42. Luke
CHAPTER 42
Luke
The morning after Melanie’s rescue, we stayed in bed late while she told me the whole story of her captivity.
I held her while she talked, gently stroking her skin. I hadn’t pushed her to tell me anything, leaving it in her hands whether she shared the details. She’d insisted that she wanted to. That she needed to speak the truth of what had happened to her. Bring it into the light so it wouldn’t fester inside her.
It wasn’t easy to hear. But in the end, I was so fucking proud of her.
And so grateful she was with me, and it was over.
After lingering in bed, our limbs tangled, we got up and it was like stepping into a new reality. The past wasn’t gone, and it certainly wasn’t forgotten. But it wasn’t as heavy as it had once been. And I knew that somehow, after everything we’d been through, we were free to move forward.
I went to the kitchen to make coffee while she poked around the cupboards and refrigerator, looking for something to eat. I loved the sight of her in nothing but one of my old Haven Auto T-shirts, her legs bare.
She pulled a jar of pickles out of the fridge and opened the lid .
“Really?” I asked. “First thing?”
“It’s midmorning. This is a brunch pickle.”
I made a face. “A brunch pickle?”
She took a bite. “It’s a thing.”
“I don’t think it is, but you do you, baby.”
“I should probably put some pants on.”
My brow furrowed. “Why would you do that?”
“How long do you think it’ll be until people start stopping by? And by people, I mostly mean my parents.”
“We saw them yesterday.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
I shrugged and poured our coffee.
When we’d arrived in Tilikum after our ordeal, I’d wanted nothing more than to fall into bed with Melanie and shut out the world. But there were people who loved her too who needed to see her—hug her and see for themselves that she was all right.
We took our coffee—and her jar of pickles—to the couch, and she nestled against me. I kissed her hair and leaned my face against her head, just breathing in the moment. She was there. She was safe. She was with me.
And I was never going to let her go.
Not like the psycho who’d taken her. He’d wanted to chain her up, hold her captive. I wanted her free—free to be the chaotic, dramatic mess I loved so much.
Free, and also mine.
My phone buzzed with a text. Somewhat reluctantly, I reached over to the coffee table to check it. It was Garrett asking if he could stop by. I replied that it was fine.
“I guess you should put on pants.” I stroked her bare thigh a few times. “But I don’t have to like it.”
She laughed a little. “You can probably talk me into taking them off later.”
“Your wish is my command.”
“My every whim is your command,” she said in her Queen Ione voice as she got up from the couch.
“That probably shouldn’t turn me on, but it’s so hot when you’re an evil queen.”
“I’ll allow you to please me later,” she said, still using the voice. “For now, I have duties to attend to.”
Grinning, I shook my head and adjusted myself as she sauntered to the bedroom. If Garrett hadn’t been on his way over, I would have followed her.
She came back a short time later, dressed in my T-shirt and joggers, her dark hair down. We’d cleaned off most of the duct tape residue, but there was still redness around her wrists from being bound. I drew her back onto the couch and kissed the insides of her wrists a few times.
There was a knock on the door, so I got up to answer it. Garrett was dressed in street clothes, carrying a pink Angel Cakes Bakery box. He came inside and took off his aviators.
“Sorry to bug you guys,” he said as I closed the door behind him. “But Harper sent cookies.”
I took the box and set it on the coffee table, then took my seat next to Melanie. “It’s fine. Are you here on official business or just checking in?”
He sat in the armchair. “Both. I wanted you to hear it from me. The suspect did not survive the crash.”
I could feel the tension leave Melanie’s body.
“Thank freaking goodness,” she said. “My imagination was going a little wild, thinking he might show up here, all black and burned, like something out of a horror movie.”
“No chance of that,” Garrett said. “We were also able to search the cabin where he took you.”
“The fire didn’t get it?” I asked.
He shook his head. “The winds shifted last night so we were able to get out there early this morning. Between what we found there and the contents of the vehicle, we’ve been able to piece things together. He had photos of you from before the first abduction. And one from…” He hesitated. “During.”
She shuddered. “That’s so gross.”
“We also figured out where he’s been for the past eleven years. Or at least for ten of them. From what we can tell, after you escaped his first attempt, he fled to his mother’s residence in Tennessee. While he was living there, he was caught and convicted of credit card fraud. It was pretty substantial, so he went to prison. Served a ten-year sentence.”
“Holy shit,” I muttered. “That must be why he didn’t go after her before.”
“Exactly,” he said. “Based on when he was released, he left almost immediately. Came here.”
“How did he find her?” I asked.
“We don’t know. There are a number of ways he could have tracked her down.”
“It’s not like I’ve been in hiding or something,” she said.
“The good news is, it’s over,” Garrett said. “He’s out of the picture and won’t be coming back to haunt you.”
“We should celebrate,” she said. “With cookies.”
Garrett gestured to the box. “Those are fresh.”
“Tell Harper thank you so much.” Melanie opened the box and gasped. “Oh my god, they’re pickles!”
Sure enough, Harper had made pickle-shaped sugar cookies, complete with green icing.
“They’re not pickle flavored, are they?” I asked.
“Don’t think so,” Garrett said.
Melanie picked one up and took a bite. Moaning, she closed her eyes as she chewed. “These are so good. Whoever said cookies can’t solve your problems has never tried Harper’s baking.”
“She’ll be glad to know you like them.” Garrett stood and put on his aviators. “I should get back.”
“Thanks for stopping by,” I said .
“I’m just glad I had good news to deliver. And that you two are okay.”
Melanie picked up a second cookie. “I’m sure I have enough unresolved trauma to keep my therapist employed for the next decade. But that’s okay, because therapy exists! And so do cookies, and pickles.” She glanced at me. “And other things.”
Garrett said goodbye, and as he closed the door behind him, Melanie handed me a cookie. Thankfully, they were not pickle flavored.
A short time later, her mom called to announce they were bringing us lunch. Then her sister-in-law called to see if we needed anything, and my mom called to ask if she could bring over dinner later. Theo texted to see if we wanted anything from the store, as did Annika a few minutes later. Then Audrey and Marigold both texted the same thing.
“I feel like we should host an I’m-okay-and-all-is-well reception,” Melanie said as she set down her phone. “Probably a weird reason for a big family get-together. So, what are you doing tonight? Oh, you know, a family member was abducted and could have been killed, but her boyfriend saved her and now we’re all going to eat pizza and breadsticks.”
“You know, if we play this right, we could get free food for a week.” I leaned over and brushed her lips with a kiss. “And I don’t know that I did a lot of saving. You were well on your way to saving yourself.”
She smiled and kissed me. “I think it was a team effort. Just the way it should be.”
I kissed her again, savoring the feel of her lips on mine. “How much time until your parents show up?”
“Probably an hour. Why?”
“I think the queen deserves someone who will please her.” I licked my lips. “With his tongue.”
She shifted to her queen voice. “Do your worst. ”
Pushing her onto her back, I took off her clothes and went to work pleasing my queen, just the way she liked it.
Later, we lay on the couch together, our bodies sated. My mind wandered as I traced idle circles on her skin. We’d laid ourselves bare, sharing our memories and wounds—even the ones we’d given each other. But there was one thing unresolved between us.
I still had a bet to win.