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“It’s not too bad,” I said casually.
Ellery swallowed hard, then tossed her hands in the air and shouted, “Are you out of your mind?”
I grinned as she ranted about all the ways that this place was completely wrong until she clocked my expression.
Then she seemed to run out of steam and shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. “You were messing with me,” she concluded.
Winking, I nodded my head. “I want your honest opinion, baby.”
“I didn’t feel like it was my place to sway you one way or the other.”
Her tone was hesitant, and I nearly rolled my eyes and told her that whichever place I bought would be her home too. But I held my tongue on that and closed the distance between us. “This is all new to me, remember? Need your help finding the right place.”
After that, she started being very upfront with her thoughts on each place, and I had a feeling that she would have a lot to say about the one we were currently viewing.
I frowned as I scanned the backyard. Although using that term was a bit of a stretch since it was basically a small patch of grass beside a large slab of concrete.
There was nowhere for our children to play. I’d been very specific with the real estate agent when I told him it needed lots of outdoor space for the kids to have a playset, trampoline, and maybe even a pool.
My gaze strayed to Ellery, and I almost laughed at how she looked around with her cute little nose scrunched up in distaste. “This is just dumb. It can’t even be called a sorry excuse for a backyard.”
I chuckled, loving her candid response.
“Didn’t Zane tell you that we want a big backyard?” she huffed at the real estate agent.
Damn, she was adorable.
“Yes, but this place has almost everything else you requested,” he responded indignantly.
Ellery’s eyes narrowed, and I grinned as I stood back and watched her spit fire at the asshole.
“Almost isn’t everything, Mr. Chapman. Corinne deserves the perfect home.”
Chapman raised his chin in the air and looked down his nose at her. “You are not the buyer,” he sneered before swinging his gaze to me.
His eyes widened, and all the blood drained from his face when he realized I was glaring at him. Ellery and Corinne brought out a lighter side of me, but normally, I was a grumpy son of a bitch with a dangerous air that intimidated people. “Do not disrespect my woman again,” I told him in a steely tone. “If she says jump, you ask how fucking high, and if you can’t go that high, I’ll throw your sorry ass up.”
“Y-yes, um, yes sir,” he stammered.
“We’re done for today,” I growled. Taking Ellery’s hand, I led her back through the house and out to my bike.
Ellery looked a little dumbfounded as I lifted her onto the seat and secured my helmet on her head. “We’ll find the right place eventually,” I said, hoping I wasn’t lying. Because so far, the choices had been shit.
She blinked, then nodded but didn’t speak. I wanted to ask what was on her mind, but I figured it could wait until we were at the clubhouse. Since we were looking at houses fairly close to the compound, it didn’t take long to get back.
When we walked inside, a few of my brothers were sitting at the bar talking quietly. One of our enforcers, Ice—a road name he’d earned from his days as a professional hockey player—glanced in our direction.
“Any luck?”
I shook my head, then looked down at Ellery when she tugged on my arm. “I’m going to go find Corinne.”
“Sure, baby,” I murmured, then kissed the top of her head before watching her spectacular ass as she walked away.
“I might have a solution for you,” Ice said thoughtfully. He used the tip of his beer bottle to point at the stool next to him. I strolled over, and Phoenix, who stood behind the bar, handed me a beer. Lifting my chin in thanks, I took a seat and raised my brow at Ice as I took a swig from the bottle.
“Started building a house a few months ago. Decided it was time to have my own space, and it was a good investment.” He shrugged and took a drink. “Finished it up last week, but I’m in no rush to move. Staying here a little longer is no big deal. You should look at the house, and if it’s what you’re looking for, you can buy it from me.”
“You serious?” I asked, setting my drink on the bar.
