“I do, but…” I hesitate to ask but I must know. “What happens if we do? By accident. Entertain my question.”
Levi sighs and shakes his head. “Civilians aren’t meant to know people like us exist. We are supposed to be just another couple, blend into society… be simpleneighbors. Being compromised doesn’t mean anything foryou, necessarily.” He pauses, his intense look never wavering in my direction. “Do I need to specify more?”
“No,” I say through a breath. “No, you don’t.”
It isn’t us that would see consequences, but them… and for everything they’ve done for us, and are still to do, that is the last thing I want to happen.
I nod and shift to wrap my arm around Ayden’s shoulders gently. Paying mind not to put too much pressure on his wounds.
“We will have Olivia here this afternoon. She’s a short girl, wears pink contacts with a matching wig, super sweet and very?—”
“—Obnoxious,” Evelyn groans. “But she’s good at what she does, and is discreet.”
“You two going to be alright for now?” he asks.
“Yeah…” I whisper.
“Thank you both,” Ayden says. “Thank you for everything, and I’m sorry for all this.”
Levi waves his hand and shrugs. “All good. What’re neighbors for?”
“Sugar and milk…”
Evelyn rolls her eyes. “You’d do the same for us if you could, I’m sure.”
I’d like to think I would, and I’ve got no question that Ayden would as well.
After our goodbyes, we are left to silence.
“Can we go back to bed?” my sunshine says against my arm. “Since now you don’t have to take care of me?”
I let out a light laugh. “I’ll always be taking care of you in somecapacity. Let’s try and get cleaned up before we get into bed.”
“A hot bath, maybe?” He lifts his head.
“That sounds wonderful…” I lean in and press my mouth to his in a fleeting kiss. “Maybe the water will wash away the memory of what happened.”
That gets a soft laugh from him. “Probably not. I’m just glad I’ve got you to share this secret with. It may have driven me madder to not be able to talk about it withanyone.”
I smile against his lips. “No one I’d rather live in crazy-land with than you.”
I kiss him again, and this feels like the beginning of our healing journey. We’ve got a lot to work on, but I know we can get through it together without question.
Soulmates aren’t immune to hard times; we take them on together, because we know the person meant for us is someone worth the fight.
57
Three months later
To say life has been easy wouldn’t necessarily be a lie, but it’d be downplaying the feeling of anxiety we’ve had over the course of the last couple months.
As Levi and Evelyn alluded to, everything—and I meaneverything—worked itself out. It felt too simple, which explains Keoni taking a few weeks’ vacation, and us ordering anything we needed straight to the cabin. I’m pretty sure there was a two-week period we didn’t step but ten feet from Wildhart.
Michael went ‘missing’. All evidence of him being in Colorado had been wiped. The flight. The rental car. All of it changed to a completely different name, according to Levi who came by from time to time to check on us and let us know what was happening.
The two officers ‘moved’, and any family they had were given enough information that they hadn’t questioned it. Apparently, Michael had promised a good word in with the SFPD for them both, which is what had them helping him in the first place.
I’m not entirely sure if he would’ve given them what theywanted, but suppose it doesn’t matter now.
