Heath chuckled.
My eyes shifted back and forth as I looked at them, unable to believe this was real, that my father was treating Heath like a son…and I didn’t even have to ask him to. He just accepted Heath with open arms. It meant the world to me.
More than the world.
“How’d you sleep, sweetheart?” Dad asked me as he looked at the board.
“Alright.” I looked at Heath, silently telling him it was a rough night without him.
His gaze turned serious, picking up on my meaning. “That was the last night I’ll be gone. I left.”
“Yeah?” I whispered. “Are you alright?”
He turned back to the game when my father moved a piece. “Better than ever.” He grabbed his pawn and moved it.
“Well, should we go?” I asked. “You must be tired.”
Heath kept looking at the board, as if he actually liked the game. “After this match, baby.”“That was sweet of him to teach you,” I said as we entered the house. “But he hates to lose.”
“Yeah,” he said with a chuckle. “I noticed.”
The second I was in the house, the energy felt different, like last night never happened. The bullet holes had been repaired, the signs of violence removed, even the door replaced. “How did you do all of this so quickly?”
“I had a whole crew out here.” He set my bag on the couch. “And if you don’t want to stay here, we can move.”
This house had a horrific memory, but it also had so many good ones. I wasn’t sure if I could ever leave this place. “What about your home in Tuscany? What’s that like?”
He stood in front of me, his hands in his pockets. “It’s a two-story house on twenty acres of land. I’ll take you tomorrow.”
“Is that where you grow the sunflowers?”
He nodded.
“Yes, I’d love to see it.”
“Alright.” He gave me a soft smile as he looked at me, taking in my features as if he was trying to make up for the night we’d lost.
“It makes me happy to see you spend time with my father.”
“He’s a pretty cool guy.”
“Yeah…he’s sweet. Just hates to lose.”
“I’d throw the game, but he’s not that kind of man.”
My eyes narrowed at his astute observation. “What do you mean…?”
“He doesn’t take his defeats personally, just seriously. He wants to earn his victories.”
“I used to let him win until he yelled at me. Told me never to throw a game to make a man feel better.”
There was a slight smile in the corner of his mouth. “Damn right.” His hand slid into my hair, and he cupped my cheek, holding me close, his lips near enough to kiss me if he wanted to. “Now that I’m retired, what should we do?”
“I guess I’ll have to bring home the bacon now.”
He chuckled, knowing I was making a joke. “You want to get married?”
“Well…I’ve always wanted a summer wedding.”
He sighed quietly. “I don’t think I can wait six months to marry you, baby.”
“I know.”
He kissed me on the mouth before he pulled away.
“So…your ring is gone?”
He nodded.
I looked at his hand, the thick tan line obvious. It would be there for a while.
“Balto kept his. Why didn’t you keep yours?”
“He brought the Skull Rings to the Underground. One of them was given as a gift to the organization—so it had to stay behind.”
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s alright. I have a new ring to wear.” He faced me, looking down at me with affection in his gaze.
“Are you sure you’re okay with everything? I know it was your life…”
He stared at me for a long time before he shook his head. “That was my life before you. This is my life with you.”
“It might get boring.”
“No,” he answered immediately. “It definitely won’t.” His hand moved to my arm, his fingertips dragging to my elbow. “How are you? I’m sorry I had to leave. I just had to take care of all those things.”
“No, I understand. And I’m fine.”
He stared at me blankly.
“I am fine. I just…needed a few hours to process everything.”
“That’ll never happen again. No one is coming after me. They have no reason to.”
“I know.”
“No reason to be scared.”
“I know.”
He cupped my face before he looked me in the eye. “I’m really proud of how you handled that. You didn’t need me.”
I shook my head. “No, I did need you.”
He smiled slightly. “I loved the way you quoted Beyoncé again.”
“I guess that’s just what I do when I get really mad.”
He chuckled. “Then I’ll know when you’re really mad at me.” He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “I’m going to shower and get some sleep.”
“I’m tired too.”
“Then let’s make love and then go to sleep.” He grabbed my bag off the couch and made his way to the bedroom.
I watched him go, watched his strong frame shift and move as he carried my bag down the hallway. I knew this was the beginning of the blissful life I’d always wanted, to have a husband my family considered their own, and someone I was passionately in love with. I didn’t think I’d get it all…but I did.