Rot in hell, Night Wolfe. You deserved worse than what you got, asshole.
We stop at the first drive-thru we come across and get a bucket of fried chicken, coleslaw, fries and drinks. I park on a lonely hill overlooking the suburbs of Phoenix. Sitting in the truck, we watch the sunset and listen to the radio. We eat without exchanging a single word. Tally’s been through hell and back today and I don’t want to put pressure on her.
I wait for her to speak first. I wait until we’re done with our meal and the orange sun fades into shades of purple,then blue, then black. Until the stars rise beside a pale moon. Tally takes my hand as if to let me know that despite everything, she wants to be right here with me.
Out of nowhere, the beginning notes of ‘Carried Away’by George Strait play on the radio.
“That’s our song!” we both burst out and laugh about our synchronicity.
Tally looks at me through lowered lashes. “You remember.”
“I’d never forget the song we slow-danced to on our first real date.”
“Back then, swayin’ with you in the headlights on a dirt road behind the trailer park was the most romantic thing I could imagine, but you kept raising the bar. It’s probably why I could never settle into another relationship after us.”
A jolt of pain zips through the hollow behind my ribs.
“Love without you always felt like a melody written in the wrong key.” She cups my cheek. “Congratulations, Big Guy. You ruined me for every other man.”
I kiss the inside of her palm and switch on the low beams, illuminating the hilltop. Then I turn up the music.
“Not to be a shameless flirt and raise your standards even further into the stratosphere, but would you dance with me in the headlights again, Trouble?”
Tally giggles. “Twelve years I’ve been waiting for that question.”
My heart pounds as I get out and open her door, leading her into the glow. God, she shines brighter than the stars. In her old boots with an exhausted smile on her face, she’s still the most gorgeous person in the world.
I want her on the good days and the bad ones. Through health and sickness.
She’s the only one I’ll ever want.
I wrap my arm around her waist while my other hand slides over the back of her neck, pulling her in close. She melts into me with a sigh. I bask in her scent, in the softness of her body, the warmth of her skin under my fingertips.
We sway gently, in rhythm with each other’s hearts.
I’m only complete with her in my arms, like my body was forged to hold her. Protect her. She’s a queen, a goddess, and she could conquer the whole world on her own, but with me, she lets herself be vulnerable. She trusts me enough to let her armor fall away.
To be the one man allowed to witness her beautiful surrender is the highest privilege I’ll ever earn.
The song ends and I frame her face with my hands. “Whatever your future brings, I want to be a part of it.”
Her eyes go wide.
“But this ain’t me asking you to change your life for me. You take the wheel, you pick the road, just let me be there along for the ride,” I add quickly. “If you want to keep touring until you gotta worry about breaking a hip on stage, I’m in. Or if you want to do the whole picket fence and kids thing, I’ll build a home for us.”
“You’d be the best dad,” she whispers, pupils blown.
Suddenly I’m having a hard time focusing on my words. How could I not when I’m imagining a horde of cute, curly-haired toddlers with her smile and my eyes?
“And if you want a little of both or something completely different—you guessed it: I’m in. All I need is your hand in mine, Trouble. Every night, I wanna rest my boots under your bed cause anywhere feels like home with you.”
She laughs quietly. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you that I want to try again. Try us, I mean. Forreal. Seemed awkward, suggesting to your ex-husband to get back together.”
“I think after one accidental murder and one very non-accidental murder, we’re past awkward.”
She chews on her lip. “But do you know what bein’ with me, bein’ with Tally Creed, actually means?”
“Yep. It’s gonna be a media circus and I’ll be the main attraction. I’ll get hounded by paparazzi. Torn apart by the tabloids. Every aspect of our relationship will get analyzed and criticized on the front pages.”
