Chapter Twenty-Four
Carmen
The next few days were pure bliss.
With the mystery at least solved, even if the ordeal wasn’t over with, we just… enjoyed ourselves and each other.
From bed, with a naked Rune beside me, I hired one of the new girls I’d been dragging my feet on, instructed my oldest employee to show her the ropes, then set her up in the schedule.
Did I do this so I didn’t have to go back to my neck of the woods (and leave Rune) anytime in the near future? You bet your ass I did.
I was having way too good a time to give it up so soon.
I did get in touch with Chip.
The stubborn ass had already returned to the house because he was worried about the lawn and garden. Though he’d taken to sleeping in the basement with all his weapons.
He said there was no new activity around the house. I assume that was because Jack/Jon knew I wasn’t there anymore, and neither was my sister. He had no leverage there anymore.
I was thinking a lot about if I never really went back there, never slept in my old bed and made coffee in my old kitchen.
If my life was in Navesink Bank, was there some way that I could convince Chip to move, so I could still keep an eye on him?
I worried about him all alone with no one to look after him.
Was I getting a little ahead of myself?
Sure.
But I couldn’t help it.
I never felt anything like it before. The bone-deep certainty. The feeling of home I found inside another person.
And it wasn’t just all the feel-good sex hormones. Because I’d tried to convince myself of that for days, conveniently forgetting that the sensation had been growing since well before we finally did the deed.
It was just… right.
We were right.
So of course I was thinking of a time in the future where we were moving beyond the bedroom at the clubhouse.
Suddenly, I was imagining a four-bedroom house—one for us, two for kids, and a guest for when my sister came back to visit—a yard, a season pass to the beach, an expanded business that brought home more than enough money that I could simply run it from home instead of busting my ass doing the work.
There would be trips to the playgrounds, dinners at Rune’s parents’ house, big, crazy, loud club barbecues, hectic Christmases—the kind of large, close, supportive family I would have loved and would adore giving to my own kids.
Ones I hoped would come out with dimples like their father and grandfather.
“What are you smiling about?” Rune asked, turning on his pillow to look at me.
I couldn’t exactly tell him the details, but I agreed to always give him the truth.
“Just thinking about the future.”
“Am I in it?” he asked, that dancing look in his eyes.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“How do you feel about a buttery yellow ‘90s kitchen?”
“Sounds homey.”
“I guess you can live there too then.”
“And do the baseboard cleanings?”
“Well, you do have the special tool for such things.”
“That feels fair. I also get trash duty.”
“Obviously.”
“And anything that has to do with a pressure washer.”
“Why do you get all the fun?”
“The most satisfying kind of cleaning.”
“I use it on rugs. Way better than carpet cleaners.”
“Ever use it on an outdoor rug? Satisfying as fuck.”
“God, we’re such weirdos,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder.
“Hey, at least we won’t be fighting over chores. Though I do hate one of them.”
“Which one?”
“Dusting.”
“I love dusting.”
“We’re meant to be,” he said, tone light. But, God, those words felt truer than they should.
Not ready to say the words, my fingers laced between his and curled.
“I like that you’ve got that soft look when you’re thinking of our future.”
Our.
“What do you think about when you think of it?”
“Maybe getting a place a little closer to the beach.”
“But we need a yard still.”
“Where would the dogs and kids play if we didn’t?”
My cheeks hurt from smiling.
“And I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how you decorate Christmas trees. Colored lights are pretty non-negotiable for me.”
“Luckily for you, I put up at least three trees. A colorful, gaudy one full of mismatched ornaments with sentimental value, a ‘fancy’ one, and one that I do a different theme with each year.”
“So, I’m hearing I got nothing to worry about then.”
“How do you feel about a pool?”
“Don’t love the maintenance. Then again, the only one I’ve had to clean is this one. And I doubt we’d be dipping for raspberries and blackberries in our personal pool.”
“Oh, God. Those stain.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I know they’re nuts, but I really love your club brothers.”
True, we spent most of our time alone. But I’d been trying to remember to venture out for meals so we didn’t seem antisocial.
Plus, I felt bad for Croft and Vas being stuck in the clubhouse because of my cousin.
And that none of the guys could have their usual parties.
I felt like I owed it to them to play pool and poker and watch their gory movies.
Though, one particularly fun night involved one of the club brothers I hadn’t met before—Sully—walking in with a vagina-flower-printed Hawaiian shirt and a big suitcase. The shirt? A gift from a club old lady. The suitcase? A craft kit compiled by his wife.
Then I sat around a folding table with a bunch of arms-dealing bikers… painting ceramic vases.
“Who are you giving yours to?” Rune asked once everyone else said they were giving theirs to their moms, aunts, or friends.
“I thought it might make a nice housewarming gift for my sister,” I said. “I mean, if we can get it fired and shipped in the near future.”
“Already rented kiln time,” Sully declared as he painted his with dogs.
“She’s gonna love that. It suits her,” Rune said as he looked at all the bright colors.
I loved that he already knew her so well too. How much he cared about her.
Every time she sent pictures, he wanted to look at them. When she called, he insisted on eavesdropping. When we video-chatted before bed, he always wanted to say hi.
I’d never met a guy who was so family-oriented before. Then again, I’d never known a man who grew up in such a big family. He was constantly answering texts not only from his mom, dad, and sister, but all his cousins.
One night, I’d caught him online shopping for a birthday present for one of his nieces. Let’s just say the little girl was about to be spoiled as hell.
Another night, I’d heard him in the bathroom, whisper-talking on the phone. My heart sank. Until I heard him say Willa’s name, and realized he was talking to his cousin. The one who was a new mom and had a somewhat nocturnal schedule.
The man was always there to chat, to show support, to offer love.
I couldn’t imagine how lucky any child of his would be. Even as I really hoped I would get to see that for myself.
“What do you say?” Rune asked.
“About a picnic in the glass room?” I asked, pretending to hem and haw it.
It was the only spot in the whole clubhouse I hadn’t been privy to yet. Only because of my own limitations. But my hand was feeling a lot better and we were both reasonably sure I could get up the ladder using one arm and the crook of my elbow.
“I think it sounds like fun. If I can get up the ladder.”
“You’re mostly using your legs to climb. Besides, I’ll be below you. Enjoying the view.”
“And making sure I don’t fall.”
“Right. Sure. That too. But it’s mostly for the view.”
I rolled my eyes and crawled off the bed I’d been rotting in most of the day. “Are you preparing the picnic?”
“It was my idea, so I’m handling all the details.”
“Then I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Can I change my mind and join you?” he asked, eyes bright.
“No. You promised me a picnic. I want a picnic.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, but grabbed me by the hips and pulled me in for a kiss long and lingering enough to make me second-guess myself.
“Nice try,” I said, pulling away and planting a hand to the center of his chest to push him back. “Go get everything ready. I’ll get myself pretty.”
“Already done. But fine.”
Alone, I took my time scrubbing, shaving, and slathering on lotion. There was one thing I knew about the glass room (aside from how safe it was), and that was that everyone ‘broke it in.’ If we were going to have sex up there during our picnic, I wanted to be smelling, feeling, and looking my best.
Of course, ‘my best’ when it came to clothes wasn’t much to write home about. I hadn’t packed much, and most of it was in the wash. So I was left with a pair of my sleep shorts and one of Rune’s black ribbed tank tops. No bra. Because why make it harder than it had to be to get naked up there?
Finished, I waited for Rune while texting my sister, who was so close to California she could almost taste it.
For a day or two there, despite getting very excited about various landmarks, it was clear she was getting pretty sick of being in the car so much.
I was glad she was close to being home. But also still secretly happy she was on the road.
In my mind, driving meant safe. Stationary meant someone could track her down.
I was in the dark about the progress when it came to my cousins. But I figured that the fact that we were still stuck at the clubhouse meant that they hadn’t taken care of the issue yet.
I was surprised how… not conflicted I was about the whole thing.
Yes, Jack and his brother were blood, but Vicky had been family.
There was a very important difference. And because of them, Vicky was gone.
I’d never stand next to her at her wedding, have playdates with our babies together, or grow into hilariously inappropriate old ladies with her.
She was gone.
They were responsible.
They had to pay for that.
And since the cops couldn’t pin it on anyone, they would never face legal justice. Which only left the street kind.
I couldn’t judge Rune and the club for wanting to handle it with a gun. If I’d known sooner and had my own, I would have done it myself.
Besides, my aunt had passed away a few months back. They had no other close family members to mourn them.
It was what it was.