Page 9 of The Secrets We Keep

“Mama, what are extracircular activities?” Asher whisper shouts from my side. I wince as I shake my head at him, but Rowan’s chuckle from behind me lets me know that everyone heard him.

Grayson turns to face me. “Follow me, Noah already has your bags in the room.”

He waits for Asher and me to be beside him before he puts his hand at the small of my back and leads us out of the main area. The sound filters back into the room as we exit and my shoulders slump in relief. Grayson leads us through the familiar hallways until we get to a new one.

“We added on a few years ago,” he says as if reading my mind. He always could do that, sense what I’m thinking.

I nod my head.

He leads us upstairs and down a long hallway, stopping in front of the last room to punch in a code. After the screen lights up green, he opens the door and motions for us to enter.

We step inside and I’m surprised by how nice the space is. It’s nothing like how I remember the club rooms growing up. This is nicer than my apartment back in Atlanta. Before us is an open concept living area and kitchen. There are rooms off to the side that let me believe there are at least three bedrooms and a main bathroom. The room is part exposed brick and part drywall. It’s masculine, but not too masculine. The kitchen has wood cabinets with black hardware and black appliances. Instead of a dining room, the kitchen has an island that seats four people. The living area has two worn leather couches that overlook a large television. It’s a beautiful space.

“Wow,” I murmur as I take it all in.

“You guys can stay in here,” Grayson says, basically ignoring my shock. “You can each take a room. No one will bother you in here. I was serious about the off limits, comment. If anyone gives you shit, you tell me,” he says as he pins me with a look.

“That’s a bad word,” Asher hisses, making me bite my lip to hide my smile.

“What?” Grayson asks with a furrowed brow.

“You have to put a dollar in the swear jar,” Asher tells him as he puffs out his chest.

Grayson turns his questioning gaze on me.

I shrug my shoulders. “Swear jar.”

Grayson pulls out his wallet and gives Asher a five-dollar bill. “This should get me by for a day,” he grumbles. “Kid is going to make a killing here.” He turns and walks toward the door. “No one can get inside without a code and Rowan, Axel and I are the only ones who know it. Breakfast is at eight, don’t be late.”

With that, he strides out of the room, and I take my first full breath in an hour.

****

I wake up enveloped in Grayson’s scent. I turn over and grab my phone, shutting off the alarm before flopping back onto the bed.Grayson’s bed.It didn’t takeme long to figure it out last night. Grayson is letting us stay in his suite. The president’s suite. For a moment, I didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in a space that was my father’s, but a quick inventory of the space made me realize that none of this stuff was his, it was all Grayson’s.

My dad would have never had anything this nice in his space. I slept like the dead in Grayson’s king-sized bed. His bed sheets are the softest I’ve ever felt. I am choosing to ignore how much comfort his scent gave me, though.

I set my alarm for a half hour early this morning so I could get ready before going down for breakfast. There was no way in hell that I was facing my past without looking my best this morning. Especially after showing up in just my sleep shirt last night. My makeup and hair give me a sense of protection like armor.

I roll out of bed and walk into the ensuite bathroom to get ready. This is another nice space. It’s definitely more masculine, with terracotta and black tiles, a wood vanity with black countertops, and black fixtures.

Noah, the prospect who collected our bags from the motel, chose rooms for us. He gave me Grayson’s room and Asher the bedroom next door. I appreciated that he knew I would want to keep Asher close.

I walk over to the vanity and pull out my cosmetics bag, quickly applying foundation, concealer, bronzer,blush, and a little mascara. I finish it off with setting spray and then brush my teeth. When I’m done, I put lip oil on and set to taming my wild hair. I brush it until it falls in soft waves down my back, thankful that it was already curled the day before. I use the restroom and then head back into Grayson’s bedroom to get dressed.

I pull my duffle bag onto his bed and search through its contents. I didn’t bring all my clothes with me, but I did bring enough to get by. Just in case I had to stick around to deal with my father’s estate. It’ll take a long time for me to restock my clothes and Asher’s, but I couldn’t afford to go back to Atlanta to get our belongings, and my landlord would clear everything out if I wasn’t back in two days to pay the next month’s rent. I’ve seen it happen to other tenants before.

I sigh as I pull out a pair of distressed black jeans, an off the shoulder Nirvana t-shirt, and a pair of matching underwear and bra. I have a weird thing where I can’t wear a set that doesn’t match. Not that anyone’s taking a peek at my bra or underwear lately. Not in the last seven years.

I quickly strip out of my pajamas and get dressed, pulling a pair of socks from my bag before sliding them on and grabbing my combat boots. When I’m tying up the laces, I hear Asher.

“Mama? Can we get breakfast? I’m starving.”

I smile at his sleepy voice. He walks into the roomwith some crazy bedhead, making my smile spread across my entire face. “Sure thing, buddy. Let’s just tackle that bedhead first,” I tell him as I reach out and ruffle his head.

He giggles before walking into the bathroom to let me do just that. I get Asher ready the rest of the way and then lead him downstairs to the kitchen.

The club is quiet this morning, only soft music is playing from the great room. When I enter, I find familiar faces at the large table.

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