The thought tore me up inside, but I couldn’t let her know it. We hadn’t been apart for more than a couple of weeks at a time in the past few years. Back when we first ran, we couldn’t even sleep in separate beds because we were so terrified. But Birdie was a grown woman now, and I needed her to be brave and smart and strong just like I’d been trying to teach her.
“Everything you need is in the apartment.” I held up my fingers as I ticked off the list. “There’s cash, lists of places to stay, and people you can trust there. Ace is going to take you home and make sure you get out of the city safely tonight.”
She blinked at the sudden impact of my statement. “Tonight?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “I will be going to Lucian’s.”
Birdie flung herself at me and squeezed so hard I thought she might actually break me. I wasn’t prepared to say goodbye, but it was better to do it now. This was the only way she would be safe. I had to keep telling myself that to believe it was the right thing to do.
“I’m so sorry, Gypsy,” she sobbed. “I won’t ever let you down again.”
“I know you are,” I whispered. “And I’m going to hold you to that. You can enroll in another GED program. Promise me you won’t quit.”
“I promise,” she heaved the words out.
“And promise me you won’t steal anything else ever again.”
She pulled back, only to reach down and hook her pinky into mine. “Never, ever, ever.”
“THIS IS THEGPSDEVICEwe discussed.”
Gypsy glanced at the silver band and wrinkled her nose. “A watch?”
I edged my fingers over the metal, unlocking it before I secured it on her wrist. “Don’t bother tampering with it. If you do, our deal is void.”
“It’s ugly.” She poked at the links, moving it around her delicate wrist.
“Well, if that doesn’t work for you, there’s always an ankle chain.”
“Funny,” she snapped.
I got out of the car and left her to open the door and follow me inside. My bride was distant and quiet as I introduced her to our home. The four-bedroom fortress was nestled into the gated community of Diamond Bay, an exclusive retreat in the suburb of Desert Shores, but Gypsy didn’t seem impressed.
“Did you just move in?” She glanced around the crisp white space, taking particular notice of the cathedral ceilings and Roman columns. The place was probably a little too decadent for my tastes, if I were honest, but at the time I’d purchased it, I was in a hurry and it was available.
“No. I’ve lived here for five years.”
Her dark eyebrows shot up as she surveyed the open floor plan. “It’s so empty. And white.”
She wasn’t wrong. The furniture and decorations were sparse, consisting only of the necessities since I was seldom home. I rarely had visitors, except for Nolan and Ace, but I considered how she might see the space from her perspective.
“Ace will bring whatever furniture you’d like from your apartment.” I observed a few empty spots she could fill. “And if you’d like to redecorate, that’s not out of the realm of possibility.”
Gypsy shot me a look that proved she found the idea amusing. She didn’t seem like the homemaking type, considering she rarely ever had a place to call home for very long.
“The entire upper level consists of the master bedroom,” I explained as we walked upstairs and opened the French doors. “This is our room.”
She looked around the space, her face absent of emotion. “You want me to sleep in here with you?”
There was a softness to her voice that betrayed her nerves, but I chose to ignore it. Nothing I said would ease her fears, and there was no point wasting my breath. “There is space in the closet for your things. The bags are already in there, so you can unpack.”
She swiveled away from the closet, completely disinterested. “Don’t you have someone who can do that for me?”
My dick swelled at her bratty behavior. Gypsy had been living the high life for the past few years, but she was in for a surprise.
“I have a housekeeper,” I answered. “But she isn’t here to do you any favors, she comes here to clean. And besides, I gave her the week off. Remember?”
She crossed her arms and it pushed her breasts up between them. They were soft, natural, and huge, and already, I’d had too many indecent thoughts about them. Thoughts I shouldn’t have entertained at all.