“Are you sure about the room?” I ask, needing to make sure he’s not going to get triggered every time he steps foot in here. We can figure something else out if we need to.
Ringo’s smile is broad as he shifts his gaze between Bobbi and me.
“It’s actually cathartic to be in here again.” He looks around the room that was originally meant for his daughter. “When Hope died, I just closed it up and covered the access doors with mirrors. That way I could pretend there wasn’t even a room here. But I want Bobbi to usethis room. At least until she’s older, and then maybe she can have the one next to Tahli’s new room downstairs.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” I whisper, feeling too emotional to speak too loud. “Thank you, Cam. I absolutely love it.”
He can’t seem to take his warm smile off his face as he moves to the door on the far wall, pulling it open. Behind it is some sort of timber panel, and he turns back to me.
“That’s another mirror, out on the landing. I’ll remove it later,” he states, turning to look back over the room. “But this is all yours now. All Bobbi’s. So you do whatever you want with it. I can paint it a different colour if you want or—”
“Cam. Stop. It’s perfect just the way it is. Way more than I could have ever given Bobbi by myself.”
He shifts nervously, hands in his pockets as his gaze drops to the floor.
“So… you’ll stay with me?” he asks, his eyes finally jumping up to mine.
Shit. Is my husband nervous?
“Cam, I—”
“Say you’ll let me love the both of you,” he stumbles forward, falling to his knees by my feet, his big hands coming up to grip my thighs. “I’ll fucking doanythingto keep you, Angel. If you want to run, I’ll run. I’ll take my ma and sisters with us and we’ll leave this shit behind.”
Tears well in my eyes as I stare at him, taking in the desperation in his tone.
He really would do that if I asked him to. He’d leave the Southern Sadists. Go against the Marx family.
All for me.
“Cam, I’d never ask you to do that. I don’t want to do that. I want to stay here with you. I know we’ll have to live at the compound as well. But we’ll make it work. I don’t think it matters where we are just as long as we’re together.”
His shoulders drop, and his relief is written all over his face as he sighs and leans forward over the top of Bobbi, pressing his forehead to mine.
“I’m gonna give you the world, Angel.”
“You already have,” I whisper, closing the short distance to kiss him.
Everything has happened so fast. We’ve barely had time to let the events of the last few days sink in, but I never imagined my husband was feeling so concerned. Worried that I’d leave.
As we pull back from the kiss and stare into each other’s eyes, I realise I’m not the only one that’s changed this year.
He has, too.
I know he’s helped my heart heal in so many ways, but I realise now I’ve helped stitch his up too. He’ll never get Hope back, but I’ll make sure she’s remembered. I’ll tell Bobbi about her. That her big sister rests peacefully under the Jacaranda tree, and hopefully one day, I can give him a child of his own… one day.
36
Iwish I could say the last four weeks have been fucking peaceful, but then I’d just be lying.
We were home for a week and a half before the state went into another fucking lockdown. Thank fuck it didn’t last too long, although it was nice being trapped on my property with my wife and our family for twelve days, but the shit I’ve had to squeeze into a fucking week has been a logistics nightmare.
There’s been streaming meetings with other chapters. Calls with the Angel sisters and a personal face to face with Ewan and Leo Marx. Not to fucking forget, having to meet with Officer Zimora in private to hand over the hard drive and make sure all of this shit gets swept under the rug.
We sent a big chunk of the money Banes left behind to the seaside town we brought carnage to in South Australia, managing to strike adeal with the Raiders MC so they don’t fucking come gunning for our arses.
We donated some of the money to the Fox Pines Hospital. Anonymously, of course. And some has been sent to the families of our fallen.
Lewy’s been working behind the scenes to get records changed into Abbey’s name regarding her parents’ belongings, while Abbey has been trying to find some extra help for Maggie. Mental help. Something that’s fucking hard to find.
