the fire?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” The question has been on my mind for most of my waking hours. “Until we know for sure, you’re safer here than anywhere else. Cash won’t take any chances with our safety.”
“I might have been a little harsh on him before.” She scratches her nose, leaving a gleaming trail of butter across her chin in the process. “He’s been extremely nice. Did you know that he offered me a job at one of his legitimate businesses? No strings attached. Good pay. Benefits.”
“You should take it.” Warmth spreads through my chest at his generosity. He’s making a genuine effort to right his wrongs. “He says he loves me.” I blurt out the words, needing to confide in someone. “And I love him, too. This is the real deal, Em. I’m sure of it.”
“Oh.” Her lips form a perfect circle. She blinks a few times before regaining her composure. “Well, I’m happy if you’re happy.”
I bite my lip as her face falls. I reach out and grab her hand. “I want you to be happy, too.”
“What are we watching?” Gage appears in the doorway. He’s wearing ripped jeans and a tight white T-shirt that outlines his washboard abs.
“Chick flick.” Emeline’s face brightens. Gage trots down the steps and settles next to her on the sofa. In that moment, I know she’s going to be okay.
Twenty-Five
Jagger
Cash arrives home the next morning. I meet him in the foyer, run to him, and throw my arms around his neck. “It feels like you’ve been gone forever.” I breath in the scent of his cologne and his shampoo.
“I know. I missed you.” He squeezes me tight, lifting my feet off the ground. There’s something different about him. Something I can’t quite identify.
“I can’t sleep when you’re gone.” I smile and study his face, noting the shadows of exhaustion beneath his eyes. His bed had been large and empty without him next to me.
“Me, neither. Give me a kiss.” He lowers his head to find my mouth. I sigh when our lips make contact. Lucy zooms around our ankles, begging for Cash’s attention. After a brief kiss, he pulls away and scoops her up. She rains sloppy puppy kisses all over his face, squeaking and chirping with joy. “Yes, I missed you, too, Lucy.”
We spend the rest of the day in the living room, holding hands and chatting. Gage and Em go for a run together. Mr. Mercer comes to the main house for hot tea, and the five of us play gin rummy. It’s a life I could become accustomed to. My friends and family are gathered around me. I’m safe and secure, loved. I bask in the peaceful moment, knowing it could end at any minute.
On the following Wednesday morning, Cash is already downstairs when I wake up. I meet him in the kitchen. He’s sitting at the breakfast counter, head in his hands, a cup of untouched coffee next to him.
“You’re up early.” I watch him from the corner of my eye as I heat hot water for a cup of tea.
“Couldn’t sleep.” He lifts his head and smiles, but the glimmer is gone from his gaze.
“You said that last night and the night before. Is something going on?” I slide onto the barstool next to him.
“Just work stuff. There’s a lot going on right now.” By the tight press of his lips, this is all the information I’m going to get. He captures my hands in his and holds them between us. “I love you. You know that, right?”
“Yes, but I always like to hear it again.” My heart skips a beat, the way it does every time he tells me.
“I love you more than anything. I would do anything to keep you safe.” He rests his cheek on the back of my left hand.
“I know you would.” A knot tightens in my throat. “You’re scaring me.”
He lifts his face to mine, locking our gazes together. “If anything happens to me, you have to have faith that it will work out in the end. Do you understand me?”
“No. You’re not making any sense.”
“If I’ve ever kept any secrets from you, it was for your own protection or because it wasn’t my secret to tell. I promise you, Jagger.” The fierceness in his tone causes my stomach to clench. He kisses my fingertips. “I want to be with you always. Forever. I have a way out for us, but you have to trust me.”
“I do. I trust you.” The