Page 11 of Protectors

Alana turns in my arms and looks up at me as she rests her hand on my chest. Her eyes are full of tears but the smile lights up her eyes and I see the happiness she feels.

“You know I don’t need time to heal right? I mean, physically I need to finish healing, but not because of being with Terrence. I honestly never loved him and I think I was only with him because he was there. No one else ever stepped up to go against my family for me. Terrence didn’t give a fuck because he only ever saw me as a piece of property,” she says, her voice taking a hard, cold edge that I’ve never heard from her.

“Regardless of if you loved him or not, you should still take time. Make sure that Ghost and I are who you truly want in your life. You know once we make you our ol’ lady, you’re never gettin’ rid of us. Hell, I know you won’t get away from us now because we’ve been waitin’ on you for so long,” I tell her, knowing it’s the truth of our situation.

“We’ll take it a day at a time and see where things go,” she says, getting up on her tiptoes and pressing a soft kiss against my lips.

Neither one of us deepen the kiss as I savor the feel of her soft, full lips pressed against mine. For now, we’re simply content for this chaste kiss that will be the first of many. I can’t wait to fully taste her and see if she tastes as good as I believe she does. When she pulls back, Alana looks up at me for a minute before turning and attempting to take her bag off the bed. I gently move her hand out of the way and grab it before she can. Grabbing Ghost’s and my bag, we make our way downstairs where Ghost is waiting for us while talking to Viking and Bull, holding Kody, their youngest son, in his arms. Kody’s head is resting on Ghost’s shoulder and his eyes are closed as he sleeps.

Alana pulls out her phone and takes a picture and the smile on her face. She’s imagining my best friend holding a child that’s been created by us and not her nephew. I can see her thoughts flowing through her mind and the smile I show is so fucking big my face hurts. Haley makes her way over and slings her arm over her twin sister as I step back so no one thinks I’m too close to the woman who isn’t mine.

“Are you sure you have to go now?” Haley asks Alana, her voice wavering with emotion.

“Yeah. It’s time for me to start my life and get to know Ghost and Geek better as they are now and not who they were in the past. I want to start healing from the past and feel as if I finally have my own place in the world. Plus, the sooner I get to Pine View, the quicker I can set up my photography business. Plus, I’ll be working at Phantom Ink with Ghost and I’m eager to get started there,” Alana says, her voice strong despite the tears filling her eyes.

“Are you finally gonna get more ink done?” Haley questions her, a smirk on her face.

“Only if I’m the one puttin’ tattoos on her,” Ghost speaks up, letting us know he’s been listening even though I had no doubt about it. Both of us are extremely in-tune with Alana no matter where she is in a room.

“I’ve been thinking about it. Honestly, there’s definitely one section of my body that I want a tattoo on,” she says, her eyes clouding over as pain fills her face and I remove her from Haley’s arm to pull her into mine.

“I know what you’re talkin’ about, Tink. We’ll talk about it and figure out a way to ensure you get exactly what you want,” Ghost tells her, handing Kody over to Viking and making his way over to us where he pulls our girl into his arms. “Why don’t we get on the road so we’re back before dark?”

“Okay,” Alana murmurs, burying her face in Ghost’s chest for a minute before standing up straight and pulling her sister into her arms as they say goodbye.

I can tell they’re whispering about something and I’m sure we’ll find out eventually what it’s about. Ghost and I will never push her to tell us something she’s not ready to divulge because of the fact that we’re trying to build a solid foundation with her. The only time we’ll ever push her about something is if it concerns her safety and we need all the information about Terrence or anyone else trying to get to her.

Alana gives hugs and teary goodbyes to her brothers-in-law and her nephews and niece. By the time we make it outside, one of the guys has a trailer attached toSorrentoand our bikes are loaded up so we can drive Alana back to Pine View. When she sees what’s going on, more tears fill her eyes as Ghost takes the keys from her and I help her in the front passenger seat before sliding into the back seat. Alana turns around and looks at me for a minute as Ghost starts the engine and leaves Haley’s and the Wild Kings compound.

“Why are you sitting back there? There would be more room up here for your legs,” she questions me, a tremble in her voice.

“You willalwaysbe in the front seat, Sweet Angel. If we’re ever in a cage, you’re in front and whoever isn’t drivin’ will be in the back. You’re our queen and will be treated as one every day we’re with you,” I answer her honestly as Ghost nods his head in agreement.

I watch on as my best friend slides his hand over to Alana’s thigh and rests it there. Alana doesn’t hesitate to slide her hand over the top of his and links their fingers together. The trip isn’t really long, but it doesn’t take any time at all before our girl rests her head against the window and her eyes slide closed. She’s fast asleep as Ghost turns the radio down and we make the trip in silence. Sitting back, my chest feels lighter than ever knowing our girl is in the front seat and isn’t going anywhere.

Ghost pulls into theclubhouse parking lot and parks close to the door because our girl’s vehicle is loaded down with boxes. Honestly, there’s barely enough room for me to sit in the backseat but it doesn’t matter because she will never sit back here alone. Ghost shuts the engine off and turns to look at Alana. I can see the hesitation in his eyes and know he’s thinking he doesn’t want to wake her up any more than I do.

“I’m gonna carry her inside,” Ghost finally says, unlacing their fingers and pulling his hand back so he can get out of the vehicle.

I remain in the back and unbuckle the seatbelt before he even gets to the passenger side to open her door. Leaning up even more, I make sure Alana won’t fall out of the door when Ghost opens it. Between the two of us, we make sure Alana is safely lifted into Ghost’s arms and I finally get out, grabbing our bags until we get the rest of the vehicle unloaded.

Moving ahead of my best friend, I open the door of the clubhouse and kind of stick my head in the door to let everyone know Alana’s sleeping.

“Guys, she’s sleepin’ and needs her rest. Can we keep it down for a minute?” I ask, looking at Vault as he nods his head and the room goes silent.

Following Ghost, we make our way up to the second floor and I open the door for Alana’s room. Ghost gently lays her down in bed and pulls the covers up over her. He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead as our girl reaches up and digs her hand into the material of his tee-shirt.

“Don’t leave me,” she mumbles, her voice full of sleep. “Both of you sleep with me. Please.”

“Of course, Tink,” he responds, stepping back long enough to remove his cut and shirt, I follow his movements and we climb in on each side of our girl.

This time, Alana snuggles up into my body with Ghost at her back. We hold her close between us and she instantly falls back into a deep sleep. My best friend and I don’t sleep at all as we watch her sleep.

“Had an interestin’ talk up in the bedroom at Haley’s,” I whisper and gain Ghost’s attention. “Alana says she doesn’t need to heal from bein’ with Terrence. That she knew she didn’t love him and really only stayed because he’s the only one who didn’t give a fuck about goin’ up against her family. Said she wants a family of her own and visitin’ with her sisters and brother only reinforced that for her.”

Ghost doesn’t say anything for a few minutes as he thinks over what I’ve just told him. There’s a smile on his face, but I know him enough to realize he’s not going to be pushing our girl into things because she thinks she’s ready.

“I get that she feels that way right now. Personally, I think we need to wait until she gets a few sessions with her new counselor under her belt before we think about pushin’ anythin’ with her. Honestly, this entire relationship will be at her pace and I’m good with that. Alana’s opinions and feelin’ is all that matters because we both know what we want,” he finally tells me, his voice a whisper because we don’t want to wake her up.

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