Chapter 35 #2
“Being away made one thing clear. I’m so damn lucky. All I pictured was coming home to you and the kids. Honestly, I think I want a whole soccer team of them, what do you think?”
Renee laughed, the sound magical to his ears. “Well, then you’re well on your way. I’m not sure if I love you or want to choke you, but I’m pregnant.”
“I have the best fucking swimmers,” he whooped. Picking Renee up, he spun her in his arms as they laughed before laying her down on the bed. “I fucking love you.”
Reaching up, she traced the outline of a new cut. “No to the soccer team, but I love you too, you crazy ass.”
“Yeah, but I’m your crazy.”
The world could still be burning, but their room was filled with only heartbeats and peace.
KES
Trev had dropped Kes off at the store down the road from his condo, and by the time he picked out what he wanted, rain had begun to fall.
He rode the elevator up to his and Ashley’s condo and knocked on the door.
It was late, but he knew she would be up.
Ashley was a night owl and loved to sit in the living room reading until the wee hours of the morning.
He could hear her padding softly toward the door, and a second later, the door whipped open, a wide smile on her face that warmed every part of him.
She leaped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him hard. It didn’t matter that he’d fallen in love with her over twenty years ago. Every day felt like the first time he’d seen her. His heart ached being away from her.
“You remembered,” she whispered, as she slowly pulled back and stared at the pretty yellow flowers.
“I forget a lot of things,” he said, stepping closer, “but never you. Never.”
She smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. Kes picked Ashley and carried her into the condo, kissing her again. In the kitchen, he set her on the counter, tossed the flowers down beside her, and ran his hands up and down her legs, terrified to ask the next question.
“You want to know how the appointment went, don’t you?” Ashley asked, reading his mind.
He nodded, hating that he missed even one appointment with her.
Her smile widened. “Baby is doing well, and I’m still doing well, no new MS flares or anything weird.” She traced her fingers up his arms. “So, it’s safe to take me to the bedroom for a proper welcome back.”
“Hell no,” Kes said, and Ashley’s mouth dropped open in shock. “I’m not sticking anything in you again until that baby is born.
“What?”
“You heard me, I’m not taking any chances.”
“Kes…”
“Nope, not a chance, but…” He smirked and opened the fridge door, taking out the can of whipped cream. He shook it slowly as Ashley’s eyes focused on the can. “If you ask nicely, I could be persuaded to do other things.”
“If you tell me I’m a good girl, I’ll get on my knees,” Ashley teased and bit her lip.
“Okay…that did it,” he growled, scooping her up and walking toward the bedroom as she laughed. After many months of stress and constant worry, especially while being away, it felt good to be home and even better to hear Ashley's laughter.
For the first time, Kes didn’t feel like he had anything to hide. Ashley had found him, and as long as he had her, the world felt right.
MORRY
Dawn brushed the sky pale when Morry rode through the gates of the motorcycle compound. The new sign over the clubhouse flickered to life one letter at a time. Half the building still wore scars from the attack, but it was standing, and the new buildings were getting there.
So were they.
She parked, swung off the bike, and walked the long corridor to the small hospital wing, her boots echoing in the hallway.
Jeremy lay in the first room, asleep and breathing easily, with one arm thrown across his chest. The chart clipped to the footboard said morphine—refused. Morry’s mouth curved. “Stubborn bastard,” she murmured.
She toed off her boots and slid carefully onto the narrow mattress beside him. The motion made him stir as she snuggled in close. His arm automatically held her tight. When his eyes opened, blue and heavy with sleep, he smiled.
“Hey, Trouble,” he rasped. “You’re back.”
“Never left,” she whispered, pressing a kiss against his chest.
He brushed his lips across her hair. “I love you.”
She closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat beneath her ear. “I know,” she said, smiling. “We’ve come a long way.”
“We have. No meds,” he informed.
“I know, you’re insane.”
“No, I’ve just lived through worse pain, but now that you’re back, everything is right again.”
Morry smiled and closed her eyes. “I love you too.”
“I know,” Jeremy grinned.
The compound outside was quiet, but in her mind she heard engines, laughter, the rumble of a hundred stories still being written. Trev would rebuild The Righteous, and the rest of them would make sure it never fell again.
Morry listened to the steady rhythm of Jeremy’s heart, anchoring her to the moment and to the reality of who she was, all she’d endured, and yet… how fucking lucky she was.
Her life no longer felt like survival.
It felt like home.