Page 47 of Ghost

“What about a childhood nickname or your middle name?”

“Well, growing up, everyone used to call me Cricket.” I made a silly face as I explained, “The neighborhood boys needed them to fish in the creek, and I wasn’t scared to catch them.”

“Hmm. Cricket.” A smirk slipped across his handsome face. “I like it.”

“Okay. Cricket it is.”

“And you can call me Sutton.”

“Sutton it is.”

It felt strange saying his real name. It was like I’d just taken a sneak peek at the man behind the leather, and I liked it. I liked it a lot. I just hoped I wasn’t making a huge mistake,

Ghost

“You got a minute?”

“I’ve got a couple.” Grim lowered his glass of bourbon as he asked, “Why? What’s on your mind?”

“I was hoping I could talk to you about Whitney and the kid.” It’d been days since I’d asked her to move in, and while I stood by the idea, I had some concerns. And Grim was the only one I trusted to lay it all out for me. “They’re moving over to my place.”

He didn’t respond right away.

He took a moment to consider what I’d said, then set his glass down and asked, “When?”

“I’m not sure. It could be today or a month from now.” I took a breath before adding, “We’re still monitoring the situation with the ex, and there’s a lot going on here. I just gotta figure out the right time... I was hoping you could give me your thoughts on things.”

“So, they’re leaving the clubhouse?For good?”

“That’s the plan.”

“And you spoke to Preacher about this.”

“I did, and he agreed that it’s time for them to go.” I rubbed the back of my neck as I added, “You know how it is. There’salways so much going on—the late nights and the partying. It was fine for the short term, but it’s time to get them somewhere more stable.”

“And you think your place is the best option?”

“I do.”

He glanced at his glass on the counter then turned to face me.

He studied me for a moment—like he wasn’t sure that I’d really thought this through. “You bring a woman and a kid into your house, and everything changes.And I mean everything. It’s not like hooking up with one of the club girls and sending her on her way in the morning.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know if you do.” He cocked his brow. “Bringing them in, you’re taking on a lot more than just keeping them under your roof. You gotta think about what that means for you.”

“What are you getting at?”

“You know how I feel about Jenna and Luna. They’re my fucking world, but I can’t remember the last time I took a dump without one of them knocking on the fucking bathroom door.” He shook his head. “Privacy is a thing of the past, and you can forget about watching the game on Saturday afternoon. That shit ain’t gonna happen. And that’s just scratching the surface here.”

“It’ll be more than just playing house. You’ll be tied to them, brother. If something happens, you’ll be the one they depend on.” Grim leaned back in his chair, letting out a slow breath. “You ready for that?”

“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t.”

Grim was quiet for a moment, then said, “It’s not gonna be easy.”

“I’m not expecting it to be.”

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