Page 47 of Hope's Heartlands

He smiles and reaches for my hand. “I’ll be there. Just tell me when and where.”

Emma goes into the spiel of when and where the graduation is. I notice that Bull takes his phone out and puts the details in his calendar and then sends a text.

“It’s all set. I’ve requested the night off and I have it in my calendar. I’ll be there. So what do you want for your graduation?”

Emma starts to speak, looks at me, and then back to Bull. She recites exactly what we’ve rehearsed. “You don’t need to bring a gift. I’ll just be happy if you are there.”

Bull smirks, because it’s obvious that Emma has rehearsed the line. He laughs. “Okay, maybe money then. That way you can get what you want.”

“Yes!” Emma pumps her arms, but instead of admonishing her, I let her run off back to her bedroom.

As soon as she’s out of earshot, I tell him, “You know you can’t make promises that you don’t plan to keep. Plus, it’s two months away.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I’ll be there.”

I know I look at him doubtfully, but it doesn’t stop him from pulling me into his lap. “So, let’s talk.”

I can’t help it, I tense up. He nuzzles my neck, and the stubble rubs along my jawline. “About what?” I ask him.

I can feel his smile against my chin. “Well, I was thinking that since your daughter’s in the other room, and we really can’t do anything, I could at least sit here, hold you, and tell you everything I would like to be doing to you.”

Then I soften in his arms. This I can handle.

He whispers against my skin, reminding me in words what it was like for him to be inside me and how much he wants to be there again. He goes on and on, telling me everything he feels being with me, beside me, and in me. And well, I thought I could handle it, but I literally melt against him, breathing hard and wanting him more than I’ve ever wanted anything before in my life.

Chapter12

Kate

Two months of being Bulldog’s “girlfriend”—because I refuse to call myself his ol’ lady—has been exhilarating, fulfilling, and the most fun I’ve ever had.

Going to work has become more difficult not only because I resent the way I was treated by them about Bull but also because everything has changed in my life. My old life now feels like a lie, and yet I can’t let it go.

This should be so much more difficult than it is. Charlie has not questioned me again about Bull, he acts like he doesn’t even notice him, but he’s been nicer to me and Emma, better than he’s ever been.

We’ve been out with Bull’s friends a few times, and they accept us. But most importantly, Emma is over the moon about Bull and me being together. Pretty much when he offered to go to the school and talk to her math teacher after he’d given her a bad grade sealed the deal for her. Bull was convinced it was unfair and that he could get the teacher to raise her grade, but I was able to stop him before he got out the door. I convinced him that Emma needed to learn to stand up for herself, but it meant so much to me—well, Emma and me both—that he was willing to stand up for her.

But even though Emma likes him, I still haven’t let him spend the night when she’s here, and he respects that. But man, there are some nights I want to say screw it and let him sleep over.

Tonight, Emma’s at her dad’s and I’m home alone. Bull is at work and I had planned to spend the evening getting caught up on things I’ve been letting slide. But I don’t want to. Right now, what I’d like to do is go to the bar and watch my man at work.

So I spend the next half hour getting ready to go over to the Ride or Die.

Bulldog

It’s a wild night at the bar. It’s barely ten o’clock and already the bar is full of people. There have already been two fights and one of the women, a regular lately, has already been causing a ruckus. It seems she’s had her sights on Saint, and Cat is not handling it well.

I pick up the woman with the thought that I’m going to carry her outside, but she has other ideas. She twists in my arms, wrapping her body around mine, and I struggle to walk to the front door. I move my head to see around her and the first thing I spot is Kate coming in.

She looks at the woman in my arms and then back to me. I’m struggling to put the woman on her feet, but she just slides down my body and forces her lips to mine. I tear myself away from her just in time to see the hurt look on Kate’s face before she turns around and runs from the building.

I am no longer worried about the woman. I chase after Kate. “Kate! Kate! Stop,” I holler after her.

But she keeps going and doesn’t stop until she’s standing next to her car. She turns to face me. “It’s no big deal, Bull. We weren’t serious. You can have whoever you want.”

I should be apologizing to her, explaining to her what she saw, but instead, all I see is red. “That’s crap and you know it, Kate. We are serious. You’re the one I want.”

She laughs, literally laughs in my face. “It didn’t look like it back there.” She shakes her head. “No, you know what? It’s good I came. It’s good I saw this.”

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