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“Most of it. Keep just enough for us to get the hell away from them and some to put away in an account we can’t touch until retirement. And then, wherever we end up, we can work for a living but, you know, in jobs we can do fully clothed and without creepy men putting their hands all over me.”
“Seriously? You could have everything you’ve ever wanted. We could go anywhere at the drop of a hat. Anything you see in a shop window or online could be yours. You’d never have to worry about another bill in your life. You’d really give all that up?” With every scenario I lay out, I love her more and more thinking she’d give it all up to keep us safe.
“I told you, this has never been about the money. I liked taking care of myself. Now, I want us to take care of each other. I don’t care how we do it, as long as we’re together. Besides, you don’t want that life. Be honest, you don’t care to travel or have lots of expensive stuff just sitting around taking up space. And you may not like to admit it but you like a little struggle because you don’t want the money or the things it can do for you to define you. Like it has defined you for the Kings. From now on, every time they look at you, all they'll see is dollar signs and you hate it.” Her eyes study me for a moment. “Does that about sum it up?”
“You know me so well.” After a month. Only one month and Candace knows me better than my fiancé of three years ever did.
“After we make the transfer, I’ll talk to my accountant. I don’t know that we’ll go to the extremes you suggested but we’ll figure out a way to make sure coming after us isn’t worth the Kings’ effort.”
Candace lets out a relieved breath and smiles. “God, I’m glad that’s over.”
“Yeah,” I say, then give the moment a little time to breathe before I ask, “So, what is it that you know about Seth that would change his mind like that?”
“It’s complicated…” Candace says before taking a moment to gather her thoughts and tell me the story about how Seth and her sister fell in love with their high school best friend who is also a cop.
∞∞∞
CANDY
After we get home and I finish explaining the sensitive nature of my sister’s love life, Liam sits slack-jawed for a moment before asking, “Weren’t you worried about the damage that threat could have done to your relationship with your sister?”
Relieved he chose not to judge them but instead, showed concern, I answer, “She wants out, Liam. I’ve been hearing it for a long time. She doesn’t want to hide anymore. I wouldn’t have said anything but making the threat forced Seth into a corner they both would have seen as a betrayal if she had put him there. The way I see it, and the way I think she saw it, I did them all a favor.”
“Do you think they’ll be okay?”
“If they’re not, I’d like to be there for them. I know that’s a lot to ask after… everything, but—.”
“They’re family. Or, you know, they will be soon.”
I know what he means but when the question doesn’t follow, I don’t press him. It’s been a long month with a lot to process. I’m good with just curling up on the couch binge-watching shows until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. And that’s what it seems we’re going to do until Liam turns on the couch, facing his body to me, and says, “I can’t wait.” Liam takes my hands. “Damn it, I love you, Candace. I don’t want to be you and me anymore. I want to be us. No secrets. No lies. No matter what happens, there’s no question, we’ll handle it together.”
“I like the sound of that,” I squeak out trying to contain my excitement as I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming next.
“And how do you like the sound of wedding bells?” Liam asks, taking my hand and dropping to one knee on the floor between the couch and coffee table.
Even though I’m not surprised, my jaw drops and my eyes fill with happy tears.
“I love you, Liam. I’m so fucking ready for whatever comes next.”
“Marry me. Tonight.”
“Without a prenup?”
“Candace, baby, I’m yours. All of me. My money. My love. My trust. If we can’t be one in everything, we shouldn’t be one in anything. It’s all or nothing, baby. I’m all in. Are you?”
“Yes,” I say without having to give it a second thought. And it has nothing to do with the money or that he saved me from a horrible fate and possibly an early death. Because I fell in love with Liam when he refused to let me go back to that awful apartment. He cared more about my safety and comfort than even my sister did. Even though it was only a little blip in the back of my head then, I knew it meant he loved me then. We were destined for this. “I’m in till the end,” I say and throw myself into Liam’s arms kissing him frantically as we fall back on the floor.
“So…” Liam says, threading his fingers through my hair falling around my face. “Vegas?”
My heart flutters. Not with nerves but with excitement. I can finally put all the bad shit behind me now and have all the good things with Liam. I can’t wait to make our marriage the first good thing we get to do together. With a smile so big it hurts, I say, “Let’s go.”
Epilogue
CANDACE
My relief, after my sister called to tell us the club agreed to take Liam’s money, hit me so hard, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I never had much of a future planned out. I knew I didn’t want to get tied down to some boring desk job. Being my own boss sounded like a good gig but I never had the money to start my own business. Besides, I wouldn’t have known what business to start even if I’d had the money.
If I didn’t have Liam to anchor me, let me know it was okay to drift for a while after what I went through, I might have wound up back at the Mink. It’s weird but as much as I hated the job and why I had to work there, I miss the girls. We didn’t even spend that much time together but there was something about that shared experience… A bond formed because they knew what it was like to do what we did when no one else could. When we weren’t on the floor, they felt like family.
