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“No need to be sorry, Thal, I understood.”
“I just didn’t feel whole,” I muttered.
“Baby, said I understood. We knew it would take time for you to recover from your ordeal, and having your breast back will speed things up.”
“Here’s to hoping so,” I said with a wink. Bear chuckled.
“So what shall we do when we spring this joint?” Bear asked. I frowned.
“As in what?”
“Fancy a few days away? Pick anywhere,” Bear offered indulgently.
“Anywhere?” I asked.
“Anywhere,” Bear confirmed.
“New Orleans!” I squealed, and Bear winced.
“Seriously?”
“Yes, I’ve always wanted to go there, preferably at Mardi gras or Halloween. Actually, scratch that. How about the Caribbean? We can visit Port Royale and Rose Hall; Callie will be jealous because it’s haunted.”
“Two weeks on a beach with you in a bikini? While Chance digs himself out of the shit he’s caused? Done,” Bear said, grinning.
“We’ll do Halloween at New Orleans,” I said firmly. Bear rolled his eyes.
“If I have to,” Bear grumbled.
“Yes, you have to,” I teased, and Bear smiled.
“Yeah, I can see exactly how my fuckin’ life is going to go,” Bear complained.
“And you’re moaning?” I teased.
“Love you,” Bear said, and I froze. We hadn’t yet said those words to each other, despite planning our wedding.
“I love you too,” I said, dragging his head forward for a kiss.
That was the principal thing; we did honestly love one another. We’d fight together, and makeup, and that was the best for us. Both of us had two powerful personalities, and Bear and I would clash. But as long as we went to bed resolving our issues, nothing could come between us. Not now or ever. Dean, Robespierre, the torture may linger a little, but in the end, Bear would chase those nightmares away.
I’d come to Spearfish to find a sister and hopefully discover the other three. The truth was, I’d found more than my siblings. I’d discovered a whole new life and family. No one likes to think they were a bad person, and I hoped apart from my one blip, I was a good person. But the bounty of Hellfire was more than I deserved.
Clio was lucky with Chance, and I was fortunate with Bear. Both men would kill and have killed for us without breaking a sweat. And funny enough, we were okay with that. No one innocent had died, and that was okay. Evil men who did terrible things were hurt and paid the price of justice. May not be justice in the letter of the law, but definitely justice in the victim’s eyes.
What amazed me was that Grandmother clearly understood what and who Hellfire was and was happy with the situation. Grandmother told me in an aside that all she ever wished was a man who’d stand by my side. Bear was that, Grandmother admitted, although she said we needed to work on our communication.
“Hey,” Bear said, kissing my lips.
“I would die for you, Bear.” Bear frowned.
“You go to a bad place, baby?” Bear whispered, drawing me into his arms.
“Not today, because guess what? Whenever the nightmares rise, you’re there to chase them away.”
“And that’s where I’ll always be, Thalia,” Bear said and tucked my head under his chin. Grandmother and Callie sighed from the peanut gallery. I didn’t care; I was safe and loved, and a wonderful caring, loving man was by my side. Now I just had to fix things for Rain, Callie and Polly!
