“As are you,” he says as he pulls out my chair, and as I sit, he brings my knuckles up to his lips and kisses each one in tandem. “I ordered a feast for us tonight, I hope you like it.” As he lifts the lid up and off the plate, a euphoric smile forms on my face. As a talk show emcee would, he turns the plate in semi-circles as he explains and points out every item. “On the left, you’ll find glazed carrots, directly to the right of that is a honey roasted chicken breast, and last but not least is a favorite of mine, a loaded baked potato sprinkled with bacon bits, sour cream,cheese, and green onions. In the basket in the center of the table you’ll find some sourdough biscuits.”
“You cut up the chicken?” I ask as I grab my napkin and place it on my lap.
“Yeah, I did. I figured it’d make it easier to hold your hand while we ate,” he replies.
And that’s exactly what we do. We hold hands, we talk, and we bond on a deeper level than I’ve ever had with another living human being. After a few more rounds of dancing, laughing, and sharing, we head back to the house where we make love for the rest of the evening.
I am utterly and consumedly in love with this man. As far as Valentine’s Day goes, this one will go down in the history books. My journal will be filled with all things Rush and the way he’s enhanced my life and opened my eyes.
EPILOGUE
Riptide
The next morning,we wake to the sounds of little feet running around downstairs. Van stirs in my arms and I wind them tighter around her, drawing her into me. “Morning, beautiful.”
“Morning,” she answers around a yawn.
It won’t be long before our little man starts calling out for us, so I ask her, “Are you ready to get up and face a new day?”
“Everyday as long as I wake up in your arms… just like this,” she remarks, placing her hand on my thorax, directly over the spot where my heart beats.
“That’s something I can guarantee will happen,” I say, squeezing her tighter to me.
“Unless you’re out of town on business,” she contradicts.
“Even then you’ll be with me. If not your body, then your heart and mind will always be there beside me, guiding me, remindingme that I have something worth crawling out of bed for,” I state. “You’ll never be alone, Van. Not now, and not ever again.”
“Even when you’re away, I feel you here,” she tells me, lifting her hand and tapping it against her chest. “You filled that spot that was once a void. Like you said last night, I didn’t know something was missing from my life until our paths crossed. In his own way, Gage brought us together. He gave us a gift when he sacrificed his life for Rio.”
“He was our Cupid,” I raspily say. “The gift he gave me with you and our boy will never be forgotten. I can’t forgive him for what he put Rio and Issy through, but I can be thankful to him for guiding you to me. He was once a brother. I'll always have fond memories of him and our childhoods but that doesn’t give him any grace in our eyes. In the end, he redeemed himself, and helped me find my own redemption in you.”
“His path of death and destruction led us to where we are today. Like you, he’ll never have the chance to earn my forgiveness but I’m starting to understand some of the things he did. He was put in between a rock and a hard place. Did he make the right decisions? Not in my opinion, and not in yours, certainly not in Rio’s, but his last act on this earth was a righteous one. For that, I can find it in my heart to give him some grace.”
“Maybe in time, I’ll find my own grace with him. But that time isn’t today, come on, gorgeous, let’s get dressed and go down to see our boy.”
“Right behind you,” she says as she reaches her arms above her head and stretches. Her glorious tits pop up out of the sheet, causing my mouth to salivate.
“They can wait a few more minutes,” I state as I pounce on her, rip the sheet off of her body, and devour her from head to toe for the next hour before we make our way to the shower and make love there too.
“Those fuckers are getting released in three months, are we prepared? Are our allies lined up and ready to assist?” I ask as we sit around the table talking about the impending war with the Onyx Dragons.
“We’re as prepped as we can be,” Slayer comments. “The Feds have drawn out their release for as long as they can, now, it’s our turn.”
I clear my throat before announcing, “Next week, I’ll be flying out to meet up with Rio and Gemini. The Montana takeover can’t wait any longer. Things there are dire. They’re running around like ants without their queen and it’s drawing unwanted attention. We’ve pushed it off as long as we can. Needless to say, Big Daddy is getting restless and impatient with our stalling.”
“When are those of us who’ve been voluntold we’re going, heading that way?” LoneStar asks, looking perturbed. “I need to order winter clothing and supplies before making my way to Montana. Because you know,It. Snows. There.”
“You’ll need Alaskan gear,” Indiana taunts, tossing it in LoneStar’s face that he drew the short straw.
“Fuck off, asshole,” LoneStar says, flipping him off.
“Just telling you like it is,” Indiana replies, shrugging.
“That’s enough!” I yell, slamming my fist on the table. “This is church, not comedy hour. Fuss at each other during your own time, not mine.” They both mumble out their own versions of “yes, pres” before zipping their damn lips. “Indiana, get in touch with your contacts, I want us to have an arsenal bigger than what we’ve got of weapons and ammunition. Booker, double check every feed and make sure every inch of our grounds are covered. I don’t want any blind spots. Icer, you and Shade talk to your sources inside, see if one of those pieces of shit have talked and shared their plans. Anybody got anything else they want to bring up?” When all of my guys shake their heads, I call out, “Church dismissed.”
“You’re worried,” Slayer says after the room has cleared.
“I’m goddamn petrified,” I admit as I reach over and pour two fingers of bourbon into my glass. “This war is going to be a bloodbath and lives will be lost.”
