62. Millie
Millie
“Are you ready?” Strike asked her giddily as he lifted her from the car.
“You’ve made me wear a blindfold from the hospital. You’ve told me to shush every time I’ve asked you a question, and now you’re asking me if I’m ready. Of course I’m fucking ready,” Millie grumped.
Her good arm was wrapped around his neck while she cradled her broken one in the sling against her chest. He jostled her slightly. The car door slammed.
“You’re very stroppy. Is this what the rest of our lives will be like? I might change my mind about this forever business,” he whispered in her ear.
“No backsies. It’s you and me now, no matter what.” He feathered kisses to her lips before carrying her a couple of steps.
“I’m taking your blindfold off. You’ll want to squeal, but remember, I have delicate ears.”
She couldn’t glare in a blindfold. “When have I ever squealed?”
“When you rode my mouth.” He was happier than a teenage Caleb after eating two packets of sweets. “And don’t glare at me.”
“I—”
“I know what you’re thinking.” He tugged at her blindfold. “Prepare to squeal.”
Her eyes became accustomed to the bright sunlight. A welcome home sign adorned the front door, and fairy lights covered the fences and bushes.
The sob left her mouth. “But this is Stal’s house, not ours.”
The front door was bright blue, and the grass tidier than she remembered, but she was back at their safe house. There was no mistaking it.
“It’s ours now. I bought it from him. Technically, contracts are still going through, but it’s ours.
You love it here, and I love being wherever you’re happy.
We’re an hour from Bear and Liss, far enough when they get on our nerves but close enough for us to spend time with them.
I can use our house or theirs as a base.
And you can work as a remote counsellor while also being part of the town. ”
She couldn’t stop crying. He held out his sleeve for her to rub her eyes on.
“Are you happy?” Strike stuttered.
“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
“Try and keep that mood because—”
The door opened, and lots of voices shouted, “Surprise!”
At the front stood her mother with tight lips and her right eyebrow raised.
Strike whispered in her ear, “Your mother is here.”
Strike managed to manoeuvre Millie so she avoided speaking to her mum. She’d need at least an hour to build the courage.
As she walked around the room, her heart swelled.
“Jenny looks like you,” Millie said to Stal as he stepped closer.
“Nah.” He beamed. “She’s beautiful. I used to think all babies looked the same, but if there were a competition for the most adorable and beautiful baby, she’d win it, hands down.”
Millie stared at Stal as he rocked Jenny. His face softened, and he sighed happily.
“Jenny Aoife Quinn,” he whispered. “Her mum named her Jenny before she disappeared, and I added Aoife, after my grandma.”
“Thank you for letting us have your house. I know you’re moving away, but you didn’t have to sell to us,” Millie said as Strike’s parents joined them.
“I have no use for it, and it’s full of security equipment no one else would want in their house. I’ll visit sometimes. Treat it with love. And let Joyce give you the occasional food package. She misses her family.”
“She gives great food packages. There’s no chance I’m stopping them.”
“Catch you in a bit,” Stal replied, leaving her with Strike’s parents.
“Mr. and Mrs. Moorcroft, I want to start by saying sor—”
“Ma and Pa, please,” Strike’s mum intervened. “And if you’re trying to apologise for anything, stop, because you’ve given me the best gift—a happy Strike.”
Strike’s mum pulled Millie into a hug. “When I look at my son, I see the cheeky lad he used to be, as well as the caring adult he is now. You’ve made him so happy. I never believed he’d be like this again. Thank you.”
Strike’s dad joined the hug. “Make sure you visit us for dinner.”
Millie’s cheeks were wet with tears, which Strike’s mum wiped away. Strike chatted to Cam. His brows furrowed.
You good? he mouthed.
Really happy, she mouthed back.
Everyone took turns chatting with her or rescuing her from her mum, who lingered close.
Millie spoke with Elsie, Joyce, and Merryn about craft hour, bookshops, and darts clubs, and thanked them for their roles in her rescue mission.
They giggled about how she might have a real honeymoon in her near future.
Millie laughed it off, but it planted a seed of hope. One day, she’d like to call Strike her husband for real.
Later, Cam found her standing on the decking alone. He chatted about his little sister, who still worried him. Luke joined them and joked about how he never realised how funny Strike was, but they were quickly ushered away by Bear and Liss.
“We’ll meet up loads, and I want to swap books now that I know about your social media and—”
“Liss, take a breath and stop meddling,” Bear said with a sigh.
Liss cocked her head and glared at him. “Are you asking me to be someone different, Bear? Because, if I recall correctly, you said you love every part of me.”
Bear twisted his mouth to the side. “I do love every part of you, but Millie’s just come out of the hospital and needs to rest before she’s hosting dinner parties.”
“Okay, that’s fair,” Liss replied. “Your mum’s glaring at Strike every chance she gets. Do you need me to organise a rescue mission and get you out of here?”
Millie laughed. “I love you, Liss, but I can’t avoid her forever.”
“No matter what happens, we’re your other family. If you need anything, we’ve got you. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Can I check which places you and Strike have had sex? I don’t want to be sitting anywhere you two have, you know.” Bear dropped down on the outdoor sofa. Millie stared at him and blushed.
Bear jumped up. “I mean, I’m proud of the guy. We might have to change his name to Home Run, but still.”
Liss shook her head as they all sipped their drinks, enjoying the sound of the waves.
“Can I have a word?”
Millie turned to find her parents and brother eyeballing her.
Liss hugged Millie, carefully avoiding her sling. “Don’t forget, several men here were in the Special Forces. They can hide a body without you needing to ask.”
Millie fought her laughter as she took her family to where Strike stood in the open-plan kitchen. She gripped his hand.
Her mum and brother grumbled as they studied how she threaded her fingers through Strike’s.
“Millie,” her brother began, his hands wide, “we’re worried about you. A few weeks ago, you were fine living a quiet life in your apartment, reading your books, but now you’re back with the man who broke your heart, and you nearly died.”
“What Dexter’s trying to say is—”
“Let me stop you there, Mum. Dexter needs to stop pretending he’s the perfect son. He has secrets to tell you. Strike isn’t the bad guy. He saved my life, challenges me, sees me as an adult who can make decisions, and loves me like I love him, maybe even more some days.”
“Are you sure you’ve not fallen for your bodyguard because you’re desperate to live in this romantic fiction world?” Dexter said, undeterred.
Strike pulled his shoulders back. “Grow up, Dexter. I adore how much Millie loves books. She’s not a child who can’t understand they’re fiction. Let Millie love what she loves. And know this, some people love fictional men because real men aren’t trying hard enough.”
“He’s got a point,” Liss said from the side of the kitchen. Everyone turned to stare as Bear dragged her to the other side of the room while grumbling about her nosiness. “He has. Maybe you need to up your game, Dexter.”
Millie covered her mouth, but her giggles escaped.
“What are your hobbies, Dexter?” Strike asked. “Do you like an action movie or sci-fi?”
“He loves Doctor Who. He’s been obsessed with it since he was a kid,” Millie replied.
“I don’t know how to tell you this, Dex, but Doctor Who isn’t real. The Doctor isn’t coming in his Tardis to take you to meet aliens.”
“I know that. It’s fictional, and I’m an adult.”
“Same, big brother. Same,” Millie said, pointing. “And stop being an arsehole to Strike, because, without him, you wouldn’t be living the life you are now.” Millie raised an eyebrow and waited for an argument.
“I guess.”
Millie growled, and Strike gripped her hand. “Some people can’t be fixed in a day,” he whispered in her ear.
“You still owe him an apology letter,” Millie snapped at her brother.
“I promise I won’t rip it up,” Strike said, needling Dexter.
“We’re getting off track,” Millie’s mum said. “Your father and I have done some soul-searching—”
“Don’t bring me into this. I’ve been proud of our daughter since she brought home her first finger painting from preschool. Millie, date who you want to. Marry this guy and read what you want, but promise me, whatever you do, you’ll be happy.”
“I promise, Dad. I’m really happy. Strike’s my guy, and I couldn’t want more.”
Her dad hugged her and shook Strike’s hand. “Welcome to the family, lad. Now, tell me, is there a decent pub with a dart board in this town?”
“Yes, and your daughter’s a darts shark,” he replied. “We’ll take you there someday.”
“As I was saying,” Millie’s mum said, “I’ve been soul-searching, and I want to apologise.
” Strike gripped Millie tighter. “For years, I didn’t let you grow up.
You were my desperately wanted baby girl, and I needed to protect you.
But I should’ve let you fly. Two weeks away from my constant calls and demands—look at you.
You’re a fighter, a strong woman who cares for others and helps them accept who they are, and you’ve made friends who want to celebrate you. ”
Millie held her breath.
“You’re a marvel, and I’m proud of you. I’m sorry, Millie. And you have all these real-life friends. These count unlike the online ones,” her mum added.
“Hey, does Millie live here?” an American accent called out from the doorway.
Millie gasped. “Rylee, is that you?”
A beautiful brunette dropped her bag and held her arms open. “Hey, book bestie. You survived, then.”
Millie made a high-pitched wheeeee noise, and Strike nudged her and said something under his breath about squealing. She bounced over to Rylee and hugged her with her good arm. “How did you find me?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay, and Strike insisted I visit. He arranged it all. You’re really fucking important to me, Millie.”
“You’re important to me.” They hugged again. “I can’t believe you’re here. You saved my life.”
“I did what I could. Hey, Strike,” she said, smacking him on the back. “Well done.”
Strike grinned as he hugged Rylee. “It was all you.”
“Can I introduce you to my mum? She still doesn’t believe online friends are real friends,” Millie whispered in her ear.
“Yes! I want the credit for saving your ass. Let me introduce myself,” she replied as Millie pointed her mum out.
As Rylee strode away, Millie reached for Strike and pulled him out the door. She sat on the wall outside their front lawn, and he joined her.
“Thank you for being everything I could ever want and more,” she said. “I’m so lucky.”
Their legs touched, and he pushed his hands into her hair as he replied, “I’m the lucky one.
You remind me there’s love and hope in the world.
I was missing those things for so long. You’ve cared for my friends, you’ve made a whole fucking town smile, and healed hurting people.
You’re the light to my darkness, except on those days when we embrace it together. ”
Millie sighed as his forehead touched hers. “I love you.”