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“I’ve never… not wanted to be with you,” I said, getting a head shake from him.
“You could just say it, you know, Lulu.”
He made it sound so easy.
Because he wasn’t the one who’d had his heart trampled on. Still, after all of this, it felt pointless trying to deny the truth.
“I want to be with you,” I admitted. “But with the understanding that if you ever do something like that to me again, I will—“
“Melt me in a tub of lye.”
“After letting my mom use different poisons on you for a couple of weeks first,” I said, getting a bit of a green color to tinge his skin.
“I’d never do that again,” he told me, tone serious. “In fact, you have assurances now. I’m getting a patch in this club. I’m putting down roots in Navesink Bank. I’m not going anywhere. You’re the flight risk now.”
“Well, Vi actually gave me an idea for a job. Since I’m never getting a patch now.”
“And you never really wanted one to begin with,” he clarified.
“True,” I agreed. “I just wanted to fuck with you.”
“What was Vi’s idea?”
“She said she could see me teaching at or helping run Lo and Janie’s gym. She said she thinks they’re getting ready to step back from it, and I practically grew up in that gym.”
“I can totally see you doing that. And you have whatever real-life skills you learned while traveling and working to use to teach now too.”
“Yeah. I mean, I would have to talk to Lo about it. But it’s something I could see myself enjoying doing. Not sitting around at a desk. Which we both know would drive me nuts. I mean this whole next-next generation of kids is going to need their own kick-ass auntie to teach them all about self-defense, right?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely,” he agreed. “And a kick-ass mama too,” he added, and that old, familiar swelling thing happened in my chest. The way it used to always happen when he would talk about a future for us. One that involved a house and kids and a happily ever after I never really knew I wanted until he showed me it was possible.
“Eventually, yeah, if I’m sure the potential daddy is the man I always thought he might grow into,” I said.
“I’m different than I was, Lulu,” he said, giving me a small shrug. “Life was different than I’d been expecting.”
“We should make a club. Print up some t-shirts,” I said, nodding. “I think any of us who moved away from this town to gain some independence had life kick the shit out of us. That’s what happens when you leave this safety net we have here.”
“True. I bet you have some stories to tell.”
“You too,” I agreed. “Starting with that whole Curtis mess.”
“How about we do that some other time?” he asked. “Preferably when it doesn’t hurt to move because of him?” Valen asked as he carefully scooted up on the bed.
“I have time,” I agreed. “A little less than I had when I was eighteen…” I added, giving him a smirk as I moved up toward the top of the bed as well. “I promise I won’t keep hanging that over your head. But I do request to be able to use that card once every year as a pointed joke. Like if you took two hours to run an errand.”
“And you can sayAt least you didn’t skip town.”
“Exactly,” I agreed, smirking.
“I think we can make that work,” he said, reaching to slip an arm under my pillow.
“Stop. You’re hurt.”
“If I’m ever so hurt that I can’t at least have you close to me,” he said as he rolled me onto my side, nuzzled into the side of his body, “then just take me outside and put me out of my misery.”
“How are you? Really?” I clarified. “Don’t give me the big, strong man answer.”
“I’m fucking hurting,” he admitted. “But I’m happy. So it almost balances out.”
