Chapter 26
Silas
The ring was on the bathroom counter…and I’d almost lost the chance to give it to her.
That was the thought I couldn’t shake off as I settled into the tub behind her, June tucked against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. She was exhausted after her rainy, barefoot sprint through the woods, her close encounter with Amelia…and with Abel.
And I was…
…I was so angry.
I’d called the cops, but that didn’t help…because I wanted to take care of this myself. For years, I’d been a man more inclined toward despair than rage. Despair was comfortable, quiet. It was the hole I crawled into when things went wrong, when everything seemed hopeless.
But now June was here…and she’d lit a fire under me to keep the things I cared about.
I wasn’t going to let anything take her away.
“Okay,” she breathed, heaving a deep sigh before continuing. “I think my head’s clear enough to actually tell you what happened now.”
I kissed her temple and nodded, my arms tightening around her. The water lapped against her shoulders, her breasts, her hair floating in threads of gold around the two of us.
“I was dropping off hymnals,” she said. “Rain was coming down hard. I’d just left Loretta’s and figured I’d make one last trip before heading home.”
My jaw flexed. I should’ve been there.
“And before you say you should’ve been there, take a second and think about that,” June said, as if she could read my damn mind. “This was normal. I’ve been in and out of that church dozens of times over the past few days, no problem. But tonight…”
She paused another moment.
“Tonight, it felt off from the second I stepped inside. Like someone had been there…or was still there, I don’t know how to explain it. I hadn’t heard anything wrong when I saw Amelia, but that set all my alarm bells ringing because she’s normally around when I’m in danger.”
I swallowed thickly. “What did she do?”
“She just kind of…I don’t know, I felt like I should follow her, so I did—down the hall from the sanctuary to the parsonage. The door was still open, and I pushed it open and Silas…”
June went still, taking a shaky breath.
“Honestly, it was one of the most…miraculous and divine and terrifying things I’ve ever seen, now that you’ve shown me pictures. I mean, it was her—and she was in the window, looking out toward the woods. She told me to run.”
I tried to steady my breathing, but I was having a hell of a time of it. I wanted to fucking scream…wanted to sob, wanted to track down Abel Trent and tear his fucking throat out.
“And then?”
“I heard someone come in through the sanctuary, and Amelia pointed through the back door, so I followed her instructions,” June said.
“I went out, and a second later…I swear, someone was in there with her, and she was pointing toward the woods now. I just followed her instructions…followed the light. And Silas, it was like the forest pitched in—lightning making the trail nice and bright, the wind pushing me forward, fireflies like signposts. Like Amelia walked me home.”
“She did,” I said without hesitation.
June huffed out a sad laugh. “I know…I know she did.”
I ran a hand through her wet hair, careful not to pull at any tangles. She was shaking again—adrenaline still wearing off, coming in fits and starts—and I just held her tighter, like I could stop the world from spinning out beneath her feet.
“I don’t know how we repay something like that,” she whispered. “She…she’s stuck here, isn’t she? Stuck between whatever hell she lived through and whatever peace she never got.”
I frowned, chewing on my lip. “Hadn’t thought of it that way before.”
June tilted her head to look back at me. “I think we need to end this, Silas.”
“How do you mean?”
“We need to stop Abel,” June said. “For good.”
Opposing sensations warred in my chest…rage, agreement, motivation to get rid of him like she said. But also fear—because she was at risk now, and I couldn’t bear to lose her.
“Or we could just give up on the church,” I said, voice so quiet I wasn’t sure if she would hear me.
But no…she definitely heard me.
June whipped around in my arms faster than I could have ever expected, a deep frown furrowing her brow.
“Silas, no.”
“But—”
“No buts,” she said, pressing her finger to my lips. “The people here…they need us to make sure the Remnant doesn’t come back. We’re building something here, Silas.”
“I don’t wanna lose you, June.”
She reached up to curl her fingers against my jaw, her thumb gliding over my cheekbone.
“This is how people like him win,” she said. “They make us afraid, make us think they’re gods. And the thing is…they’re not. They’re just frightened, small-minded men.”
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, leaning into her touch. “Well…Abel is a frightened, small-minded man who’s now tried to kill you twice.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Amelia tends to show up when you’re in danger.”
June went quiet, chewing on her lip. “Silas…remember last year when all that shit was going on with Willow and Rhett and Willow’s ghost? How terrified they were? What did we do?”
“That was an exorcism,” I argued. “This is a living, breathing person—”
“That’s not my point,” June said, and the conviction on her face…it was on the brink of convincing me this was possible. “Y’all looped in the family, pooled your resources. So that’s what we’re gonna do.”
I frowned. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”
“We’re going to bring our people to his territory,” June said. “And we’re going to show him that we’re not afraid…and we’re going to send Whit and Delilah to track down evidence.”
I stared at her, blinking like I hadn’t heard her right…because as far as I knew, I hadn’t.
“You want to walk into his tent revival,” I said slowly, “like it’s a Sunday potluck.”
June nodded. “Exactly like that.”
“June.”
“Silas.”
Jesus Christ, she was serious.
“You just ran through the woods barefoot, soaking wet, after seeing the ghost of my dead fiancée and escaping the man who might’ve killed her,” I said, my voice rough, hands tightening around her waist. “And now you want to go back? Not even to our church…to his. Surrounded by his people.”
“I want to finish this,” she said simply.
The fire behind her eyes hadn’t dimmed. If anything, it had only grown brighter since I scooped her into my arms and brought her inside earlier tonight—drenched, furious, alive. There was no shaking her once she’d set her mind on something…I knew that.
God, I loved that about her.
It scared the hell out of me.
“You really think they’ll let us poke around?” I asked. “You think Abel won’t see us coming?”
“He’ll see us,” she said. “You and me and your brothers and the church ladies and anyone else who’ll come…and that’s the point. He thinks we’re scared, that we’re gonna fold like this town used to. But Willow Grove isn’t his home anymore. It’s ours.”
I frowned. “And Whit…?”
“Whit’s sketchy,” she said. “So we’ll send him to poke around.”
“Search for some secret stock of assassin snakes?”
“If that’s what it takes,” she said. “The point is—Amelia came to me for help, and I want to help her. If Abel Trent actually killed her…we have to stop him so she can be at rest. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for her help all this time, but she…
she’s given me so much. I want to do this for her. ”
I stared at her, our eyes locked. A thousand thoughts raced through me, impulses, desires…
I moved to get up, carefully pushing her away.
“You stay right there,” I said.
“Silas?”
I didn’t answer her as I got out of the tub, dripping all over the floor and heading toward my clothes.
I’d left my shirt carefully folded on the counter, wary of the precious cargo inside—the ring I’d taken from Grandma Hazel’s jewelry box.
The shirt was still a little damp from the rain, and I was cautious as I unfolded it and grabbed the ring.
When I turned back around, June was resting both arms on the edge of the tub, her chin propped on her hands—and her eyes widened at the glisten of gemstones in my fingers.
“Silas,” she started.
But I was already getting down on one knee—dripping, completely naked, and entirely unprepared.
“June Fontenot,” I said. “I know…I know I already asked, even if it was the heat of the moment…but now I’m askin’ again. Proper this time.”
She blinked, her lips parting like she was about to speak…but nothing came out. I could see it in her eyes: that flicker of disbelief, the rush of emotion, the way she was processing all the things I wasn’t saying out loud.
I held up the ring.
“We’ve both known grief,” I kept saying, the words tumbling out more articulately than I ever could have hoped. “We’ve known pain…but we found our way here, to each other. And when I look at you, June, I don’t feel haunted anymore. I feel found.”
The sapphire caught the light, setting a flicker of shimmering light through her eyes. And June…she was crying now, her lips parted slightly.
“I don’t want to waste any more time,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I already live in your house…you already have my heart. I want you to have my name, too—if you want it, of course, I mean…fuck, June, will you marry me?”
A beat passed, maybe one of the most terrifying moments of my life.
Then June let out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and water surged out of the tub as she launched herself out of it. She kissed me hard, lips and tongue and pure joy, and I kissed her back, stunned and soaking and half on the bathroom floor.
“I’m assumin’ that’s a yes?” I laughed, holding her.
June was kissing all up and down my face, my neck, her knees on either side of my hips. “Yes…yes, God yes. Obviously yes.”
“Then hang on,” I said, still laughing. “Let me get this on your finger before it gets lost…”
I pulled back just slightly, holding it up to June’s left hand. She let me slide the ring onto her finger…and it fit perfectly, as if it had been made just for her.
“It fits,” she whispered.
“‘Course it does,” I murmured. “It was always yours.”
She looked from the ring to my eyes, her hair a halo of damp blonde waves down her shoulders…and I remembered in that moment exactly what position we were in. June seemed to remember it, too, because her hips rocked slightly against me, my cock responding instantly.
I groaned. “June…you’ve had a long night.”
She bit her lip and smirked. “And I can think of just the thing to help me relax,” she said.
Then she braced her hands on my shoulders, locked her gaze with mine, and sank down on my cock.
I hissed out a breath, hands finding her hips…noticing the cool metal band on her left ring finger. She was smiling, her form melting against mine like it really was the most relaxing possible sensation.
“Mrs. June Ward,” she sighed. “I like the sound of that.”
“I like the sound of it, too,” I said, voice rough.
She moved slow at first, her arms coming around my shoulders as she kissed me again—soft, slow, like she was testing out how it felt to kiss me as my fiancée. My hands found her waist, holding her steady, anchoring us to each other.
Then she started to ride me…slowly, steadily.
I thrust my cock up into her clenching, perfect heat, not caring that we were still on the floor, that we were making a mess of the place, that the tile was cold against my back.
Her hands splayed wide across my pecs, her hair dripping onto my shoulders.
“I got…” she paused, taking a sharp breath. “…got off the pill,” she continued. “Silas…do you want…”
“Jesus, fuck yes,” I growled, gripping her hips tighter. “You want me to knock you up and make you my wife, June?”
June let out a laugh, breathless and beautiful—the kind that made her whole body tremble with joy instead of with fear or rage.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I want all of it. I want you, a family…all of it.”
“Then take it, baby,” I rasped. “Take it.”
She braced her hands on my chest…then she started to ride me in earnest, getting faster, rocking into me. I was so deep inside her that it felt like she’d found every inch of me, like she’d explored the corners of my very soul…and I let myself fall into it, groaning.
“Gonna…” I stopped, gasping. “Gonna come, baby.”
“Give it to me, Silas,” she begged. “Please.”
She clung to me, riding that edge—and I gave her everything. I filled her, gave her my love, my heart, my soul, my future. I promised her this was it, that we were permanent.
And she came right along with me, with my name on her lips and a look in her eyes like she’d never let me go.
For a long while, we didn’t say anything. June spread herself across my chest, and I drew lines on her back as my cock softened inside her, my whole body spent.
Eventually, she raised her head to look at me.
“So…we’re gonna do this?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure if she was referring to taking on Abel or building the church, to getting married or having a baby…but I didn’t care.
My answer to all of it was simple.
“Yes,” I said. “We’re gonna do this.”