Before I can turn to Ford, I hear Ivy.
“Oh, my God.” I push my way into the room, and she practically knocks me over as she throws her arms around me. We stay locked together for a full minute, until Mia clears her throat.
“Um, can I get in on this hugging action too?”
She looks like she’s been through hell. A bruise on her cheek has faded to a sickly swirl of yellow and green, and a heavy cast surrounds her right arm. But it’s the look in her eyes I know all too well that breaks my heart.
“Mia, I’m so sorry.” My tears make everything in the room shimmer, and as we hold on to one another, I remember how it felt to have my sister hold me that first week I was free. “I’m sorry,” I say again, knowing if I apologize every day for the rest of my life, it won’t be enough.
The slight young woman shakes in my embrace, and I let her cry, only moving when Ivy takes my arm and urges both of us over to the couch across the room. “We’re going home in the morning,” Mia says quietly after she wipes her cheeks. “Matt wanted to take us today, but when he said you’d be here tonight, we begged him to wait.”
Ford sidles up to my elbow and drops down to one knee. “Matt, Leo, and I will be just outside in the hall. Take as long as you need. You’re all safe here.”
I cup his cheek, unsure when his stubble turned into a full beard. “You did this. All of this. Thank you.”
Almost two hours later, I hug Ivy and Mia goodbye. “You can call me any time,” I say, trying to keep my voice from cracking. Just before I slip into the hall, I look back at Mia. “You’ll never forget. But this doesn’t have to rule your entire life. Not unless you let it. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Not everyone gets a second chance.”
“Joey?” Mia says as she dabs her eyes with a tissue. “I’m glad you found yours.”
“Me too.” And when I step into Ford’s embrace, I know exactly what I need from him tonight.
I want that ring back on my finger.
Ford
We’re finally alone. Joey’s quiet as I open the door for her. “There are guards on patrol twenty-four-seven,” I say, flipping on the light. The space is small. Only a couch and a round table in the main room, a kitchenette, and a single bedroom and bath. But for the next twelve hours or so, it’s all ours.
“Trev has his own place down the hall, and the building’s concierge went out and picked up a few more things for us.”
“The concierge?” Her brows furrow, and I dip my head to kiss the tiny line between them, smoothing it away.
“They use this place for all sorts of things. Visiting military brass, vetted asylum seekers waiting for relocation, government assets… If there’s anything else you need before we get on the plane tomorrow night, just ask.”
The look on her face…I want to give her the world. Every single thing she’s ever desired laid out on a platter.
“I just need you. And a shower. And maybe some fresh clothes. And dinner.” She stifles her laugh against my shoulder, and when she gets herself under control and draws back, her smile makes me feel like the only man in the world. “Okay,” she says. “I guess I need a lot of things.”
“As you wish.” I offer her an exaggerated bow, then point her towards the bedroom. “What first?”
“Shower.”
At the bedroom door, I stop, unsure where our boundaries are. Yes, we had sex. But under blankets. In dim lighting. After a very emotional reconnection. I don’t want to overwhelm her or crowd her or make her at all uncomfortable. We’ve come so far in the past couple of days, and if I lost her now because I made a stupid assumption or couldn’t keep my dick in my pants, I’d never forgive myself.
Joey drops to her knees and unzips the small suitcase at the foot of the bed with all the things I asked the government concierge to get for her—for us. “Oh,” she says with a breathy sigh, and lifts the silky red bra by its straps. “Wait.” She pins me with a hard stare. “You gave the concierge a list that included a red silk bra?”
“Would black have been better?”
“Ford. Be serious.” Digging through the rest of the small stash, she comes up with the matching panties, a pair of soft yoga pants, pajamas, various toiletries, including razors for both of us, a new box of condoms, and a small bottle of bubble bath. “There’s…a bathtub?”
Scrambling to her feet, she races into the bathroom. “Forget about food, sleep, all of it. I just want a bath.”
As the water starts to splash into the tub, I back out of the room. She’s not ready for me to be in there with her, even though it’s the only place I want to be. “You take some time alone, buttercup. I’ll handle dinner.”
Joey peeks out from behind the half-closed door. “Ford?”
“I won’t leave, Joey. I promise.”
“I know. That’s not what I wanted to say.” Her full lips pull into a frown, and conflict churns in her eyes. “Don’t give up on me. I’ll…get there.”
