we weren’t mixing the chili ‘deep enough’ and were fired as Sous chefs.”
“Hawk, wheels up in five,” Bear says from behind me.
Smiling, I turn around and look up. “Hey there, handsome.”
“Well, hello beautiful,” he says with a chuckle before leaning down and gently kissing my lips. Looking in the kitchen he says, “Ma, what smells so good.”
“That would be chili, dear boy. You going to be back in time to get a bowl before it’s all gone?”
“Should be,” he says before looking down at me. “I have to go take care of something. I should only be gone for a few hours. I need you to promise me you won’t leave this building. Not for anything.”
“Of course. I’ll stay right here with Ma and Princess until I’m ready for bed.”
The thought of him leaving is causing my heart to beat faster but I also know I can’t stay glued to him for the rest of my life.
“I’ll be fine, honey. Go do whatever it is you have to do. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Bear lets out a low growl. “I find that I love it when you call me honey. Do it again. Do it always, my love.”
I smile shyly at him as he reaches in for one last kiss before turning and walking to where Hawk, Trigger, and Chains are all waiting for him.
“Girls, I’m going to go ahead and turn in for the night. Finish up this chili and make sure the kids eat first,” Ma says.
“Are you sure you trust us with your soup, Ma? I might end up serving it with the wrong hand or something,” Princess teases.
“Oh, hush you silly thing. Goodnight ladies.”
“Goodnight, Ma. I hope you sleep sweet,” I tell her.
“Let’s get everyone fed so we can go be lazy and watch a movie,” Princess says.
I stand up with a smile and help serve chili.
Chapter Eighteen
Bear
That fucking package. Why the hell did I wait so long to open it? If Hawk hadn’t asked about it this morning it would have sat in my desk drawer for who knows how long.
“So, tell me again why we have to leave so quickly,” Chains said as we were walking out of the clubhouse.
“That package had a USB drive inside,” I told the brothers around me. “Someone sent me blueprints of Hernández’s compound.”
“Who would be brave enough to do something that stupid?” Chains wondered.
“Not sure. There was also a small list of dates and times of events that Hernández would be away at. We can’t just sit on this information. So, we’re heading into the city to meet up with Detective Dick.”
Detective Rick Anderson is the head honcho on the Hernández case. He’s also a massive dick. It takes everything I have not to strangle him every time he opens his mouth.
“Fucking dick,” murmurs Hawk.
I love my brother.
I hop on my Harley and lead the way to Detective Dick’s office.
***
“So, tell me where you got this information,” Dick demands.
“It was delivered a little over a week ago. I had too much shit on my mind to open a damn package, so I tossed in a drawer and forgot about it until a few hours ago.”
“You’ve been sitting on this for over a week? We could have already taken the bastard down had I had this sooner.”
Dick.
“You have it now. There’s information on there that puts him at his father’s estate tomorrow evening. I want this done by the books so none of my men are blamed and put behind bars.”