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A tear ran down my cheek.
He softened. “I can’t promise a marriage with me will be easy, but I’ll always be there for you. Because you’re the best part of me. Without you, I’m a shell. I need you. I love you. Please, let me spend the rest of my days showing you how much you mean to me.”
A warm glow flowed through me. “I love you for more reasons than the stars we got over our heads right now. You’re a tough man who can handle himself in any situation. You treat me like I’m your everything. You’re like comin’ home to a fire after being out in the cold.”
I reached up, brushing that wayward strand out of his eyes. “I love how you listen when I talk about my dreams, my fears, and all the little things in between. You stand up for those you care about, but there’s a kindness in you, Achille. A goodness you try so hard to hide. But I see it, clear as day, and it’s the thing I love most about you. You’re my heart.”
He drew me into his arms. His mouth met mine in a gentle caress, heat lashing my lips. It was like a drop of rain on parched earth, as comforting as a summer wind carrying the smell of a thunderstorm. This kiss made me feel like I’d found heaven. Our mouths parted, and a swell of guilt cut through the euphoria.
“Kill, I’m sorry for runnin’.”
He smiled, stroking my hair. “It’s alright. You didn’t go very far.”
I laughed brokenly. “I guess not.”
“Almost like you wanted to get caught.”
I dragged my fingers across his chest. “I mean, can you blame me? Who wouldn’t want that?”
He chuckled, kissing my forehead.
He loves me, too. I leaned into his warmth, inhaling his scent. My back tingled where he stroked me. Then Becky screamed, the sound shattering me.
Rage flooded my throat. I yanked from him and faced the shed.
Achille’s grip tightened around my waist. “I’ll handle her.”
“No, I’ve got to do this.”
His eyes pleaded with me. “Violet, no.”
“I have to.”
He cupped my cheeks. “You know I love you. That I’d do anything for you. All you have to do is ask. But you don’t want to do this.”
I breathed in hard, imagining her cowering in there.
“She was your friend, right? For months? The baggage of doing this will haunt you.”
“I-I promised her.”
“Violet, this won’t make you feel better. I know it hurts, baby. If I believed killing Becky would take your pain away, I’d hand over the gun. But you taught me that there’s more to justice than revenge. It’s about finding peace. And this,” he gestured towards the shed, “this isn’t peace. This is more darkness.”
I looked up at him, his words seeping into the cracks of my resolve. “But what she’s done…to us, to my family.”
“It can never be undone, but killing is a burden heavier than you can imagine. Every life I take leaves a void I try to fill with denial.” He paused, a shadow crossing his beautiful face. “That’s how I keep going. I pile more dirt on top and pretend it’s not there. You shouldn’t have to live like that.”
The raw honesty in his voice hit me hard.
My eyes welled up. “I don’t want that for you, either.”
He wiped the tears from my face. “Then don’t go down this path. Let me deal with Brenda, but not with more bloodshed.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
We both turned to Romeo, who stood in the middle of the field. I gave him a stiff nod, and he stalked to the shed.
Holding my hand, Achille brought me inside the cabin. He made me sit as he brewed a cup of chamomile, then pushed the tea into my hands. I sipped as a dark shape moved in the forest outside. I thought of the other man buried here.
