Chapter 32 #2
“Sure, give it a try if you think you can do any better,” Saylor replies, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but a softness is there too.
I nod against North’s neck as he continues to stroke my head, his presence and reassurance slowly helping to anchor me back.
“What triggered your panic so early in the morning?” North’s voice is soft, his lips pressing a gentle kiss into my hair.
“Just a nightmare,” I murmur, a shiver passing through me at the memory of that nightmare and the drowning.
“Was it about the institution?” he inquires, his tone carefully neutral.
“No, it was about…” I begin, hesitating as I grapple with how to explain it.
“Our fuckup, right? Makes sense why you’d run from Hunter’s bed to nowhere,” he says, nodding. His voice carries an emotion I can’t quite discern.
I lean back slightly to take in our surroundings. “Where are we?”
Saylor chuckles lightly. “You really are something, you know that?”
“The Lost Fishermen’s Memorial,” North informs me, and I turn to see the stone sculpture nearby.
Facing North again, I suddenly realize how close we are, our noses almost touching. “Why are you up so early?” I whisper.
His gaze drifts to my lips, lingering there for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “I got a call about something I wanted to discuss with you.”
A call?
“What is it?” I ask, his hand squeezing my thigh reassuringly.
“I couldn’t get over the fact you didn’t know whether your sacrifice had actually helped Stanley’s family and if they were safe. So I looked into it,” North shares, and I feel a chill run through me, my blood turning cold with apprehension.
Please, let them be alive.
Sensing my tension and silence, North continues, “They’re fine. They were still living in the same place. Stanley’s wife mentioned things were better, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. So, we decided it was best for them to relocate.”
“Relocate?” I echo, bewildered.
“I have many contacts in Maine. I helped her find a job, secured an apartment, and ensured her daughter was enrolled in a good school. They’re safe now and far enough away that you don’t have to see them again if you choose not to.”
I’m stunned.
How did he manage all this?
“You did this? For me?” Tears well up in my eyes again.
“Oh, and Mrs. Walters kindly handed over the evidence her husband had collected,” North adds.
Panic surges within me. “North, you need to destroy that or give it back. Mayor Thomson’s dangerous, he—”
“I can be dangerous too when someone hurts what’s mine,” he interrupts, a fierce glint in his eyes. “And he won’t be a threat to anyone anymore. As of last night, he’s been arrested.”
Mine? Does he consider me his?
“Wow,” Saylor mutters in awe. “Don’t fuck with North Jones, ladies and gentlemen.”
“How?” My voice is a mere whisper, my mind reeling.
“There was a raid, and the evidence was found, so no one can be directly implicated. He’s facing trial, but the evidence is damning. He’ll lose his power, and my contact is confident he’ll serve time.”
A sob breaks from me, and I hurl myself into North’s arms again, clinging to him. “Thank you,” I whisper, overwhelmed by gratitude and relief.
“You never have to thank me, Blue. I told you, from now on, everything I do is to make sure you and Lio are safe and happy,” North reassures me with a gentle firmness.
“I guess I need to find a new nickname for him. And you do, too, Slo,” Saylor interjects, his tone light.
I let out a soft laugh against North’s neck, feeling a moment of lightness amidst the turmoil. “What’s funny?” North asks, not irritated but curious, wanting to be included.
“Saylor just said we need new nicknames for you since Thundercunt and Satan don’t really fit anymore,” I whisper, reluctant to break the embrace.
North chuckles. “I wouldn’t ever give up Thundercunt. And there’s something about Satan that’s appealing.”
I lean back to look at him, then plant a small kiss on his cheek. “Thank you. You helped calm me down.”
Saylor scoffs beside us, but I choose to ignore him.
“That wasn’t even my main intention for calming you down.
Those were just the recent updates I had,” North says as he gently tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.
He reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out a key, and holds it before my eyes.
“This is actually meant to help calm you down,” he says.
A key? To the house?
I start to speak, but he places a finger over my lips, causing my heart to flutter.
“I’m trying to knock each item off the list of things I have that you like more than me,” he explains with a smirk.
“If the house becomes yours too, if it’s your home as well, it can’t stay on that list, and that puts me one point ahead, right? ”
He wants me to live with them, to share a house, a home.
The thought fills me with a mix of surprise and joy, with a flicker of fear. But looking into North’s eyes, I sense only sincerity.
“Yes, thank fuck. Don’t get me wrong, I like your van, but let’s keep it for holidays, date nights, and stuff. Anything without a shower or a fridge isn’t a home,” Saylor chimes in, but I’m still reeling from the magnitude of North’s gesture.
North takes my hand, gently opening it, and places the key in my palm. Then he leans in to kiss my cheek. “Welcome home, roomie,” he whispers, his breath dancing over my cheek.
Tears well up in my eyes, and I shake my head. “This is too much,” I whisper, my voice choked with emotion.
“Too much was how I treated you before, what I called you. There’s nothing too much to show you how sorry I am. And more importantly, I want you there. We all do. You belong with us. Having a key, a home, and all your things there with us might help you see we’re serious. We want to keep you.”
“I—” I start to protest, but I’m not even sure what I’m protesting anymore. I love that house. It has felt like home since the first time I was there.
I love the men and the family living inside.
“You can park the van in the driveway until I finish building the carport for it,” North continues.
“You’re building a carport for my van?” I ask, surprised.
“You are building something?” Saylor questions in disbelief.
North nods with a slight smile. “I’ve got many projects around the house. There’s a lot to do, and Lio really enjoys it. Though I must admit, I’m not the best with a hammer.” He raises his left hand to show me a Band-Aid wrapped around his forefinger.
“Fuck, that’s priceless.” Saylor laughs heartily, almost doubling over, as a smile naturally finds its way across my face.
“Poor Satan, need some lessons on using a big hammer?” I tease, and his eyes darken, a hand coming up to cup the side of my head, fingers weaving into my hair.
“I’d definitely appreciate that,” he murmurs, his cock hardening beneath me as I straddle him, and it takes all I have not to squirm.
Saylor’s voice drifts from behind me, a hint of amusement in his tone. “Why does the thought of you handling his hammer turn me on?”
Same.
I stand, already missing his warmth, realizing how fucking cold it is out here.
How did I only notice this now?
North quickly sees my shiver and stands too, draping his coat over my shoulders. As I slip my arms through, he takes my hand. “So, is that a ‘yes’ to being roommates?”
“Yes,” I reply, smiling, as Saylor whoops in the background.
I’m done fighting this.
Done running.
Saylor is right. I need to stop sabotaging myself and trust that things will work out.
I deserve it.
North leans in to kiss my cheek, then gently pulls me along. “Since you’ll be living at the house now, I think it’s time to show you the laundry room,” he teases with a grin.
Seeing North Jones grin at me like a boy is a heady feeling, and the butterflies in my stomach tell me I’m fucked.
“I don’t smell,” I protest, my heart racing just from his coat around me, his hand in mine, his key in my palm.
“No, but that sweater has a stain on it, and I don’t want to guess what it’s from.”
Glancing down at my chest, I notice a white stain—remnants of the shortcake Hunter and I shared yesterday after we got home. Still, it could easily be mistaken for something else. Embarrassed, I feel my cheeks heat up.
Saylor chuckles alongside us as we walk. “He’s right, you need to wash that.”
“Anyway,” I start, prompting a chuckle from them. “It seems you can do anything.”
North frowns, looking at me curiously. “I have my ways, know some people, money helps. What are you getting at?”
“How can you relocate people and take down mayors but not find anything to help Saylor?” I ask, knowing it might be unfair. Hunter said they tried everything seven years ago, but now it seems like they’ve just accepted Saylor’s fate.
North stops, turning to face me, his eyes filled with hurt and longing.
I almost feel sorry for him, but then I see Saylor watching him, clearly with the same question on his mind.
“You’re right. I haven’t done enough these past few years.
There might be new methods, new studies,” North concedes, biting his lip.
“Lio wanted to color today. Maybe we can all sit at the kitchen table, he can color, and we can make some calls to look into things. What do you say? I think we’ve done enough running for one morning. ”
Saylor takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself, his fists clenched, but he nods in agreement.
“That’s a great idea, thank you,” I tell North, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as we resume walking. He strokes the back of my hand gently, and I watch our hands before looking up at him. “You’re changing.”
He really is. He’s not talking big like Nash or pushing like Hunter.
He’s showing me that he can change by doing and making it happen.
“Told you to watch.”