“Is that a deal breaker?” she asked when he said nothing.
“What if you only robbed bad guys?” he asked. “Like you did with the egg? You stole it from the thieves after my ex turned it over to Him and saved my job. Would that satisfy the itch?”
“So, you want me to only steal from people who have it coming? Like a vigilante?” she asked.
“Yeah… because then you’d technically be a hero.” He twisted until he stood before her,the positionforcing her to look into his eyes. “You said it, but I haven’t. I’m trying to go slow, but I can’t let you be the only one to have said it, so I love you, Sable. You filled a void in my life that I didn’t realize was a raw and bloody wound. You’ve healed a part of my heart that I thought would remain forever damaged, and watching you fight for my son when hisownmother wouldn’tchangedeverything. I need this between us to work, and if youwon’t stopstealing, then at least do good with it. I can live with that because what I can’t live without is you. So, can we find a way to make this work?”
Sable didn’t care that they had an audience, and she slipped her arms around Cash’s neck. She hadn’t expected him to say those three simple yet life-altering words, but he had, and her soul filled with peace. She was home. She’d found her family, and she would do whatever it took to keep them.
“If I use my skills for good, you don’t mind what I am?” she asked, lifting her lips to his as she spoke with atone so seductivethat his eyes almost rolled back into his head.
“Yeah…” he trailed off, unable to focus on anything but her mouth.
“Then I’m determined to make this work because you are worth it.”
“Fuck, Sable,” Cash whispered. “You need to be careful. There are people in this room, but if you keep speaking like that, I’m bound to forget.”
“Then I’ll save that voice for later.”
“You play dirty.”
“Always.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?” the Easter Egg Hunt Coordinator said through his microphone, and Sable and Cash jerked apart like teens caught making out under the bleachers. “We’ve tallied the eggs, and we have your winners!”
The crowd erupted, and Clover raced to join his family for the verdict.
“The winner will receive a chocolate replica of the Precieux egg as well as gift cards to local restaurants,” the coordinator continued. “Second place will win a few baseball tickets, and third place will receive a voucher for the museum’s gift shop. So, without further ado, the winning team is…”
“Good luck, guys,” Sable said as the trio joined hands.
“Aron from security and his family!” the coordinator said, and as Aron’s family exploded in cheers, Sable and Cash gawked at each other.
“What!” Clover wailed. “How did they win? We had so many.”
“Yes, but look at the size of his family,” Sable said, rubbing his back to soothe his disappointment. “There are ten of them and three of us. They had better odds.”
“Yeah, but we had you,” Clover said.
“I’m glad you think so highly of me.”
“Aron’s family located six hundred and forty-five eggs,” the coordinator said, and Cash, Sable, and Clover all shared an excited squeal. That was only one egg more than they’d found, which meant…
“And coming in second place with six hundred and forty-four is our beloved Head of Security, Cashandhis family!”
“Baseball tickets!” Clover shouted as the trio whooped and hollered. “We won baseball tickets. I can’t wait.”
“I think that’s a better prize than a chocolate egg, anyway,” Sable said, spinning the boy. “We get to hang out together and eat hotdogs. I’m so happy.”
“Me too!” Clover jerked to a halt and flung his arms around her waist. “I love you.”
Sable instantly burst into tears at his confession. Big, fat, ugly, uncontrollable tears.
“Did I say something bad?” Clover froze with a sick expression splashed across his face.
“Oh my god, no!” Sable stooped to cup his cheeks. “I’m just happy because I love you, too.” She pulled him into a hug as the boy started sobbing. They missed the third-place winner announcement as they clung to one another, and before long, Cash joined them, his encompassing arms safe and strong. Sable planted a secretive kiss on his cheek before kissing Clover’s because this was her family. She felt it in her marrow.
“Hey, Cash…. Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Aron said, and the three of them twisted as a unit to realize he and his wife hovered over them.
