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“It’s good to see you back on your feet, love,” Mack called. “Especially in those jeans.”
When he let out a wolf whistle, Rooster shot him a dirty look and flipped him off. Mack laughed.
As we reached Rooster’s bike parked in the middle of the group, he handed a helmet to me. Inside, I found a folded blank envelope. I glanced up at Rooster in confusion. He leaned back against his bike, a gleam in his eye that suggested he had something up his sleeve.
I opened the envelope and pulled out a set of abused, creased, and stained divorce papers I knew well. Jed Pruitt’s signature was stamped in shaky letters at the bottom.
“How did you—?”
I trailed off with a baffled look at Rooster.
“You’re a free woman, darlin’.”
My heart felt as if it would burst out of my chest. I flung my arms around Rooster, laughing against his mouth as I kissed him. He cupped his hands to my waist, pulling me closer. The movement put a strain on my stitches, the tender new skin, the gradually repairing muscles. But I didn’t care.
I was no longer married to Jed. I could finally be with Rooster the way I’d craved for so many years.
He kissed the curve of my neck and gave my waist a brief squeeze.
“There’s a plane ticket in there for you, too.”
My stomach dropped at Rooster’s words. I pulled away, staring at him. His expression remained carefully neutral, but his eyes clearly conveyed how difficult it was for him to say that.
“Why?” I asked.
“So you can stay with your grandmother like you had originally planned.”
Heat flushed up my neck. My brain scrambled to make sense of it. Nothing stood between us now. I didn’t understand why he was doing this.
When I found the plane ticket inside the envelope, the paper was crisp and white and new with the promise of a clean slate. I could leave everything behind—Louisiana, Rooster, Jed. Rooster was giving me a chance to leave this whole mess behind me.
“I…I thought I was staying with you,” I said.
“Well, that was only while I held your car hostage for repairs. But I had your tires swapped out for a fresh set. The boys will drive it up to Washington for you. All you have to do is get on that plane and you…” Rooster faltered. His throat worked as if the words pained him. “You can move on now.”
I shook my head. Setting the helmet on the back seat of Rooster’s motorcycle, I retreated a few steps, distancing myself. I refused to believe he actually meant what he said.
“Are you telling me to leave?” I asked, my voice rough. Because if I had to leave Rooster one more time, I don’t know how I would ever recover from that.
He reached out and took my hand. When I almost flinched away from him, Rooster kept his hand palm up, waiting. He was right here. I could touch him all I wanted. Twelve years ago, he’d walked away. This time, he was giving me the chance to go if that’s what I needed.
I placed my hand in his. Rooster closed his fingers around mine, sweeping his thumb back and forth over my knuckles.
“After everything you’ve been through—with me, with Pruitt, I thought you might prefer a fresh start. We have a lot of baggage between us, sweetheart. A lot of history. That plane ticket offers you some breathing room so you can clear your head.”
I sighed. “Rooster.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“Ask me to marry you.”
His breath hitched. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and cleared his throat.
“Lou,” Rooster began carefully. “As much as I’d like that, you’ve only been divorced for less than a week. Seventy-two hours at the most. And all of that time was spent in the hospital, recovering after you were shot.”
“Then tell me you didn’t regret leaving me in Baton Rouge,” I countered. “Tell me you didn’t think about me every day and imagined driving all the way back just to put a ring on my finger.”
Rooster said nothing, his lips pressed tight. But I could tell in his eyes…I was right. He had thought about me.
