Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
SADIE
Henry got so far as reaching behind to the gun at his back before my elbow shot out and smacked him in the face.
There was a crunch, and blood sprayed everywhere.
It was disgusting. One of the bikers tackled Henry to the ground and disarmed him.
Then Gideon was there. He grabbed my cheeks, squeezed my shoulders, and let out a big, gusting exhale.
His hair was a mess and his eyes were wild.
“You’re okay,” he breathed, and I wasn’t sure if he was saying it to me or himself.
“I’m okay,” I replied, but my bottom lip trembled.
His jaw went hard, and he turned to the man still pinned to the floor. The biker holding him down scuttled away, and Gideon lifted my ex up by his hair. Without hesitating, Gideon gave him two hard punches to the gut and one to the jaw. Henry crumpled into a bloody pile.
Then I was back in Gideon’s arms, clutching his shirt. “I don’t endorse violence, but that was pretty good,” I said in a trembling voice.
“Did he touch you?”
I shook my head. His hands coasted over my body, over my back and arms, like he wanted to make sure I was whole. His chest heaved, and I found myself comforting him instead of the other way around. Sirens screamed, and suddenly there were cops pulling into the lot.
But all I could look at was Gideon.
“You came for me.”
“Always.”
I sucked in a trembling breath, and then Gideon was holding me. “I’m sorry, Sadie. So sorry for how I acted. Sorry for pushing you away. Sorry for not begging you to stay.”
“It’s okay.” I sniffled.
“It’s not.” He pulled away. Looked in my eyes. “I love you. You hear me? I love everything about you, and I’m pretty sure I’ve loved you since you gave me lip on our way up the aisle.”
“I did not give you lip,” I protested, a watery laugh bubbling out of me.
“I think part of me died in that fire, and you brought me back to life.” His gaze was solemn, his hands soft as he cupped my face.
“You’re everything to me. The reason I get up in the morning.
The light and air and water I need to survive.
I need you. I love you. You’re my everything.
Forgive me for shutting you out. Forgive me for not getting on my knees and begging you to stay or take me with you. I love you, Sadie, and I always will.”
Gideon dropped to his knees. Cops jogged up to us and hauled Henry to his feet before slapping him in cuffs.
We ignored them. Gideon stared at me with those incredible blue eyes, so full of emotion, and said, “I can’t live without you, Sadie.
Marry me. Officially. Come back and file the wedding certificate with me, and then I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. Till death, baby. Forever.”
Smiling through my tears, I said, “I can’t do that.”
Confusion drew his brows together. Devastation began to creep into his expression, and he opened his mouth—but I cut him off.
“I already filed it, Gideon.” I could tell he didn’t understand.
My smile was wild, uncontrollable, as it spread over my lips.
“I spoke to your grandmother earlier. Got the certificate. Filed it at Town Hall. We’re officially, legally, undeniably married.
” I poked his chest with every word as I hardened my expression.
“If you want to get rid of me, you’ve got to divorce me.
And I’m not going to make it easy on you, so be ready for the fight of your life. ”
Disbelief made his eyes wide. And then I was in his arms as he whooped, spinning me in a circle. Caught in the cage of his arms, I let myself melt into him. From somewhere far, far away, I heard Henry screaming. I blocked it out because it didn’t matter what he had to say. He didn’t matter.
My life, my future, my husband, was right here.
“I love you,” I whispered, touching my nose to Gideon’s.
Placing me back down on the ground, Gideon pressed his forehead against mine as he held me tight. “I love you.” His eyes were closed, and for a moment, we just breathed each other in.
Then someone cleared their throat. Cash stood beside us, a sardonic eyebrow lifted. He gave us a slow clap. “Isn’t this beautiful,” he said. “The two lovebirds, reunited.”
“What do you want, Cash?” Gideon asked, his arms tightening around me.
“I just want to tell you that now we’re even.”
Gideon frowned. “Even?”
Cash tilted his head toward one of his men. He was younger, late teens or early twenties, and below the cuff of his leather jacket, I saw the familiar texture of burn scars. He was one of the boys that Gideon had saved in the warehouse fire. “My nephew’s life for your wife’s,” Cash stated.
“You never owed me anything for that,” Gideon said.
Cash shrugged. “Regardless, now it’s done.” He glanced at me, winked, then gave me a little salute. On his pinky finger, a signet ring glinted.
I jerked my gaze down to Gideon’s hand. “You gave him your father’s ring?”
“He wanted something in return for bringing me to you.”
“That asshole!” I tried to pull away, and Gideon jerked me back. I crashed into his chest and glared at him. “I’m going to go get it back. Let me go! I should’ve elbowed him in the face when I had the chance!”
Gideon huffed, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs. “Easy, Sadie.”
“I need to punch him right now.”
Gideon’s smile was brighter than I’d ever seen it. “I love it when you get all protective of me.”
“Well, no one else is going to do it, are they?” I gave up the fight and stayed in the circle of his arms. “You need taking care of, Gideon Mars, and I’m damn well going to do it. Stealing your father’s ring when you were desperate!”
He tightened his hold on me, leaning his forehead against mine. “I don’t care about the ring. I would have given him my right arm if it meant I got you back.”
“Still, that’s not—”
“Sadie.” Gideon kissed me, then pulled away. Smiled. “It’s just a ring.”
That’s when I realized Gideon seemed lighter. Freer. I wondered how much his promise to his father had weighed on him all these years. All the responsibility for his family’s well-being had been thrust onto Gideon.
Now, maybe, it was time to start a new chapter—with me.
Eventually, after multiple interviews with police officers, Gideon and I were on the road back to Marswood Harbor.
We would spend the night at the cottage, then head to the city together in the morning, where I’d meet with my new client and earn enough money to reopen the doors of my business.
In the meantime, Etta would deal with the nightmare of insurance, police reports, and construction required to rebuild Life’s a Stitch.
As we drove past the gates of Etta Mars’s estate, I said, “Your grandmother is kind of scary.”
Gideon laughed. “Yeah.”
“I didn’t think she’d give me the wedding certificate without talking to you.”
“She did talk to me.”
“What? She was with me the whole time. I told her I wanted to file it, she listened, and then she got someone to bring me the paperwork. She didn’t touch her phone.”
Gideon smiled softly, slowing as he hit the town limits. The leaves on the trees fluttered in welcome, and Glenn, Connor, and Lola turned to wave at us from where they stood in front of the beauty parlor, scraping spray paint off the windows.
“That day she called me into her study,” Gideon replied, pulling up on the side of the road in front of the burned-out husk of Life’s a Stitch. “She asked me if I wanted to make it official. I said yes.”
I stared at him. “That was only two weeks after the wedding.”
“Yeah.”
“It was before we…before anything. We barely knew each other.”
“It was enough to know you were the one.” His voice was soft.
Sincere. He reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear then leaned across to kiss me once, twice, three times.
Then Gideon pulled something out of his pocket.
My wedding band shone between his fingertips for a moment, and then Gideon took my left hand and slid the ring where it belonged.
Throat tight, I threw my arms around him and kissed him harder. Then we got out together and got my stuff out of the mangled wreck that was my car. Soot, ash, and dents marred the front of the vehicle. Both front tires had exploded from the heat, but most of my belongings seemed to be okay.
“I’m going to need a new car,” I said.
“I’ll handle it,” Gideon replied, and I smiled, knowing he would.
That evening, Gideon and I moved slowly, enjoying the feel of each other’s arms. He fielded phone calls from the whole family, and I was surprised to hear my phone ringing just as much.
Finally, frustrated at the hundredth assurance that we were both okay, Gideon took both phones, turned them off, and tossed them in the junk drawer in the kitchen.
His annoyance made me laugh, and I delighted in the tiny curl that tugged at his lips.
We ate, cuddled, and kissed. We touched each other and reminded each other that we were safe, and alive, and in love. Just like this—just as we were—we were enough. The certainty of it sank me into the deepest, most restful sleep of my life.
Waking up next to Gideon with early morning sun streaming through the bedroom window was one of the happiest moments of my life. He took his time to kiss and stroke me, until I was a limp body in the bed beside him. Then he grinned and tugged me out of bed…
And to the front door.
On the stoop, a reusable grocery bag waited beside a cardboard tray bearing two cups from Knead More Bread.
“Matcha!” I exclaimed, delighted.
“I got my brother to drop some supplies over,” Gideon explained, handing me my drink while he took his coffee.
He grabbed the bag, towed me inside, and told me to sit down on the couch while he cooked.
I watched him move through the kitchen with that irresistible confidence, a soft smile on my face.
He was so incredibly sexy, and he was mine.
Then the smell hit, and I sat up. “Pancakes,” I said.