Chapter Twenty-One
Elodie sat on the edge of the bed in Oz’s room, staring at the open door to the bathroom. It would only be a few more minutes to find out the results. She’d waited to take the test until Oz arrived. He’d come home about two hours after her.
She’d been thankful for Nash, who’d stayed with her, but they hadn’t spoken much. Doc, who she assumed was a licensed doctor on their payroll, had been waiting at Oz’s house when they arrived. He’d cleaned up the wound at her temple and gave her some aspirin. He’d initially offered her stronger medication. She was about to decline but Nash beat her to it, announcing she may be pregnant.
“How much longer?” Oz asked from across the room.
“Three more minutes.”
Oz hadn’t said much since he came home. He’d taken a shower somewhere else in the house before coming up to his bedroom. It should’ve been awkward. They’d just gone days without speaking after a horrific secret was exposed. Yet, all she could feel was content knowing he was there, and she was safe. Even with an uncertain future, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
Oz hadn’t said a word about Garner. And she didn’t ask. Elodie knew what his fate would be the minute Oz showed up at her apartment.
“Can I ask you something?” She grasped tightly to the edge of the mattress, digging her toes into the plush carpet. She didn’t bother looking up but heard his footsteps grow closer. The feet of the chair scraped against the hardwood and he moved it directly in front of her. She watched him circle around and sit. They were only separated by about three feet.
“Anything.”
“Will you tell me about the Underground?”
Oz gaze scanned her face. “What do you want to know?”
Elodie blinked and straightened her back. “Just like that, you’ll tell me?”
“Within reason.”
“What does that mean?”
Oz leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees and clasping his hands. “I would never tell you anything that could incriminate you. Or put you in danger. My life in the Underground and the one with you will be two different worlds. And I’m going to make it so my world doesn’t touch ours .”
He was saying everything she wanted to hear, but she couldn’t ignore the truth.
“But it did,” she whispered.
His jaw squared. “I didn’t anticipate Garner coming for you. I won’t make that mistake again.”
It was a vow and a promise.
Elodie shrugged. “How could you have known…”
“I should’ve known he’d come for the one person I can’t live without.”
Me.
Elodie was internally struggling.
“Have you ever thought about leaving?”
“No.” His gaze softened. “I can make a separate world for you and I. But I can’t and won’t walk away from the Underground. It’s a part of who I am.”
He was being honest which she appreciated. Oz wasn’t giving her a hope for something different.
An echoing alarm sounded through the room. She’d set it on her phone for the results of the test. Elodie stood and started past Oz. He reached out, grasping her wrist, forcing her to stop mid-step.
“Sit down.”
She glanced over at the bathroom door then down at Oz.
“Don’t you want to know?”
He’d seemed more eager than her, if that was possible.
“Yes.” He paused, releasing her. “Sit down.”
Elodie slowly stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed.
“You asked about the Underground.” Oz was silent for a brief second. “I met Sal when I was about fifteen. Heard I could make some money with minimal risk, so I took a few jobs. Mostly transferring small amounts of cash. After a while, I started moving product and took any job Sal would trust me with.”
“What was the money for?”
“Survival. There’s no parting gift when you age out of the system at eighteen. And I had Rogue and Trey to take care of.”
“You mean, foster care?” She knitted her brows. “What about your parents?”
His demeanor shifted, and his eyes darkened.
“Degenerates. Cruel, abusive, and not fit to be anyone’s guardians. Rogue and I were relieved when social services removed us. And if you’re familiar with the system, then you can imagine how bad it must’ve been for us to be happy to leave our home.”
This was the most he’d opened up to her. He was volunteering the darkest parts of his life.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
There was a long stretch of silence. Oz wouldn’t want her pity or sympathy.
“When I turned eighteen, I took Rogue and Trey, and we left. Sal didn’t want to take them on, at first. They were young, and it was a risk. Told Sal, I wouldn’t leave them behind. If he wanted me, he had to take them too.”
“Package deal.” She whispered.
Oz nodded. It explained their loyalty to Sal. It also showed the type of man Oz was from the beginning.
“So how did you go from teenage dealer to” —she pointed at Oz— “this.”
“Worked my way up the ranks, as did Rogue and Trey. Unlike other guys under him, we were indebted to Sal. Unwavering loyalty. He knew it. When Sal stepped down, I stepped up along with Rogue and Trey.”
“You felt like you owed him?”
“We do owe him. He took us on when everyone else turned their backs. Gave us something we’d never had,” Oz paused. “A family. Treated us like sons. Still does.”
Elodie swallowed the knot in her throat. She was getting a different perception of Sal through Oz’s eyes. Her life, even with her trauma, had been so different from Oz’s. It was hard to fathom.
“Thanks for telling me.”
Oz angled his head. “You get to choose, Elodie. You have no obligation. No matter what happens from here on out, you will be protected, supported.” Oz stared back at her. “Loved. With or without me.”
That was why he told her. Oz was giving her his past before she made a choice for her future.
She pushed up from the bed. She walked the short distance to Oz and sat on his lap. His arm immediately wrapped around her waist, hugging her close.
“With you,” she whispered.
****
Oz wasn’t ready to let her go when she untangled herself from his hold. But he loosened his grip and watched her stand. She stopped next to his chair, staring at the bathroom door.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
Maybe he should’ve been. He’d never seen this prospect for himself. Nor did he foresee settling down and falling for a woman. Life in the Underground wasn’t generally conducive for a traditional family life. But he’d change that.
“No. Are you?”
“I don’t know.” She folded her arms, rocking back on her heels. “I always thought I’d have children, but as I got older, I guess I just assumed that ship had sailed.”
“Is that a yes or no?”
Her lips twitched. “A bit of both. Nervous that I am pregnant, and nervous that I’m not.”
“Go.” He said.
She nodded and walked to the bathroom, disappearing through the door. Oz stood up, watching the doorway. He wasn’t sure what he expected. He’d never been in this position. Fatherhood wasn’t something he’d ever considered. Seconds later, Elodie walked out with the test in her hand. For someone who was notorious for tapping into other people’s minds, Oz couldn’t get a read on her. She stopped a few feet in front of him.
“Do you know what kind of dad you’d be?”
He’d never given it any thought.
“No.”
Her lips spread into a smile. “Well, we’re going to find out in less than nine months.”
Oz drew in a breath, taking it all in.
Nothing in the Underground had prepared him for his new title.
Father.