On the other hand, Eli isn’t married. So I’m not the other woman. Talk about the greatest relief of all time. He came for me even though he was putting his own life at risk. He got on his knees for me AGAIN, and this time it was in front of his entire family.
So, at some point, I should probably take a beat and consider what it means that my main takeaways from the day are abduction and he’s mine.The murders...deaths. They were deaths. Justifiable killings, really, if I’m being honest, and I always am. Yeah. My research into murder definitely said something about unlawful and malicious. Maliciousness aside, because I’m pretty sure some of the bodies in the front yard had been disemboweled and or scalped but...unlawful? He’s a government official...sort of. He’s in the military. That’s a government operated agency, and they have him kill people, so...seems reasonable to me. Plus, I’m pretty sure Chase had no intention of letting me walk out of there, which means Jax and Marshall weren’t meant to walk out of there either.
Apparently, assault and battery charges don’t look good on a politician’s resume’.
Eli is still on his knees before me, and he’s squeezing my waist. His face is buried in my middle, and my hands are cupping the back of his head. Before I can tell him to get up, Jax and Marshall drop to their knees beside him and envelop us both into a group hug. Eli removes his arms from my waist, repositioning himself so that he can pull all of us into a bear hug.This is weird. So weird, but so damn great.
I’m not sure how I ended up with these three, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Jax and Marshall appear to be just as relieved as I am that Eli isn’t an adulterous deadbeat dad. The relief I felt when he explained who Abigail is to him is immeasurable. She’s the sister he spoke about, and it’s pretty clear why he hasn’t mentioned the brother. His twin, Abel. We still have a lot of things to talk about, to be sure, but I was right about Eli all along. He is trustworthy, and I can trust myself to make good decisions.
“Well, as sweet as this all is, I’m sure you folks would like to get cleaned up so you can get some rest.” Eli’s mother has that sweet Southern lilt in her voice, along with a commanding undertone that all mothers of military men probably perfect early on in their sons’ careers.Sons. She had two.Now, there’s only Eli. This is the thing he’s been struggling with. This is the thing he’s been wanting to tell me, but also didn’t want to face himself.
What are the chances that he will come to his senses and decide he isn’t really in love with me, and this was all just part of the grief process?No. This isn’t grief. This is real.
“Yeah. She’s right. I’m tired, and I definitely need a shower before I lie down. How many of us can shower at one time?”
The boys have all let me go, and they’re now engulfed in a three-way bro hug. Eli has them squeezed tightly to him so that he can speak low into their ears. Without hearing a word, I know that he’s thanking them for the parts they played today. Admittedly, they were pretty badass. Even in my apartment. They kicked serious ass.
They caught me up on what had happened inside the house while we were in the truck waiting for Eli. They kept a united front with me when Eli arrived, but there was plenty of hero worship happening before he got back. I was worried for Eli at first, but they quickly put my mind at ease when they explained this was more of a Denzel Washington as “The Equalizer” situation and not at all a General Custer at Little Bighorn thing.
Now, the back patting.Geez. It looks like the twins are about to become the triplets.
“Ah, tankless water heater. We can all shower at the same time. There’s one shower on this floor and three upstairs. Mom, can you show Jax down the hall? Abbi, can you show Marshall to the spare upstairs? Vaughn can use my shower.”
“Yeah, son.”
“Sure, Julio.”
Jax, Marshall, and I look back and forth between one another as Eli rolls his eyes skyward, rubbing both hands down his face. There’s clearly a story here, and I’m not prepared to be kept in the dark about a single other thing.
“Julio?”
Abigails melodic giggle floats on the air before she answers. “Yeah. It’s what I call Eli. We’ve heard his buddies call him Post Man several times, but he and Abel refused to tell us why, so I started calling him Julio.”
Did that make sense?Our squinty eyes and quizzical expressions must alert her that further explanation is necessary because she begins speaking again without prompting.
“So, Julio is our actual post man. He delivers the mail.”
Ahh. That does bring everything full circle.
Jax and Marshall both give Abigail a congratulatory fist bump, assumably for picking a solid nickname for their bestie. They happen to know why he’s actually called Post Man. Well, a pretty good idea, anyway. Eli hasn’t confirmed it, but it seems pretty obvious after seeing the mess he left of the front yard. The strategic posing and overall gruesomeness of it. That was a message. A message from the Post Man.
When we got in the truck, Marshall said, “He’s the messenger. Post Man. That’s what it’s about. He doesn’t just eliminate the problem. He sends a message to anyone who would dare to retaliate.” Pretty sure his assessment was spot on. It’s not like Eli’s collecting scalps to keep warm in Winter.
Chapter 27
Vaughn
When I get out of the shower, clothes are waiting for me on the bathroom vanity. They must belong to Abigail. Not my usual style, but they’re definitely comfortable and more than I expected to have here.
Eli is waiting for me on his bed. This is his room. He lives here with Abbi and...once upon a time, his brother Abel. Apparently, Abel was the older of the two by only three minutes, but he never let Eli forget who the big brother was. This place must be a constant reminder of what he’s lost.
He’s freshly showered, smelling of soap and fresh air.
“Little Devil.”
“Julio.”
His chuckle is breathy and short lived.
