He locked me into a small, private little world of our own, his eyes filled with so many emotions and his jaw ticking the way it always seemed to do these days. There was dried blood on his face, but not even that could distract me from the hunger I felt when I looked at him.
“In all the madness of our lives since Harry died, I feel like I’ve forgotten to tell you one thing,” he said softly.
I searched his eyes for the longest time, watching the subtle shift of color as the usual intensity between us began to grow.
“I forgot to tell you how much I want to marry you, spend my life with you, find a way to make that life good, decent, and happy for both of us.” He rested his forehead against mine. “Thank you for being the only woman I could ever show myself to this way, and for not running the fuck out of here every time it gets darker in my world…ourworld.”
“There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than by your side. No matter where that takes us.”
Drew dropped his lips to mine, pulling me in for a sweet, slow kiss that felt more intimate than it should have, considering where we were and what we were about to do. When he eventually pulled away and sighed softly, he opened his eyes and stared straight into my soul.
His smiled without humor, more resignation before he turned back to Owen’s house and grabbed my hand, letting them hang between us.
“This won’t last forever,” he breathed, his eyes scanning the building in front of us.
I looked at the pretty house one last time, my eyes drawn to the hound on the tank of the bike again as all the lies and betrayal rose again.
“You wanna do the honors, or can I?”
“How about we do it together?”
I nodded, knowing it was the right thing for us to do.
Drew pulled his gun free and held it down by his side for a moment, his finger on the trigger guard.
He released my hand, and knowing what he wanted, I stepped closer, my hand wrapping around his and the gun ashe rose it high, aiming it at the tank of the bike.
We both took a breath, releasing it at the same time as our fingers moved from the guard to the trigger. The gun didn’t shake as we aimed. It was rock steady in our grip, ready to do our bidding.
Then we pulled the trigger.
I barely felt the recoil as Drew took the full impact, but there was no stopping the slight flinch when the bullet met its target with almost perfect precision, a metallic keening sounding only seconds before the whoosh of the gas catch ate up the last of the tentative silence.
The heat from the small explosion touched everything. The gasoline did what it was designed to do, accelerating the flames’ path into the house until the sound of breaking glass announced that it had taken to every surface we’d served for it. I could feel the heat from the flames on my face, but neither of us moved. We stood there, transfixed, watching the white paint turn black and peel away from the siding of the house, the roar of the fire making the house crack and creak under the pressure of the flames.
I felt oddly satisfied, even as I moved my finger and pulled my hand away, letting the gun drop to Drew’s side. This was my life now. There was no turning back, and I would never mourn the woman I had or would have been without Drew. This was the only place I wanted and needed to be.
Drew’s shoulders relaxed, and he turned to me, the man who once saw himself as the ultimate bad boy, now looking into my eyes with respect, admiration, and most importantly… love.
“It’s you and me forever, darlin’,” he said boldly, no doubt in his voice. “You… and me.”
“Forever,” I murmured dropping my hand to my stomach wondering if there could be a baby inside of me. “Forever doesn’t seem long enough.”
Epilogue
ERIC TUCKER
Iwasn’t far from them when the text came through on my phone.
I need to talk to you. Soon. Very soon.
You know where to find me
The deep swelling of pride hit me like an RPG to the chest every time it dawned on me just how far my son had come along in my absence. Drew may not have seen it, but I sure as hell did. I saw the natural leader in him, the tactician, too. I saw the way his men waited for him, their respect an invisible tattoo on their skin. He was their human god, and I had been absent for his whole goddamn rise to the top.
Not a moment went by that the regret didn’t taunt me. I was a slave to it. A slave to all the mistakes I’d made that forced me to walk away.
Now I was back, and my secrets were tapping on their coffins, demanding attention, trying to find a way to break free and rise from the dead. It was only a matter of time because I’d been a fool, and foolish acts had a way of resurrecting to ruin your life years down the line.