Page 178

“Today is the freaking day!” she cried as she clattered her way up the steps to where I waited.

She threw her arms around me and rocked me back and forth.

My chest tightened in a fit of love.

“I’m so freaking proud of you, you have no idea,” she breathed.

My exhalation was filled with awe. “Can you believe it’s actually happening?”

Right here.

Right now.

She squeezed me just as fiercely as I squeezed her. “Um, yes, I can freaking believe it, because my sister slash best friend slash rockstar of a business guru could not be deterred.”

Glee spluttered out, and I could feel how hot my cheeks had gotten.

My heart beat manically but for an entirely different reason than it had last night.

When I’d been prisoner to the fear. To the anger that there no longer remained a question that someone was targeting me.

Shayne Ellison.

Dread slicked through my veins. The memories of being trapped in that room nearly sent me into a panic attack.

But I wouldn’t allow it today.

This was a celebration.

“I had a little help,” I told her.

Brinley edged back and gripped me by the outside of the arms. “Don’t be so humble. This is all because of you. And I can’t wait to see how the vision turned out. I’m so bummed I didn’t get to help decorate.”

She peeked back at Silas who was pushing out from the driver’s side door of the SUV and moving to the door behind him to Kai’s car seat.

Silas had asked her to stay within the Crimson Crows’ compound after what had happened last night.

The entire MC was on full force.

Watching for anything amiss and trying to take as few risks as possible.

“It’s fine. With all the Crows Silas had assigned, we got everything ready in a couple hours. It was like a strategic mission carried out with pure, masculine precision.”

Suggestion wagged my brows.

It wasn’t like I was going to deny that most of the Crows were wicked hot. I didn’t mind bossing them around a bit and telling them what to do.

I liked it more that Trevan had been right in the middle of it, watching me like a hawk, eyes narrowed whenever I gawked a little too much.

Not that I was ever interested in any of them.

It was just fun to watch him squirm.

Brinley gave me a pout. “But I wanted to help.”

“You helped more than was necessary. Do you think I don’t remember you swinging that hammer? In heels?” I raised my brows with the tease.

She’d been on full manual labor mode when we first gutted the old offices and put in the new walls and floors.