Chapter Seventy-Four
Max has been distant since they rescued me.
He was glued to my side when they first brought me back, but for the last four days he's been quiet.
I tuck my legs under me and wrap my hands around my hot cup of tea.
He's been sat at the makeshift bar for the last two hours, and he's not even so much as glanced at me.
"You okay?" I look up to see Nitro stood behind the sofa.
"Yeah," I lie. I'm not okay, I'm worried Max has had enough of me, and I'm worried that he wants me to leave.
Nitro walks around the sofa and takes a seat next to me. His eyes follow my line of sight. "He's giving you space," he declares.
I turn to face him. "What do you mean giving me space? I've not asked for any," I tell him, my eyes glancing back to Max and then back to Nitro again.
"He thinks you need space after everything you've been through. He also thinks he needs to give you space in case you hate him for what he did." He looks at me, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine, looking for something.
I sit up and look over at my man. His arms are resting on the bar, his hands twirling what I think is the same bottle of beer he got when he sat down.
I turn back to Nitro. "I can't believe he thinks that I need space.
I know it might be wrong but I'm glad they are gone.
I'm relieved." My voice breaks on the last word.
It feels wrong to say it out loud, but I want Nitro to know the truth.
"Sweetheart, you didn't have to tell me that, but I appreciate it. Go, talk to your man. Put him out of his misery," he says with a smile, then reaches forward and places a small kiss on my cheek. "You're good for him, kid. I'm glad he found you," he whispers, and then gets up and leaves.
I get up and make my way over to the bar. I place my cup on the top and grab Max's arm to get his attention. He turns his head to look at me a little, giving me half a smile, but then turns back to look at his warm bottle of beer.
I grab his leg and spin him toward me, making a big enough gap for me to slip between his thighs. He wraps his arms around my waist and then rests his forehead on mine. "You okay, Dragonfly?" he asks me, his tone dull.
"Max," I whisper. "Thank you."
"For what?" he asks.
"For saving me, and for taking care of them." I swallow the lump in my throat. "I'm glad you did it."
"You don't hate me?”
"God, no. Why would you think that?"
"Because I killed your aunt and uncle. I killed two members of your family," he says.
I smile at him then lean forward and place my lips on his, kissing him gently before pulling away.
He gives me a ghost of a smile, then closes his eyes and blows out a breath. "Nova..."
"Baby, thank you for being the one to do it. Thank you for ending my nightmare. You saved me, us. So many times. You didn't have to, but I'm so grateful that you did," I tell him, as I try to hold back tears.
"I was so worried that you'd hate me for it. I thought I'd lose you after that." His honesty makes my heart heavy.
"We still have so much to learn about each other, but I want to spend forever learning about you. Max, I love you." I grab his face, so he's forced to look at me as I tell him how I feel. I need him to hear me, I need him to really hear me.
He smiles and leans in, his lips a hairsbreadth from mine. "Fuck, I love you too, Dragonfly."
My nerves are shot. The last time we sat in here to do this a car crashed through the main doors and my girl was taken.
But I never got my answer last time, so I need it now.
My fingers rapidly tap on the table as my brothers enter the room, one by one, and take their seats.
This isn't a surprise, they all know why we're in here.
They've been anticipating this since we rescued Nova.
Nitro closes the door and takes his seat. He gives me a look and then slams the gavel on the table. "Over to you, Ice," he says.
"Prez." I give him a nod. "Let's make this quick. I'm claiming Nova," I tell the room.
"Yay." Prez is the first to respond as usual.
"Yay." Followed by Wrath.
The rest of the boys follow with “Yays.” Then all eyes are on Blades—this is where it fell down the last time. This is where it could all go wrong again. I feel sick as I wait for him to give his vote.
"Blades," Prez snaps. "Vote."
My enforcer looks at me. "I'm sorry about the last time. I just wanted you to give it a little time, but I made a mistake, of course you have my vote. Yay."
The relief floods through me, and now I can finally claim my girl officially.
"That’s settled. Nova is now Ice's ol' lady. Congrats, brother. Now go see your girl."