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He chuckled and unwrapped the newspaper she’d taped around the small box.
Inside was a key to her mobile home. When he laid his eyes on it, he froze, and the smile faltered on his lips. He looked back at her with such seriousness in his eyes. “What is this?”
“A present.”
“It’s a key? To your home?”
She fumbled to explain. “I know you just walk in whenever you want now, but this means more.” She swallowed hard as he studied the small keychain she’d had custom-made for his key. “I was maybe thinking that I don’t want to live apart anymore. You keep coming to my place, and you keep bringing your things over there, and we don’t spend as much time in your place, and it just seems like…well…it just seems like my home is our home now, you know?”
He was staring at the tiny picture she’d printed out on the keychain of him and Gunner sitting on the log overlooking the valley that day after Gunner had hurt him.
“Why this picture?” he asked softly.
“I love that picture. It was the day I saw how good you were. It was the day I knew you understood Crew. It’s the day…”
“What?” he whispered.
She cleared her throat. “It was the day I knew I loved you. Turn it over.”
Stunned, Kru turned the keychain over to the other side and saw the other picture she’d printed. It was a picture of the Warlanders after a Crew meeting, smiling in front of a table of food, all bundled up with beanies on and huge smiles painting every face. Even Lucia’s. They’d set the camera up on a tripod and timed the picture. It was her favorite of the Crew.
She explained, “I didn’t know for sure about this Crew. I thought I knew about what home was, but I didn’t. Not until you. You taught me about home.”
Kru ran his hand down the short scruff on his face, and his eyes filled with such emotion.
He parted his lips to say something, but someone knocked on his window. It was Jenna, and she was wearing the biggest grin as she waved at them to come on.
“I’ve been making furniture for the last two months,” he said low.
“I know. I hear you working out in the shop.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’ve only been making the furniture that you’re missing. I was just waiting for you to be ready. I’ve been ready since we were here last.”
She glanced at the glowing neon sign for the axe-throwing bar. She didn’t know why, but her eyes filled and blurred her vision.
“I think I’m picking you, Kru.”
“Woman, I picked you before you even knew I liked you.”
Her door opened and Lucia complained, “I’m going to freaking kill Gunner tonight.”
Cadence was so torn between the deep emotion she was sharing with Kru, and the urge to laugh at whatever reason Lucia had for contemplating murder of the most difficult member of the Crew.
“What did he do now?” she asked her friend.
“He invited Landon Fuller out tonight.”
With a snort, Cadence said, “Well, he probably won’t show since he’s the most unreliable person I’ve ever met.”
“His truck is parked over there.” Lucia pointed to an old gray Ford.
Gunner was standing over by Lucas’s truck with a smirk that said he had no remorse at all.
Okay, now it was impossible not to laugh.
Lucas and Jenna were waiting in front of the truck for them to get out, so Cadence leaned over and pressed her lips to Kru’s, and then, squeezing his arm, she whispered, “I don’t want to sleep apart.”
“You won’t have to anymore,” he promised, and that’s what she’d needed. She’d needed him to accept her gift.
