“Main thing is you’ll be safe until we can get that contract taken care of,” he said, sliding his hands to my waist and then back down again.
“When are you leaving?” I asked, leaning into him.
“Now.”
“Oh, that’s fast,” I murmured.
“The faster we get this taken care of, the faster you don’t have a target on your back, Harp. I’m gonna run home and pack a bag, and then I’ll meet up with Gray and Rumi.”
“Rumi’s going?” That surprised me.
“Yep.”
He rose to his feet and framed my face with his hands. “Listen to your dad. Don’t take any chances. Read some of those books you love. I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Be careful,” I replied, closing my eyes as he peppered kisses over my cheeks and forehead. “Don’t get caught. I don’t want to be pressing my boobs to glass just so you can see them for the next fifteen years.”
Bas jerked back and laughed.
“What the hell do you think I’m goin’ to do?” he asked, chuckling.
“I have no idea, and I know better than to ask,” I replied primly.
“Nothin’ that could get me sent down for fifteen fuckin’ years,” he assured me, still snickering. He pressed his lips to mine. “I love you.”
“Love you, too. Call me if you can.”
“I’ll do my best.” He kissed me again.
Then he left the room, and I dropped glumly to the end of the bed. I didn’t like the idea of him going somewhere for days. I didn’t like that the whole reason he was going was because of me. And I really just didn’t like being apart from him for that long.
It was that realization that snapped me out of my pout. We’d been spending every day together for so long that it had somehow become a necessity. I loved spending time with Bas, and at the end of the day, I wanted to go home with him—but I needed to start building my own life, too.
If I was going to make a life in Eugene, I needed to actually do it. No more isolation.
Moseying out to the main room, I found my parents talking to Auntie Rose and Uncle Mack.
“Hey, we ready to go?” I asked cheerfully. “I don’t have any luggage, so I’m set.”
“We’re waitin’ on all the food your mom ordered,” Dad replied with a grin.
“Well, I didn’t know we’d be leaving tonight,” Mom huffed.
“Did you tell Kara that they were ordering food?” Auntie Rose asked Uncle Mack. “If she brings the kids down, she won’t have to make dinner.”
“She said she put somethin’ in the slow cooker this mornin’,” Uncle Mack replied apologetically. “But she said if you want to make them dinner tomorrow, she’s in.”
“Good.” Auntie Rose turned to my mom. “You just wait. Grandkids are the reward for having kids.”
“Don’t look at me,” I said quickly. “Gray and Frankie are first.”
“Gonna be hard to have babies in a convent,” my dad joked.
“You’re very funny,” I replied dryly, pointing over my shoulder. “I’m going to go over there.”
Turning on my heel, I marched toward a group of tables where a bunch of my cousins were sitting. I’d barely seen Meg and Olive since I’d been in town, and it was the first time I’d seen Forrest at all. Brody and Jamo were teasing Myla about something when I stopped at the edge of their table, and one of them kicked out a chair for me to sit in without even glancing my way.
“About time,” Brody said. “You’ve been up Bas’s ass since you got back.”
