Page 61 of The Secret's Out

Chapter Fourteen

Josie

Something was happening, but I had no clue what it was. Two weeks had passed and something was amiss with my guys. They were still very attentive to me. A smile slipped onto my lips at the thought. Yes, they were very attentive. However, I was getting tired of them mollycoddling me.

I knew I had to come in strong with a plan of attack to find out what they were hiding. They’d become very clever at distracting me with their bodies, and house hunting. Two days earlier, we had finally, after looking at ten different houses and apartments, decided on an already vacant three-bedroom weatherboard house. It reminded me of Mattie and Julian’s house in Ballarat across from the compound. I even sent a photo of it to my parents. Mum loved it. Dad thought it was too old and needed some work. It was the next day, after classes I turned on my phone and found I had twenty-six messages. All were from my dad and most were pictures of certain types of tools my guys would need to fix our place up. The other pictures were of items of furniture. I’d looked through them all and then decided it was time to call my dad.

“Baby girl,” he cried cheerfully into the phone when he picked up.

“Hi, Dad. Can you—”

“No time to talk, sweetheart. I’m at Ikea. I just found the perfect couch and chair set. They’re bright green. What do you think of that?”

“Um—”

“Hmm, maybe not green, I just saw a blue set. Damn, yeah, they look better.”

“Dad,” I nearly yelled into the phone as I walked to my next class with Eli chuckling at my side.

“Yes, baby girl?”

“Why are you looking at furniture for us?”

“Well, because you’ll need new stuff for your place with your guys. Your mum and I wanted to buy you something for a house warmin’ gift. She said a microwave or a vase, but that shit won’t do for our baby girl. Don’t you worry, I’ll set something up and get it shipped to you and then...you tell those boys of yours to have their crap ready. I’m coming to stay for a while to help on the house.”

Oh, goodness.

Even though I was scared of having my dad stay while I lived with two men, a smile slipped onto my lips, because my dad, no matter where I was or what age I was, never got tired of trying to take care of me.

So I sighed and said into the phone in a loving tone, “Okay, Dad. I’ll let them know.”

“Love you, baby girl,” he said into the phone.

“Love you, Dad.” I grinned before hanging up.

As an added bonus to the house, it wasn’t far from Simone, the uni or the diner. Of course, I still had my reservations about moving in with them, especially when they were hiding something from me, something that was making them tense.

If it came down to it, I would have to decline the offer of living with them until they trusted I wasn’t the timid, little girl they still saw in me. I wanted to be with them, with everything I was, and that also meant I would do anything for them. If in some way I could help them, I would. No matter the situation. No one was coming between my men and me.

I just had to show them I was a changed woman. I was stronger and they had played the part to get me that way.

Yes, I may have been timid and a coward when it came to Cameron and his friends, but back then I felt I had nothing to care for.

I did now.

In fact, I had two.

And it was time they learned I was there for them and I’d risk everything for them.

“Darlin’, sit the fuck down or you’ll wear a hole in the carpet from all the pacin’.” Dodge smiled from the couch.

“You got any fizz-pop?” Dallas called from the kitchen. That got me to stop pacing and turn to the direction of the kitchen. Did a bad arse biker just call soda a fizz-pop?

Fizz-pop.

“Woman?” Dallas called again and then his frame filled the doorway. “Fizz-pop, you got any at all?”

The giggle was untameable and once I started, I couldn’t stop. My arm went around my stomach and I bent over laughing.

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