“It’s not who she is, but it also is. Even if I choose to live differently, I’ll always be a part of this world, Ror, just like my mom. Where do we go when our people get shot? There will always be danger. I love my family and would never walk away from you all, but it’s a lot for someone else to willingly walk into.”
She’s right about that.
“Is everything okay?” Shai asks, coming into the kitchen.
“Yes. Your boyfriend is giving me romance advice.”
“I’m sorry,” Shai teases, Ash and I laughing.
“I’m fine.” She kisses my cheek, then Shai’s. “Come on. Let’s go join everyone else.”
We go back to the living room. Finan is telling a story, everyone paying rapt attention. He’s good at that, drawing attention to himself. Where both Conan and Rian are quieter, more even keeled, Finan is the wild child, much like me.
Eventually, one by one, everyone begins to leave—Rian, then Conan. Fia takes Kat to her room, then goes to bed herself. Finan and Flynn are the last to leave. The two of them spend a lot of time together. I’m sure they’re off to find another party or place to have fun tonight.
When we’re the only ones left, T says, “We’ll go home tomorrow,” then turns to Shai. “My mom will take good care of Kat.”
I appreciate him saying that, making sure Shai knows it’ll be okay.
“Thank you,” Shai says. “For everything. Your mom for helping her, all of you for going with me to save her. I know you didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, we did,” Tiernan answers. He looks at me. “You didwell with Shai being away from you,” he praises me in a way his father would have never done with any of his men. Tiernan and Rian will run this family better than Sloan ever could.
“Thank you,” I reply. “We can do this—him and me. I want him to be a bigger part of us.”
Tiernan looks at Shai again. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes. You’re my family.”
Tiernan nods. “I’ll talk to Rian.” He rubs a hand over his face. “I need to smoke a bowl. You guys are fucking killing me.”
“I’m always down for that,” I say.
We roll a joint instead, smoking and laughing. Dean and Tiernan go to bed first, followed by Ash. Shai, Cil, Ollie, and I go up together, parting ways in the hallway.
The second our door is closed, Shai presses me against it, squeezing his body close to mine. “How did this happen?” he asks, rubbing his cheek against mine.
“I won’t always be easy to deal with. I can be too much, will still get lost in that place where it’s hard to reach me.”
“And I’ll always be by your side when you’re in it, always there to pull you out when you need it. I’m not going anywhere, Cherry. You’re mine.”
I grin. “So sweet.”
“So yours.” Shai presses his lips to mine, the promise of forever on his tongue.
EPILOGUE
Shai
Ten years later
My eyes flutteropen to see Rory staring at me. Ten years later, and I still love how consumed he is by me, love that even when we’re apart, sometimes I’ll feel him there and know he’s following me, watching me, loving me.
“You’re a weirdo,” I tease him.
“Your weirdo,” he replies. “I’m bored.”
“It’s ten o’clock in the morning.” We had a late night—me, Rory, Cil, Dean, and Tiernan having family business to take care of. No one died on our side, which I always consider a win. Rory and I still get off on the violence, but we’re as safe as we can be about it, have learned to stay in control and make better decisions. When Rory teeters on the edge, I’m always there to bring him home again, to me, because I am his home.
