When we pull up to the house, everything is dark except the outside lights. Which I guess is to be expected as it’s been empty for weeks. The two men Cray sent to guard the place come closer when we pull in. Mica helps me off his bike and jerks his head towards the back door. “Will you be okay on your own while we talk?”
I nod, feeling lighter and safer now that I’m back at the house my grandfather built for us. “I’ll be fine. Are you hungry? If so, I can make us some food.”
He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, giving it a tiny kiss. “No, I’m good. You don’t need to be in the kitchen after a day like this. If you want food, order delivery.”
I tug my hand from his. “Say what you need to say and don’t dawdle. Your wife needs your attention.”
A slow smile spreads over his face. When I turn to leave, he smacks my ass playfully. I just laugh at his antics because it lightens an otherwise heavy mood. I walk into the house, realizing that Mica is right about one thing. We can’t wallow in this situation. We need to actively pull ourselves out of it.
I go to the bathroom, wash my hands and face, and run a brush through my hair, just a little something to help me feel human again after all of Darkness’s craziness. Then I go to the kitchen and put out a quart of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and grab two spoons. I’m three bites in when Mica walks through the door.
When I hold out a spoon, he walks over, drops down on the sofa beside me, and dips himself out a generous bite. Glancing around, he comments, “At least the house is still standing. Thank God they didn’t get to this too.”
I swallow the bite in my mouth before responding. “I don’t know what I was expecting in terms of who was destroying my life, but it wasn’t anything close to what happened today.”
Mica stabs his spoon down into the carton. His expression tells me everything I need to know about how angry and frustrated he is that Jasper and Rock decided to let Bran work off his punishment. “It doesn’t surprise me to find that Bran was stabbing us in the back again. I never trusted that bastard.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned being married to you, it is that your family believes in second chances. Queenie and Tessa take in club girls in difficult situations and try to help them grow rather than throw them out when they mess up. It doesn’t surprise me that Rock and Jasper did the same with Bran.”
“I believe in second chances too. Just not with someone who’s already directly betrayed the club. Weaver made some stupid decisions, but he was never allied with us.”
“He was really polite to me the whole time he was taking me to Bran. He’s a strange guy. He looks young and has that squeaky kid’s voice, but he was also really smart about how he tricked me into leaving with him and then handcuffed me once I was in the back of his cruiser.”
Mica shoots me a knowing look. “I hear what you’re laying down about him. I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on him moving forward. If I’m gonna start my own club, like we talked about, I need a man on the inside. You saw how easily he made all our problems go away today.”
“Yeah, I saw that. Weaver wasn’t the problem today. Darkness was.”
“Yeah,” Mica responds grimly. “The thing I never saw coming was Darkness being behind it all. We were never allied with his club, and he was into shady shit, but I thought he was old school. Didn’t realize he’d been building up a grudge against us for all of these years.”
“My gramps always said that real men settle their differences face to face.”
“Yeah, I’m not used to someone lurking around and plotting behind our backs. I’m sorry you got caught up in our mess.”
“This all started because Darkness wanted what my gramps spent his lifetime building. I’m lucky you were able to figure it all out before he took all his hate and frustration out on me.”
“Darkness doesn’t deserve to take what your grandfather left for you. He’s just another greedy asshole wanting something for nothing.”
“Speaking of nothing, I guess I won’t be getting my inheritance anytime soon, since both businesses got burnt to the ground on my watch.”
Mica grabs another bite of ice cream. After he swallows, he explains, “I’ve been thinking about that. You had quite a bit of insurance on both properties. If you continue to operate the trucking business out of my office, you can afford to rebuild the custom chopper shop and have a little jingle left over. I would argue that proves you’re capable of managing those businesses under extraordinary circumstances.”
I freeze with a bite halfway to my mouth. “Are you serious? That would be amazing if it is.”
“I’m your new accountant, and I promise you it does.”
Setting the nearly empty carton aside, I throw my arms around Mica and pull him in for a tight hug. “Thank you,” I whisper into his ear. “I really mean that. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me, including saving my life today.”
When I pull back, he’s smiling. “That’s what husbands are for, darlin’. Being there for you won’t ever change.”
I can’t help but give him the chocolaty kiss he deserves.
It feels good to be home, safe, and in my husband’s arms. So good that we get lost in the kiss. There’s something about finishing a really shitty day with intimacy that feels right. It’s a gentle reminder of what’s good about my life. I need this more than anything right now.
I glance at the steps leading upstairs. “Do you want to have a shower with me?”
Mica grins at me. “Is that a real question? Of course I do. From now on, just assume the answer to that question is yes because it always will be.”
Before I can respond, he comes to his feet, scoops me up in his arms, and carries me upstairs. For a second or two, I’m tempted to skip the shower and head straight to bed. But washing the smell of smoke off my skin, and Bran’s filthy fingerprints off my arms, seems like the better choice.
