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“The call I got on Christmas Eve was from my uncle. My dad had been stabbed nine times in prison and was in the hospital.”
She studied me before speaking. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he survived. Only had six months left on his sentence, so they sent him home when he was released from the hospital and put him under my uncle’s supervision.”
“How long had he been in?”
“Thirteen years.”
“Wow,” she said against the rim of her cup before taking a sip.
I took a sip of my coffee. “He had some debts that needed paid, debts he couldn’t pay, and my uncle knew my dad was walking around with a target on his back. They both were.”
“So they called you to pay them,” she surmised.
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “My dad didn’t want me involved, but once I knew about it, knew the extent of the debts, I knew if I didn’t help that I’d be goin’ to his funeral. Couldn’t live with that, knowin’ I could’ve done something, and I didn’t.”
“What did you do?”
I exhaled loudly. “I got back in the game. Knew the guy targeting my dad because I’d done some work for him back in the day. He liked me. He liked how I worked, and I figured if he’d give anyone a shot at getting those debts paid, it would be me.” I shrugged. “He took my call. We made a deal, and he gave me four months to pay them.”
“How much were they?”
“Three hundred thousand.”
She’d just taken a sip of coffee when I responded and choked while she swallowed. Grabbing a napkin from the counter, she wiped her mouth and stared at me. “Three hundred thousand dollars.” I nodded. “How could you pay that?”
“Found some options and I watched them. I learned their patterns and schedules. Checked out the cars and knew what would bring the most. Narrowed it down to two, adding up to over three hundred thousand. I knew the boss would like that, so those became my specific targets.”
“So you stole two different cars, and that’s it? The debts are paid?”
I drank slowly. “Yeah.”
“That doesn’t explain why you couldn’t let me know you were okay.”
I took a few steps and leaned my hip against the island before setting my cup down. “The life I led before I came here isn’t one I’m proud of, Becs. The idea of telling you I was putting myself back in the game wasn’t something I wanted to do. But that’s not the biggest reason I stayed silent. The men I worked for and my dad owed money to don’t stop until they’re paid. If Dad had died from the stabbing, they would’ve come after me to pay. If I didn’t pay, they would’ve found whoever mattered to me and made them pay.” I leaned my elbows on the counter, putting our faces close together. “If they figured out what you mean to me, you would’ve been their primary target, and no way in hell was I letting that happen. Nobody could’ve stopped them, not even your brother, so I made the decision to stop them myself.”
“Three months, Race. You left me for three months.” She paused. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“Becs…”
She held up her hand. “I’ve spent a lot of time saying good-bye to the most important people in my life. Sometimes for good. I’m tired of counting on people who let me down.” She rolled the cup between her palms. “I hate knowing that includes you.”
“I never meant for it to happen this way, baby.”
She watched me for a minute before lowering her voice. “Are you safe now?”
It felt good knowing she cared, but it wasn’t about me. Without knowing what I was doing, I shoved her back to a time when she lost most of her family and was alone. “Yeah.”
“And you’re back for good?” She hesitated before she continued. “Because I’m not gonna start whatever this is if there’s even a small chance you’re not planning to stay.”
“Every day, Becs, every fucking day while I was gone, I woke up thinking about you. I worked hard to get that job done because I knew what I was driving home to. There’s never been anyone or anything in my life that I would give up everything for until you.”
She was quiet a moment and then answered. “That doesn’t answer my question. I need the words, Race, so I can repeat them back to you when you screw up.”
I grinned when her lips quirked. I knew she was serious about needing the words, but her shoulders had relaxed. It seemed she was starting to forgive me, at least a little, and I’d take whatever I could get. “I’m staying.”
She nodded once. “What did you tell Ben?”
