My hand splays on Ryah’s warm belly in the darkness. There could be new life unfurling within her. New, hopeful life.
I wake in the early morning light to see Ryah’s golden head on my pillow, her face sweet with sleep. I draw her to me and kiss her softly until she awakens. Her arms wrap sleepily around my neck and she arches her body into mine. Instantly my desire for her crests. Her eyes are still closed and I roll her facing away from me. My hand slips beneath her T-shirt to pluck her nipples, and she moans. I slide down her warm belly to dip between her thighs to find her slick and hot.
I groan into her ear. “Ryah, baby, I need you.”
“Please,” she whimpers, rubbing her ass against my rock-hard length.
I put an arm under her thigh, opening her up for me, and sink into her heat. I take pleasure in every slow thrust, moving steadily against her, listening to her gasps as I fill her right to the hilt. The slow pace is sweet torture, but I make myself stay steady until she clamps down on my cock and her climax races through her.
Then I push her onto her belly, my knees opening her thighs, and give in to my need to pump into her harder, deeper. She pushes back against me, her hands braced against the wall and her cheek turned to the side so I can see the bliss on her face. I burst inside her, flooding her pussy with my come. I stay where I am for a moment, buried deep inside her.
Today we may find out that our lives are changing forever, for the better. For the most wonderful reason in the world.
Ryah is pale but determined as we walk hand-in-hand to the local police station. We have no choice but to pass the scene of the accident. The section of road is taped off, and there’s a dark stain on the asphalt. Ryah slows, staring at it, and then comes to a stop.
I squeeze her hand. “You okay?”
She nods absently, still staring at the stain. “I wish it hadn’t ended like this, but I can think of worse things that might have happened. Dad could have hurt one of us. Even killed one of us.”
I say nothing, because I feel it would be insensitive to say that I’m glad the fucker is dead. Ryah deserves some peace in her life, finally, instead of looking over her shoulder every summer.
I sit in the waiting room while Ryah gives her statement to the police. She’s gone for a long time, and I start to become anxious for her, until I see the two policemen I spoke to last night bringing her back to me, their expressions sympathetic. Both of them wish her well and nod to me as we head outside.
“How was it?”
Ryah takes a deep breath. “Strange, to get all that off my chest after all these years. They wanted to know all about how Dad treated Mum and me. They asked where Mum is, and I had to tell them I don’t know. They didn’t seem to like Dad very much. They seemed to know him. Or know of him.”
“Is there anything else you have to do? What’s happening about the body?”
“Mum and Dad are still married, so they’re trying to contact her.” She chews her lip for a moment. “Is it terrible of me to just want to walk away? Buying flowers for him, pretending I’m sad he’s gone, it would feel too fake.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and kiss her forehead. “Not terrible at all. Understandable, in the circumstances.”
She looks up at me. “And what about you? How do you feel?”
“Me? About last night?”
“About everything.”
I look around at the sunny street. The blue sky above. Down at Ryah, standing close to me. “I feel like I’ve put some things to rest these past few weeks. I think I’m less angry about everything now. About Mirrie. My worst fear is anything happening to you. I wanted to kill him last night, but I’m glad I didn’t. If I’d killed him, I would have lost you, and it wouldn’t be what my sister would have wanted, either.”
“You feel better about Mirrie even though the hearing didn’t go the way you wanted?”
I take a deep breath. “That man is going to jail for a long, long time. I know in my heart that’s where he belongs for what he did for Mirrie. Those other women he killed, their poor families will know about Mirrie. They’ll think about her, as I’ll think about their sisters and daughters. And I’ll never forget my sister.”
Tears shimmer in Ryah’s eyes, and I pull her tight against my chest. You don’t always get the justice you want. You don’t always find the perfect closure, but you can find your own way to move on and live for the people you love. That’s just as beautiful. Maybe it’s better, in some ways, because it’s something you make together.
“Come on. Let’s go buy that test.”
We head up the street to the pharmacy, and then cross the road and go into a coffee shop so Ryah can use the test in the bathroom.
Before she can disappear, I take her hand. “If it’s negative, I won’t be sad. I don’t want you to be sad, either, okay? We’re only just getting started on our life together. This is the beginning.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and smiles broadly. “Okay. But just so you know, if it’s negative, I kind of really want to make it positive as soon as possible.”
“Hell yes, sparkle. Me, too.”
“I’ve thought a lot about it these past few weeks. Actually, I’ve done nothing but think.”