“Jesus Christ, he’s gone,” I choked out.
Caleb kissed the tip of my nose. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”
“I’ll get her some water,” Viper said as his heavy footfalls backtracked away from us.
I pondered his question for a while before reality dawned on me. A new reality. One I wasn’t familiar with but hoped to be some day.
“Yeah,” I said as I picked up my head and stared into Caleb’s worried forest-colored eyes, “yeah, I actually think I’m okay.”
Caleb grinned. “Good. That’s really, really good, Rose.”
Deep down, I knew that Blake wouldn’t have stopped. Not with a fake engagement, not with a real engagement, and not with anything else I would’ve attempted to pull. He never would have signed those divorce papers. He was never going to let me go. No matter what I tried to do, legally or otherwise, would have gotten a man like him to back off.
Deep down, I knew I’d never be free from that man unless one of us died.
And I was so fucking glad that it was him that bit the dust.
Caleb’s lips pressing to my forehead pulled me out of my trance, and for the first time in what seemed like years, a genuine smile spread across my face. I allowed his warmth to penetrate me to my core, warming me up as my shivering finally ceased. My muscles ached and my throat became sore. My eyes throbbed and my back hurt like hell. But I was alive and Blake wasn’t, and I got to stick it to that bastard by fully controlling his entire estate.
The one thing he never let me touch.
“I’m really glad it wasn’t you, either,” Caleb whispered.
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
He chuckled. “You don’t know that you said any of that out loud, do you?”
I furrowed my brow. “How much did I say out loud?”
“All of it!” Viper called from the kitchen.
I let out a breathless giggle as Caleb tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “And you’re right. That man would’ve never stopped. Not with what we were trying to do, or anything else you might have thought to try.”
I sighed heavily. “I can’t believe it’s done.”
Caleb gripped my chin, forcing me to focus on him. “It’s done, and you’re safe.”
“Well,” Viper said as he came around the corner from the kitchen, “I’m gonna go check on the crew before heading out. Lunch is out on the table for you two, so don’t let it get cold.”
“Thanks, man,” Caleb said as he reached his hand up, “I owe you a massive one.”
Viper clapped his hand against Caleb’s. “You don’t owe me shit. I still haven’t repaid you for the last bullet you took for me, so we’re even.”
I paused. “Bullet?”
Caleb chuckled. “I’m fine, it was years ago.”
Viper backtracked toward the front door. “Seriously, you two eat. The soup’s good. And Reaper?”
“Yeah?”
I giggled at his nickname as Viper opened the front door. “We’ll talk about the rest of this shit at the club with the guys. See you in an hour?”
“Yep, see you in an hour.”
Viper paused. “So, see you in four hours?”
I snickered. “You know it.”
