Page 3
“I don’t know,” I answer, looking down at the ring on my hand. “Why don’t we talk about it tonight?”
“Why not now?”
“Because,” I say, detangling myself from his arms and slipping out of the bed before he can stop me. A deep frown contorts his handsome face and I laugh. It’s adorable. “Right now, I have to get ready for work.”
“Fine.”
I laugh again. “Don’t pout. It’s not a good look on you, baby.”
“Whatever,” he grumbles, rolling his eyes before flashing me the same cocky grin that I fell in love with when I was only eleven years old. “I always look good.”
“Yeah, all right, hot shot,” I call over my shoulder as I step into the bathroom to get in the shower.
“Is Hannah going to be there tonight?”
I step back into the bedroom and nod. “Yes, why?”
He shoots me an annoyed look as he sits up and leans back against the headboard. “You know why. What I do is dangerous, baby, and I need you to always have your guard up. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if something happened to you.”
“Okay,” I whisper, nodding. I turn back to the bathroom but stop and turn around before sighing. “Noah, do you ever think about stopping? I mean, now that we’re planning our future and a family?”
“Yeah, I do.”
I take a step toward him. “So, you’re getting out? No more drugs? No more club?”
“Look, I’ve got a ton of money saved up and we just need a little bit more and we’ll be set for our future. I’ll stop then, okay?”
“Noah…”
“I hear you, baby,” he growls. “I’m doing this for us, for you. I’m going to give you everything you’ve ever wanted but to do that, I need you to hang in there for a bit longer.”
I sigh and nod. “Okay.”
“Hey, don’t forget that I’m picking you up after your shift tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t be late again this time.”
“I’ll do my best,” he replies with a grin and I roll my eyes, hiding my smile as I turn toward the bathroom to get ready for work. All of my life, all I wanted was a family and this is the first time that I feel like I have one. Yeah, it’s small with just Noah and I, but we’re working on that and I am so damn excited to see what the future has in store for us.
Chapter One
Noah
The cot beneath me creaks, echoing through the cell block as I roll to my back and sigh, my gaze falling onto the photo taped to the underside of the bed above me, the same place it’s been for the last seven years. Not that I need it. In my mind, I still see her as clearly as I do in the photo staring back at me now. Her long blonde hair blowing in the breeze as she laughs and her hazel eyes bright and full of life. That’s the image of her that I’ve clung to all this time, the one thing that’s gotten me through the hell that is being held in a cage like an animal. The fact that I’m so close to seeing her again makes every second that passes pure hell.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Closing my eyes, I picture her face on the last day I saw her, her smile bright and her eyes full of fire as she challenged me in the way that made me fall in love with her all those years ago.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
