“Hey,” I reply awkwardly. What do you say to the woman you’re in love with after you’re finally released from jail for murder charges?
“We tried to visit you,” Lucy tells me. “But your attorney said we couldn’t because you were in solitary.”
“Yeah, I was.”
“What the fuck did you do, Nash?” she snaps at me.
“I’m sure you already know all about what I did. You’ve probably seen the evidence photos and read police reports by now, right?”
“Huh?” she asks with her brow furrowed.
“You know all the grim details, I’m sure. What you couldn’t find online I bet Jetta filled in for you.”
“No, Nash! I’m not talking about the charges. I’m talking about what you did to get put in solitary! Did you try and…did you hurt yourself?”
“What? God, no!” I exclaim in denial. “I just wanted to get some peace and quiet away from everyone cramped together in the cell block. I begged the detectives to not put me in so that they would throw me in.”
“That’s it?” she asks, eyes narrowed suspiciously behind her glasses. I think I prefer them over the contacts. She looks more like my Lucy, the one I was falling for before the wedding.
“That’s it.”
“Oh, well, good.” Lucy’s chest rises and falls with her heavy exhale. “So, are you ready to go home or what?”
“Why aren’t you freaking out? How can you be so calm about everything with the murder charges?”
“Because I know you, Nash. You’re a good man, and you wouldn’t hurt anyone if they didn’t deserve it.”
“Does anyone deserve to die, though? I would do it again in a heartbeat, but that doesn’t make what I did right.”
“They had criminal records a mile long and could’ve hurt Jetta. When someone you care about is in danger, or even someone you love asks you to save the person they care about, you do what needs to be done to help them because you’re incredibly loyal.”
“Yeah, I am loyal to the MC and my brothers, which means they’ll always come before anything else, even consequences.”
“I already knew that about you,” Lucy says. “I just don’t think you understand how loyal I can be too. I’m not Ellie. There’s nothing you can do that could send me running.” Lowering her voice, she says, “I found the witness and gave them to your club to help you, knowing it could go bad. But I cared about what happened to you more. Does that make me a horrible person?”
“No, of course not!”
“Then you’re not a bad person either,” she says. Closing the distance between us, Lucy winds her arms around my neck and goes up on her toes to press her lips to mine. “And I really missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I admit to her. “More than you can imagine. Thinking about that last weekend with you, it’s what got me through the days and nights. I didn’t think I would ever get released, and I was certain I would never see you again.”
“Try and make me leave,” she says before I grip her waist and attack her mouth, needing to taste her. I want to spend the rest of my life soaking up each and every inch of her, and never let her go.
Epilogue
Nash
* * *
I nod to the captain of our cruise ship as I climb the stairs to the viewing deck. We’re not out for our normal gambling cruise tonight. It’s a private party this evening, as the Aces celebrate Devlin and Jetta’s engagement with our own signature style.
“I got you, baby,” I tell Lucy as I hand her one of the bottles of beer I retrieved from the bar below decks.
“Thanks!” She grins at me as she turns around and leans her back against the rail. “I love this boat. You guys have a great business going with these cruises.”
“Yeah, this was one of our better ideas,” I agree as I lean on the rail beside her. “Not as good as your idea of finding a new place together, though. I like our new townhouse; it’s a lot nicer than our old apartments.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with moving in together already?” she asks me.
“I’m more than okay with it,” I reassure her. “Thinking about the days we had together got me through my time in jail. I thought those memories would have to last me the rest of my life. Once I got out and realized that you and I might actually have a shot together…well, I’ll do anything to make that happen,” I tell her. “I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and learned a lot of hard lessons about what it means to love someone. What you and I have is the real deal, Lucy, because we’re both in it for the right reasons.”
“We’re actually in it because we love each other,” Lucy whispers over the ocean breeze.
“Exactly,” I nod. “I don’t think I ever truly knew what it meant to love a woman until you barged into my life.” I can see a faint blush stain her cheeks in the moonlight as I lean down to give her a kiss.
When her lips part and our tongues meet, the flame that is always simmering between us threatens to erupt into another inferno that might have us stripping down right there on the deck. Fortunately, Lucy taps me oddly on the side of the head, causing me to pull back momentarily.
“What was that?” I laugh as I catch her hand.
“Malcolm just stomped up the stairs,” she giggles to me as she pulls slightly away.
I turn around and lean back on the rail as Malcolm approaches, giving us both a rare grin. “I saw you two sneaking off and just wanted to make sure everything was okay out here,” Malcolm says. “I thought maybe the small-fry here couldn’t hold her liquor and was out here ‘looking at the fish’ while you held her hair.”
“That’s honestly a fair assumption,” Lucy laughs. “I’m good at a lot of things, but drinking probably isn’t one of them. I’m not sick, though. I just came out to enjoy the view. I love the ocean at night. The stars, the moonlight on the waves, the wind…all of it.”
“I hear you,” Malcolm agrees, taking a swig from the whiskey glass he is holding as he stares out into the darkness.
“I haven’t had a chance to ask you today,” I say to get Malcolm’s attention. “Did Silas call you yet? Today makes what, six weeks since he disappeared?”
“Six fucking weeks,” Malcolm agrees with a heavy sigh. “And still not a peep out of him. Maybe he knows the case has been dismissed, and he’s having fun with his ‘new friend’, but I just don’t know.”
“You’re actually worried about him?” I try to clarify.
“Nah, this is Silas we’re talking about, not Fiasco,” Malcolm snorts. “He can handle himself as well as any of us. I guess I should say I’m not worried that he’s in trouble…I’m worried about what kind of ‘fun’ he’s having out on his own.”
“He’s an odd dude,” I agree. “I’d still trust him with my life. He’s always had our backs, no matter what. But some of the things he says, or the way he acts sometimes…”