He’d taken me so low then brought me sky-high, yet at last I felt in control of myself again. All the emotions that had been inside me had come out. A full circle from the emotional wreck I’d been.
It was early evening when we woke again.
“Satisfied. Needy.”
I smiled at Kane’s murmured emotion-telling.
“Want me to tell you I love you again?”
“Would ye?”
Grey eyes held mine. I loved being the only person to ever see this side of him. Soft. Vulnerable.
“I’m so in love with you.”
“Thank fuck I didn’t dream it.”
We made our way to the kitchen, and Kane patted my mother’s urn on his move around the space. He used her name and chatted to her over making coffee. If he hadn’t already claimed my heart, that would’ve cinched the deal.
Over a steaming mug, he turned his questions on me. “Tell me about Lyle. I’m enjoying the thought that he watched me carve a path to ye then found himself cut off and locked up. How did that come about?”
I went over the plotting I’d done with the skeleton girls. How I suspected Lyle was trying to take over my father’s dubious police-underworld connection role, how he’d threatened Arran, the invite to dinner, and lastly my guard and Pollyanna who were both in his custody. It all led to our plan to catch him, and the fact he’d shown up, not with riot vans or a warrant, but to see me, told us everything.
Kane’s eyes twinkled. “He’s going to be spitting teeth. Can we go find out?”
We showered, clung to each other, dressed, and readied to leave. Kane brought his scant possessions in from his car. His black holdalls. His winter coat and weapons stash. When I overheard him chatting to Mrs Hampton out front, I slipped back into the kitchen and took a seat in front of Mum’s urn.
As I’d done so many times, I shared my news.
“You know Kane? Well, I asked him to stay here with me. Which means I want him to move in. I hope that’s okay. It’s happened fast, sure, but when you know, you know. So you told me once because you said you’d never found love like that. Kane loves me, and I can’t imagine being apart from him.”
Quiet calm hung in the air.
My kind, warm-hearted mother would’ve adored Kane. She’d have done the fun and flirty thing with him, and they would’ve grown close. I gave myself a moment to grieve a relationship that never got the chance to happen, then chose instead to celebrate the one I’d cherished and the new one I’d gained.
Lighter than I had felt in a long time, I left to join him.
Chapter 44
Lovelyn
On the drive to the warehouse, ‘Hello My Old Lover’ by Dove Cameron played on the radio, and Kane held my hand, changing gears with our combined grip. His thumb drifted over mine.
I remembered something I’d meant to ask last night, lost when the needs of our bodies had stripped everything away.
“Did you see Primrose Marchant after the care home?”
“I went. The gates stayed locked. She told me over the intercom that she’d call me when she needs me.”
“Sounds ominous, but it might not be that bad. I feel sorry for her when I think of our conversation.”
“I don’t. She holds the power of my mother’s care over me. Even when I get the sale money, that only gives me six months of funds. When she says jump, I’ll have to. It was another reason why I thought you’d be better off without me.”
“Why? She isn’t dangerous.”
He gave a noncommittal grumble.
“Worst-case scenario, if she asks for something you don’t want to do, refuse. You’ll have money to cover the bill short term, and I’ll volunteer to help care for your mother. I did it withmine, and I am unemployed, after all. I’m sure Blair and I can find a way to get along.”
