Yes, yes I was.EPILOGUERoderick - 2 weeks"I have to," Liv insisted, putting some of her clothes into her bag. "For all I know, Astrid has started a hamster farm in my bedroom by now. I need to check in with everyone."
I didn't want her to go.
Two weeks was the longest chunk of time I had ever spent with a woman, but it was still not enough.
"So... what's so bad about a hamster farm?" I asked, smiling when she shot me a raised-brow look. "Those tunnel things all built around the walls and shit could give the place some ambiance. Besides, she texts me at least once a day. Nothing with whiskers yet. Though the overflowing sink is close to giving me nightmares."
"See? They need me to go whoop some butt. Make sure we don't get vermin. I don't want to go," she added, moving over to me, dropping down on my lap, pressing the side of her head into my shoulder. "This is hard. Having two separate lives. I love being here with you. But I feel guilty, like I am neglecting Cam and Astrid by not making any time for them."
I got that, I did.
It didn't make me like it any better.
But I knew this was part of the situation.
For now anyway.
We would get some time together, get into the swing of the things, then have to part so she could go see her people, go do some jobs.
I didn't have to like it, but I had to accept it until things had been going on long enough to sit down and have another talk. I was ready for it. I was sure. I knew this was going somewhere. That being said, I didn't want to push Liv. Unlike me, she was the one who would have to have her life uprooted, would have to consider major changes not only for her future, but for the future of Cam and Astrid as well.
I could wait.
We had time.
Even if this was hurting me more than I thought it would.
It was amazing how quickly everything could change.
"I know, mami," I agreed, wrapping my arms around her, pressing a kiss into the top of her head. "And if I can get away this weekend, I will come up to spend some time too."
"That'd be nice. We don't have any jobs lined up just yet."
I hated the idea of her being on jobs.
That was unfair of me, I knew. I had no right to have an issue with her job when my job was very similar. But anytime I pictured her doing a drop, my mind flashed back to that parking garage, to the days following when she had been in so much pain, having trouble moving.
I didn't like the idea of her being in a situation like that again. And I couldn't be there. I couldn't help her. I might not even know what happened for hours, for days even.
The idea of that made a fist of worry lodge in my stomach.
It was something I would have to adjust to, come to terms with. For the time being.
"I should get going," Liv said, but made no move to do so. "It's going to be weird not having you to sleep with."
She was worried she'd slip back, that she would travel the bed, toss and turn with no rest. She'd been better with me. Once in a while, she would lay awake on my chest for an hour or two, but I found that a good orgasm or two knocked her out cold.
"You never know. You might just be back in the swing of things. You could sleep fine." To that, she snorted as she moved to stand.
"We know better," she shot back. "But it will make me look forward to the weekend all the more. You ready?" she asked, reaching for her bag, wanting to get the goodbyes over with. She hated the hard talks, the stuff that might make her emotional. She wanted to get in her car where she could work through it in her head for a bit.
We were just walking into the common area when we heard the front door open.
"Moooooom!" Astrid's voice called, making us both stop mid-stride. "I'm hooooome!" she added, making us both turn to see her standing there with a pile of luggage at her feet. And Cam just a foot behind her.
"Astrid!" Liv hissed, eyes huge at seeing her standing there in The Henchmen compound. "What are you doing here?"
"So... did you know our lease is up next month?" Astrid asked, shrugging off the bags on her shoulders, then moved forward, making a beeline for Virgin who was leaning against the bar, eyes light with mischief. I hadn't seen the power play flirting thing Liv had told me about with Astrid in person. But if I could guess, that was exactly what this was as she got a little too close to a complete stranger she knew to be an outlaw biker. "Who are you?" she asked, head cocked coyly to the side.