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“It’s hard to breathe.”
“That’s because he broke several of your ribs. Lidi and George said it will take a few weeks for them to heal. You want me to go get them?”
Sugar shook her head. “No. Eugene, what happens now? Am I going to jail?”
“No. The DA and Judge Tomlinson agreed. It was self-defense. You just rest and heal. I’ve got everything under control.”
“I bet the house is a mess.”
Fuck. I hated this, but I knew she would hate it if I kept it from her. Taking a deep breath, I told her the truth. “Shug, the house is gone.”
“What do you mean… gone?”
“Someone set it on fire today. There was nothing anyone could do.”
“It’s gone,” she gasped, slowly shaking her head. “All of it?”
“Yeah, baby.”
The tears Shug had been trying to hold back now fell in streams down her cheeks. I wanted so much to hold her, but I was too afraid I would hurt her. Instead, I just reached for her hand and held it.
“What am I going to do now, Eugene?”
“You are going to let me take care of you, like I’ve been doing all these years. When you are better, we will be getting married, and I want my name on Ben and Sean’s birth certificates. I’ve already talked with Pyro. He’s gonna build us a house near his. There was a plot of land close for sale, so I bought it. Until then, we will stay here. Ben can catch the bus with Cameron, and Sean will go to work with me at the bowling alley. Your parents will watch him when I’m needed at the Tavern.”
“Seems you have everything all planned out.”
I smirked.
“Well, it’s what I came up with on the fly. Anything you want to change?”
Watching her intently, I waited patiently while she mulled over what I just said. I didn’t mean to blurt it all out, but I was tired of waiting for the right moment. If I had just said what I felt all those years ago, none of this crap would have happened. I was done pretending to be someone I wasn’t. I was Sugar’s best friend and the love of her life.
Now it was time for her to realize that and accept the inevitable.
Reaching for her hand, I carefully asked, “What do you think, Shug? Think you can spend the rest of your life loving your best friend? Allowing me to love the boys as we create a wonderful future together?”
A lone tear rolled down her face as she whispered, “I think that would be wonderful.”
Smiling, I leaned over and kissed her hand before reaching into my cut, removing a small light blue Tiffany’s box. Opening it, I removed the rose gold eternity ring, watching the many diamonds sparkle and glimmer as I slid it on her finger.
“I love you, Sugar Ann Potter.”
Shug smirked. “I love you too, bee-boy.”
In the weeks that followed, Sugar got stronger, and the boys acclimated themselves to the clubhouse with little fanfare. With John Stanley dead and the rumors finally dying down around town, the Potter’s returned to their home, refusing to be scared because of one spiteful person. King tried to persuade Shug’s parents to stay, but Mr. Potter wasn’t having it. He wanted to go home.
As for the Bourbon Kings, Gator sent everyone home. Until the club found the person responsible, Gator saw no reason for his club brothers to stay, when they too had businesses to run. As Shug was his cousin, he offered to hang around for a few more weeks and help wherever he was needed. While Mr. and Mrs. Potter were happy with Gator’s decision, the rest of us knew why Gator was really staying, and it had nothing to do with Shug.
Nope.
That lazy Cajun was determined to get into Devlyn’s pants before he returned home to the Big Easy.
The odds were not in his favor.
Right now, the annoying Cajun was batting zero, much to everyone’s amusement. The only one not enjoying the fun was Priest. Since viewing the crime scene at Shug’s place, my brother was spending way too much time with a bottle of Hell’s Breath. King was keeping an eye on him. However, I couldn’t help but worry about my brother. I’d seen Priest drown his sorrows before, but this was different. It was like he was fighting some internal demon, and it was winning.
“Priest,” I said cautiously, walking over to the corner of the bar. “Let me get you a cup of coffee, brother.”
