“Do you want to go home or to the clubhouse?”
She sniffed and rubbed her nose on my shirt. “Home, then clubhouse,” she whispered.
“Did you just wipe your snot on me?” I teased.
“No,” she said a little louder before she did it again.
“Ewww! Gross! Stop wiping your snot on me!” I shouted and started tickling her.
She squealed and slapped at my hands. “Stop! Stop! Please!”
“Are you going to wipe your nose slime on my shirt again?”
“Nooo! I promise. Please, stop! I’m going to peeeee!” she shrieked through her laughter.
“What did I ever do to deserve this?” I asked in mock surprise.
She sat back and wiped the tears from her face. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I needed that.”
“I know,” I said and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “But, really, are you okay?”
She sighed. “Physically, yes, I’m fine. Emotionally? Mentally? No, I’m not okay.”
“Talk to me.”
“I don’t even know what to say, Jonah,” she said and shook her head. “Even though I’m innocent, this is going to ruin my life. I’ll never be able to pay back the money the club used to get me out. Especially since I won’t be able to work as a nurse until the charges are cleared. Then, I’ll have to go before the nursing board to get my license reinstated. On top of all that, I’ll have to pay a huge fine for breaking my contract with the agency.”
“You don’t have to pay back any money. The club will get it back when the charges are cleared. As for your license, it might be a pain in the ass, but you’ll get that straightened out, too. Have Tina look over your contract with the agency and see if there’s a clause or maybe even a loophole that can be used to help you. It’s going to take some time, but I will not let this bullshit ruin your life.”
“You’re a good man, Jonah Jackson. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t here to help me through this.”
I grinned. “Lucky for you, you’ll never have to find out.”
Dash cleared his throat in a loud and obnoxious manner. “Are you ready to acknowledge the rest of the world, sister dearest?”
She turned in my lap and took in the other occupants of the SUV. With a loud gasp, she covered her mouth with her hands. “I’m so sorry!” Then, she turned back to me and slapped my chest. “Why didn’t you tell me they were all in here?”
I reached out and cupped her jaw as I smoothed my thumb over her cheek. “Because the only thing that mattered was having you in my arms.” She leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. When she opened them, I told her what I had been wanting to tell her for a while. “You know I love you,” I said softly.
Her eyes closed again while her lips curved up in a soft smile. I felt some of the tension leave her body before she opened her eyes and said, “I do. And I love you, too.”
Leaning forward, my hand slid from her jaw to the nape of her neck as my lips took hers. I wanted to devour every inch of her, and would have if her brother and my mother weren’t there, which I was reminded of when Dash grumbled, “Will y’all save that shit for when I’m not around to witness it?”
“Sorry, brother,” I replied, even though I wasn’t the least bit sorry.
Chapter Thirty-Six
River
Jonah and I were dropped off at his house so I could shower and change clothes before we went to the clubhouse. As much as I wanted to take my time and enjoy the hot water washing the jail filth from my skin, I took a quick shower, pulled my wet hair into a messy bun, and pulled on my favorite jeans and the first clean shirt I found since my time was limited thanks to my court-ordered curfew. While it was inconvenient—and mildly humiliating—I wasn’t going to complain because having to be home by nine o’clock at night was much better than being in jail.
Jonah was sitting on the couch looking at something on his phone when I appeared in the living room. “That was fast. I assumed you would want to take a long shower.”
“I did, but I didn’t want to waste time,” I said and pointed to the bulky monitor encircling my ankle. “But I plan to take a long, hot bath as soon as we get back.”
With that, we climbed on his bike and headed to the clubhouse. There were more bikes in the forecourt than usual and I assumed those belonged to the members from the Croftridge chapter. As we walked to the door, I studied the bikes and quickly found the one that belonged to Reed.
I startled when “Welcome back!” and various cheers were shouted as I entered the clubhouse. The common room was packed full of smiling faces—some were familiar while others were new to me.