Page 55 of Loving Winter

“Are you fucking kidding? Is that really what you got out of this? You don’t get to be president because you didn’t have the brains or the balls to come up with the idea and present it to Mark in the first place.” I’m really starting to wonder if it was such a bright idea to bring them with me. If they’re going to undermine me around every corner, I’ll be shooting myself in the foot before we even get started.

Knuckles shoves Rico, a smile cracking his face. “What he’s trying to say is hell yeah! That sounds fucking awesome. Have you decided where yet?”

I’m surprised Knuckles would be the first to jump on board, but even the small measure of confidence gives me the courage I need to press forward. “Maybe Edgington or Whitfield? I haven’t decided yet. We just came to an agreement a few days ago. I was planning on driving up to scope them out over the next few days.”

“I mean, I should at least ride up with you to check it out,” Rico says, his snarkiness seeming to fade as Knuckles starts to take me seriously. “See if it’s a viable opportunity.”

I nod, a smile spreading across my face. “What about you, Dally? You’re normally the first one to jump on a new adventure. What’s got your tongue?”

Dallas swallows, his teasing smile slipping from his lips as his eyes drop to the floor. “I don’t know, man,” he stalls, rubbing the back of his neck.

“He just doesn’t want to leave his little girlfriend behind,” Knuckles teases, elbowing Dallas.

Dallas glares at him. “Fuck you, dick.”

“You have a girlfriend?” That’s news to me. Dallas isn’t the type to settle down, but his newfound hesitancy when it comes to leaving town makes me wonder.

“Idon’thave a girlfriend,” Dallas growls, but his defensiveness only makes it seem more likely.

“Whatever. Are you in?” I ask, not willing to discuss his relationship status if he’s going to clam up about it.

“How far away are these spots you're looking at?” he asks.

“Maybe a five, six-hour drive.” I shrug. I hadn’t actually tracked the time yet, but they’re within a day’s ride.

Dallas thinks about it a little longer. Then his head bobs in a nod. “Yeah. I’m in.”

I smile, clasping hands with him and then the other two. In truth, Dallas is my right-hand man, the one I trust most, and when he wasn’t sure he wanted to go, I was going to have to rethink my strategy.

“It’s gonna be sick!” Knuckles says. “Is it just me, or does it feel like we just actually kind of grew up?”

I chuckle at that. “I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of that over the last few days.”

“So, we’re starting our own gang?” Rico says as if finally wrapping his mind around it.

“Well, kind of. A new chapter. So we’ll still be part of the Devil’s Sons,” I explain.

“Right. Cool.”

“There’s something else I have to tell you guys,” I say, a grin spreading across my face.

“We’re all ears, man,” Knuckles says, matching my smile.

“Winter and I are getting married.”

“Holy shit!” Dallas says, his blue eyes bugging.

“And she’s pregnant.”

“Fuckin’ right, man!” Knuckles pulls me in for a hug, thumping my back roughly. “I knew you’d get the job done.”

I chuckle. Like it was some quota or work goal on my mind. Leave it to Knuckles to say something like that. “You’re an idiot.”

“But for real, congrats, Gabe. That’s awesome,” he says, stepping back to let the others pull me in for a hug.

“I can’t believe she said yes,” Rico teases.

“To be honest, I can’t quite either.” I shake my head in disbelief. I’m still reeling over everything that happened that day. The doctor’s visit, Jaxon seeing Winter, Athena and Winter talking in the same room together, getting Mark to agree about opening a sister chapter, proposing to Winter, and her saying yes. And the sex. All night. Fuck, just thinking about it makes me start to stiffen. We didn’t even get out of bed yesterday for more than food.

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