at the hospital and taken to a secure mental facility where he’ll be evaluated to see if he’s fit to stand trial.”
“He won’t be,” I guessed.
“He’s not getting out again, Shelby,” Jonah said. “Not even if he stays on his meds. His mother wants to talk to you when you’re up for it. She feels responsible.”
“She’s not,” I said, shoving a few French fries into my burger bun.
“She probably just needs to hear it.”
“What about Gibson? What was all that about this morning?”
“Cassidy was pretty cagey about that. But I managed to drag some info out of her playing the ‘my girlfriend was abducted from your wedding’ card.”
“Mean.”
“Yeah, well. You’re my girlfriend, and Gibs is my brother.”
“So what did Misty Lynn find in his wallet?”
“A picture of Gibs and Callie together.”
The burger stuck in my throat, and I coughed. I took a swig of soda. “Like from before she went missing?”
He nodded.
“What kind of a picture?”
“It was one of those photo booth deals. A strip of pictures. They were making faces.”
“I didn’t know he even knew Callie,” I said, going for another nugget.
“No one did. That’s the problem. He never said a word in all those years, so naturally the cops have some questions.”
“Where is Gibson now? Did they let him go?”
“He was released after a formal interview. Now he’s back to playing hermit. He won’t talk to anyone.”
“No charges, at least. That’s good.”
“For now. We’ll see what happens next. The judge is going to know that Gibs was interviewed. The why is gonna come out.”
“Maybe he’ll stay away? If he did turn Christian loose on me, wouldn’t he want to stay out of Bootleg for a while? Keep his hands clean?”
“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll steer clear,” Jonah said stonily.
“You Bodines and your Bootleg Justice,” I sighed.
“This will end with him in a cage,” he promised. “And it’s all going to be okay.”
“It will be,” I said, reaching for his hand and bringing his bruised knuckles to my lips. “What next?” I asked him.
“We wait for law enforcement to sort the shit out, I guess. Keep our mouths shut. You and I are gonna do some house hunting. You’ll do some job searching and schedule your dissertation defense and an appointment with your rheumatologist to head off the flare that’s probably headed in your direction. And after your brother proposes to June in a few months, I’m gonna start ring shopping for you. We Bodines take turns.”
I gaped at him. “First of all, I meant what are we eating next? Secondly, I forbid you from proposing for the first eighteen months of our relationship. We’re still in the honeymoon period. We need more time to make sure you don’t turn into a jerk.”
“Oh, definitely the pie. There’s whipped cream in the fridge,” he said, ignoring my demand.
He got up and loped into the kitchen. Returning with a spray can, he paused in the doorway and sprayed a dollop into his mouth.
“Jonah, I’ve seen you sweaty and shirtless. I’ve seen you do pull-ups until the veins in your arms tried to explode. I’ve seen you completely naked and wet in the shower. But I have never been more attracted to you than I am right now.”
He grinned. And when he kissed me, it tasted sweet and full of promises.
Billy Ray bayed from upstairs. There was a thump when he threw himself off the bed and stampeded down the stairs, barking accusatorially.
“We’re right here, buddy,” I assured him. He nosed at the food on the table. “You may have one dino nugget. But that’s all I’m willing to share.”
“Hey, how many kids do you think we should have?” Jonah asked, picking up the remote control. “You like kids, right?”
I let out the air that had trapped itself in my lungs. “I like kids,” I said carefully.
“I think it would be cool to have a family here, surrounded by family. They’ll have cousins and aunts and uncles.”
I felt a warm gooey sensation in my stomach.
He settled on the couch and arranged me between his legs so I could lean back against his chest. Outside the birds chirped, and the sun shone. Neighbors poured sweet tea and gossiped. My parents walked their grandpig. Jonah’s mama snuggled up to her boyfriend at the ice cream shop.
And everything felt just about perfect.
“Hey, did I tell you about the bear I saw?”
60
Shelby
I was pedaling my butt off, sweat beading on my arms and dripping from my chin. Jonah was next to me in