40. Reed
Chapter forty
Reed
Three hours on the road with no stops is all worth it when the compound comes into view.
It’s well hidden among the acreage outside of Columbus, and I don’t slow down as I kick up dust along the connecting roads.
I get a few side-eyes from people who are loitering outside.
Theo has no idea it’s even me, but he waves like an excited kid as I fly by.
I spot Thalia’s house, the black roof standing out among the others. Then I see her.
She’s about to walk up the steps, but she never makes it as I slide the bike along the rocks and she whips around. Maybe that isn’t the best option because my leg almost gets caught as I fight to not embarrass myself further in front of the woman I love.
“Who the fuck—Reed?” Thalia gasps when I toss the helmet aside.
I point to the steps of her porch with a stern expression. “Sit down. You’re going to listen to me. Do you understand?”
She blinks, turning to stare at the porch. “Uh, okay.” She slowly eases down, tucking her knees to her chest as she rolls her lips in.
I throw my hands up, pacing. “You left me at the train station and made Rowan push me onto the train. That was very rude, by the way. Then I call and text you for days, and you don’t respond to me.
” I shove my hands through my hair, my chest rising and falling.
“And all because you were afraid of losing me…”
Her mouth quivers as fresh tears well in her eyes, but I don’t stop. Instead, I drop to my knees in front of her, reaching out for her. “Thalia, you deserve the fucking world.” My voice cracks on the last word. “And I want to be the man to give it to you.”
She stares at me, tears spilling silently down her cheeks. For once, she doesn’t look away. She doesn’t hide behind a joke or a sarcastic comment. She just looks at me.
“Reed...” she whispers.
“No,” I shake my head. “You’re going to hear this.”
Her brows pull together, but she nods.
“You keep acting like pushing people away is going to solve everything.” My grip tightens around her hand. “Like if you care too much, or love too much, or need too much, something bad will happen.”
She swallows hard.
“And yeah, maybe I was pissed. Maybe I was hurt when you didn’t show.” I laugh bitterly. “Actually, scratch that. I was furious.”
A watery laugh escapes her.
“But do you know what never crossed my mind?”
“What?” she asks quietly.
“Leaving without you beside me.”
The words hang between us, and her eyes widen.
“Not once,” I continue. “Not when you stopped answering. Not when Taryn told me to give you space. Not when I spent every night wondering if you hated me.”
“I never hated you,” she says immediately, shifting forward on the step as she cups my cheeks. Her touch undoes me, making my eyes flutter. “Quite the opposite, actually.” She admits quietly.
“I know that now.” I whisper as I take her hand in mine. “Because I feel the same.” My eyes open, and I soak her in—her tear-stained cheeks that I’ll kiss dry, the downturn of her lips that I’ll ensure never such sorrow again, and just her.
My mystery girl.
The Little Devil who stole my heart.
My everything.
“I love you, Thalia Kingsley,” I whisper between us. “So fucking much.”
More tears fall as she holds me as if I’m precious to her. “I love you too, Reed. With everything in me.”
I close the space, my lips crashing over hers, and the feeling of finally being home washes over me. Because this is where I’m meant to be—here, in her arms, forever loved and cherished by the most selfless, compassionate woman I’ve ever met.
And I’ll spend every day for the rest of our lives showing her just how much she deserves the whole world on a silver platter.
Thalia and I walk hand in hand towards Dale’s, both of us trying—and failing—not to smile like complete idiots. Our hair is a mess, our clothes are wrinkled, and we’ve spent the better part of twenty-four hours “talking things out” in the shed.
The second we step inside, the entire bar erupts.
Cheers. Applause. Whistles.
I stop dead. “Oh, absolutely not.”
“At least they waited until we came inside,” Thalia mutters, already turning red.
Our family occupies the biggest table in the room, and unfortunately, they’re the loudest. Atlas lets out a piercing whistle that could probably summon wildlife from three counties over. “LET’S GOOOOO!” he shouts, pumping both fists.
Addison glares at him as she pulls Sophia closer to her chest, rocking the newborn as she snoozes. Loxley smacks the back of her husband’s head, shushing him.
“There he is!” Theo shouts with a smile. “I would give you a hug, Reed, but by the looks of it, I’ll have to drown myself in sanitizer afterwards.”
My lips thin as I nod. “It’s the thought that counts, right?”
Dom tips his beer in our direction as Alana waves us over to her side of the table.
We skirt wide around everyone, taking our seats and trying to hide our embarrassment.
Thalia glances at me out of the corner of her eye, and we both lose it, our laughter becoming swallowed by the conversation around us as we settle against each other with love-drunk eyes.
Connor lifts his beer high, proposing a toast. “Here’s to officially having the family together tomorrow!”
Taryn and Emma will be moving onto the compound tomorrow, and it makes my chest warm to know these people, our found family, have accepted them with open arms.
Everyone raises their glasses high, slamming them together in a loud clink.
Little Sophia releases a high-pitched squeak before settling and falling back asleep as Addison coos at her. Rowan slings his arm around his wife, staring down at his niece fondly as he pulls them closer.
“You know,” Addison says quietly, “I wouldn’t mind if this was our life…”
Rowan’s eyes widen. “You mean—”
His wife bites her bottom lip as she nods.
He addresses the table with a stern expression. “Okay, starting tomorrow, we’re on vacation. I’m putting Reed in charge.”
“What the fuck?” Atlas complains over his beer.
“Yeah, why does he get to be in charge?” Theo asks.
“Because he’s one of the few people at this table who isn’t a felon and is not currently busy with other things,” Rowan shrugs.
I lift a finger. “Actually…”
All eyes snap to me.
“I killed Brooks. I suffocated him in the hospital.”
Thalia smiles with pride as a stunned silence spreads over the table. Some of our family blink in disbelief.
“Well, fuck me sideways,” Rowan mutters.
Connor slaps a hand on the table. “I told you he’s a natural!”
Laughter erupts before easy conversation flows. The topic of Bailey gets brought up organically, and a few people seem to tense. Addison and Rowan glance at each other the same way Thalia and I do.
“How’s she doing?” Loxley asks, peering around the table.
“Better now,” Alana supplies. “She went back home and worked things out with Liam.”
Addison’s shoulders drop as she releases a quiet breath—almost like she’s disappointed.
Theo’s jaw twinges before he slaps a hand over the table. “I’m going to get another beer.” He pushes out his chair, stalking away before anyone can say anything.
Dom is tense, his shoulders rigid as he stares at the table with his bottle in his hand. He’s frozen—the vision of a man who can’t pull himself out of a day terror. As if Alana’s words alone set him off.
But no one else seems to notice the duo’s mood shift as Loxley continues.
“The wedding has been pushed back more times than I can even count,” she says, resting her elbow on the table and placing her chin in her hand.
“They’re just going through a rough patch,” Connor shrugs. “Wouldn’t know anything about that—”
Alana elbows him hard in the side, silencing him. “Excuse me, but do you not remember that we hated each other in high school?”
He snorts. “You hated me. I was obsessed from the very beginning.”
That earns a few laughs from the table, and the atmosphere seems to lighten up as the topic changes. Thalia leans into my chest, resting her head back on my shoulder as I rub her arm affectionately.
“I could get used to this,” she muses quietly.
I hum as I kiss the top of her hair. “You better. Because I’m not going anywhere, Little Devil.”
She turns to look at me, a fondness twinkling in her eyes. “To forever.”
I kiss her passionately, every movement slow and deliberate, before resting my forehead on hers. “To forever.”