Chapter Six #4
And she knew what was coming.
Josh would be bailing.
No sane man in his right mind would want this kind of a life.
NONE.
All the talk of leaving with Avalon, and how Lucian and the Marines weren’t going back…
It scared her.
Because the pull to Avalon was real, and it was difficult to ignore.
So, when he dropped her off at her apartment and ran, she’d understand.
After all, she was a risk.
A huge one.
When her phone chimed, she pulled it out of her pocket to read the incoming message.
It was from her boss, and she only hoped it didn’t make this whole situation worse.
‘Be at the office by eight tomorrow. We’re keeping the team small on this, but you’re in danger, and we need to keep you, Lucian, and Avalon wrangled. See you then and be safe. Tori.’
Well, it appeared she was going to be heading there alone. Well, at least she still had her dog. She’d mourn the loss and go from there.
It wasn’t like she wasn’t accustomed to being ditched. That was the theme of her life.
Her mother.
Her father.
Now, a man she loved.
Once more, it was going to be just the two of them as they navigated this mess.
As he reached the Enchanted Jewels parking lot, she was about to speak, but she could see the tension on Josh’s face.
Yeah, this was about to blow.
When he parked the car, and came around to open her door, she was shocked by that.
Then again, he was a decent guy and likely trying to keep her safe.
A cop had to cop.
That was all this likely was, and she knew it. Still, for that, she appreciated it.
As they headed to the door, she unlocked it, and they climbed the back steps to the apartment. Once inside, Josh locked the door and made sure they were safely tucked inside.
As they broke the magick threshold, the cool, calm energy assaulted them.
They were safe.
Well, physically.
Her heart was about to be handed to her.
Call it a hunch.
Inside, he hung up the keys beside hers and toed off his boots.
Before he could say anything, Genesis went there.
“I’m sorry.”
For the whole ride there, he’d been a nervous fucking wreck. He saw the writing on the wall, and his heart was hurting. He didn’t want to lose this woman.
Oh, and he was scared she’d die.
All the talk of what was coming…it had him by the balls, and Josh didn’t like that.
Not.
At.
All.
Now, he could hear the retreat in her voice. He knew what was coming, simply because he knew Genesis better than anyone.
“For?” he asked, bracing for it.
She waved her arm to encompass everything in her apartment, and her life.
The breakdown was coming.
She could feel it overwhelming her, and even in this calm, peaceful space.
Genesis was seconds from losing the best thing in her life, and she couldn’t stop it.
Nothing could stop it.
“For all of this. Here, you meet me and find out that I’m not what I seem.
I’m a mess. I have two dead parents, something evil chasing me, and I’m some psychic who just had her powers turn on.
What powers? I have no fucking clue. All I know is no sane person in this world would want to deal with this. I don’t want to deal with this.”
He lifted a brow.
Well, then, it was clear he wasn’t sane because Josh absolutely wanted to deal with this.
Losing her was not the agenda.
For.
Sure.
He was in love, and together, they’d work through this. Only, now, he’d been right. She was trying to shove his ass out the door.
It appeared they were about to have their second fight because he wasn’t backing down on this one.
Because they’d made it clear they both wanted all or they wanted NOTHING.
And he was here to collect.
On all.
As he stood there silently watching her, she kept going, trying to save what she could.
“I won’t blame you for turning around and leaving. I’d probably do the same in your shoes.”
Well, that was the wrong thing to say.
Now, Josh was annoyed.
So, he went there.
“Oh, you’d leave?” he asked. “Because I’m not some pussy who tucks tail and runs when the going gets tough. Here, I was going to ask you to marry me, and suggest we elope tomorrow, but now, I’m getting the impression that even married, you’d bail if it got rough. NOT ME.”
At his words, she blinked.
Had she just heard him right?
There was no way.
“What?” she asked.
So, he showed her.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a ring box and slapped it down on the counter.
HARD.
“After YOUR dog got into the mess, and right after I took him to get cleaned up, I stopped and got YOU a ring. Because you told me you wanted all. I thought that meant everything. Now, I see that you’re a COWARD.”
She gasped.
Why?
There was a goddamn ring box sitting on the counter, and a pissed-off man inches from it.
“I’m disappointed, Genesis. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that you didn’t mean what you said.”
She balked.
“I’m not a coward. I’m trying to tell you that I don’t blame you if I’m too much. I’m telling you it’s okay if you want to get away from me. Hell! I want to get away from me.”
He pointed at her.
“YOU are more than enough for me. You’re not too much. You’re not too little. You’re the perfect amount—or you were until you seemed to have forgotten that you’re loved. I love you, Gennie, and I meant what I said. I wanted all. I knew the second I saw you, and I fucking knew when I kissed you.”
This was NOT what she expected.
Not.
At.
All.
In fact, she was pretty sure this was the opposite of what she’d expected. The man was telling her that he didn’t want to leave.
He wanted to stay.
“I’m not afraid of a bunch of psychic stuff, or some darkness that wants to take you. I won’t let it. I’m not letting anything hurt the woman I love. That you don’t have faith in me is concerning.”
She was still caught on one thing.
“I’m enough?”
She’d never been enough to make anyone stay.
Ever.
As her lip quivered, Josh was to the point.
“I love you, and I love your dog. He’s a lot.
You’re not. Still, I wouldn’t leave him, and I sure as hell wouldn’t leave you.
I told you I wanted to move in with you.
Well, I don’t want to move in unmarried.
That’s the easy way out. I’ve done easy.
Now, apparently, I want to do difficult because, girl, you’re being goddamn difficult right now. ”
She stared at him.
That was when tears filled her eyes.
“I’m enough?” she asked again.
He was honest.
“You can keep asking that, and the answer is going to be the same. You’re more than enough.
You’re all, Gennie. I don’t care that you’re psychic.
Hell! As a cop, I know when things are going to shit.
We’re all a little psychic. Honor and Bishop are damn good cops, and they’ll find this person.
Hell! The Marines will handle them. I don’t care about any of that. YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH!”
She let him talk.
“I don’t care if some dark entity is after you. I’ll protect you to the end. You can bet on that. You are my girl, and I take care of my own.”
Bear stared up at him.
“Yeah, you too, furball.”
Gennie couldn’t believe this.
Josh was to the point.
“So, you have to decide if you want to ride this out, and fight, or if you want me to walk, but if you tell me to go, Gennie, I will. Because I want a fighter. I want a ‘balls to the wall, dig in and go hard’ kind of a woman. That’s who you were yesterday. I don’t understand what changed.”
She was to the point.
“Something wants me dead.”
He laughed.
“Baby, I’m a cop. I worked in Boston on a beat.
Someone always wanted me dead. Life is about living.
It’s not about hiding. So, you need to decide.
All or nothing. That’s my rule. You gave me yours.
You’ll get your lobster mac, and you’ll get a man who cooks for you and is there.
Now, I want my needs met too. I want a fighter who won’t give up on a marriage.
I don’t plan on doing this more than once.
We can fight, but at the end, we fight for our marriage. ”
She stood there.
A million emotions were washing across her face, and he saw each and every one of them.
Only, he knew how to handle her.
There was only one way.
DIRECTLY.
“Decide.”
In that moment, she knew there was only one answer. It could only be yes, because for the first time in her life, someone was fighting to stay.
For her.
“Well?” he asked.
Genesis dug in.
“Fuck, yes!” she said. “Let’s fight,” she added, right before she ran at him, and jumped.
And she knew that Josh would always catch her.
ALWAYS.