Throwing the door of the car open, I’m out and running toward him before the gates even close behind him.
I think I hear Merc laughing.
I don’t frigging care.
Jarett’s bag slips from his hand to the ground. His face twists, and then he opens his arms and smiles.
I launch myself at him, unable to stop. I’ve missed him so much, I missed holding him, smelling him. Missed everything about him.
He’s holding me like he’ll never let go. Fine by me. I feel his hard muscles through his thin sweater. He’s lost a lot of weight, and there’s a chemical smell about him.
Underneath it, though, he still smells like Jarett, my Jarett. It’s still him. And he’s whispering my name, kissing my hair, over and over.
I cling to him as if he’ll disappear, and he’s holding me with such desperation I think he feels the same way.
Eventually, I reluctantly pull back. “Ready to go home?”
“Home.” He says the word like it has no meaning for him.
Maybe it doesn’t.
I take his hand. “Home, with me.”
He nods, then, a slight dip of his chin, and his gaze clears. “I’d go anywhere with you.”
And I know, deep in my heart, that everything will be okay.
“Here we are,” Merc says, unlocking the front door, and entering then turning around with a grin. “You ready?”
Jarett grips my hand more tightly than ever, the lines of his gaunt face tightening. “What for?”
“Nothing bad, I swear.” I tug him up the porch steps, and he goes along, his steps hesitant.
Merc opens the door wider, and there’s laughter.
Mary, Matt’s daughter, peeks around the door, shoved aside by her brother. “Welcome!” they cry out.
And Jarett stops. “What’s this?” I glance at him. His green eyes are wide, his cheeks pale.
“Welcome home!” more voices shout, and I tug again on his hand to get him moving, smiling.
“Come on. We’re home.”
We walk into the living room and suddenly confetti is in the air, and hands patting Jarett’s back.
“Welcome home, man,” Merc says, giving him a half-hug. “Good to have you back.”
“My boy,” Mom says, stroking his cheek, her eyes too bright. “How are you?”
> “Jarett.” Matt and Kaden nod at him. My sister smiles, the baby asleep in her arms. Mom’s boyfriend waves. The kids wind about our legs like cats, laughing.
My whole family is here. A surprise party. A homecoming party.
I’m so grateful to them for trusting me on this, for trusting Jarett. So glad Matt promised not to roast him over hot coals for getting into such a mess and getting carted off to prison. As long as he stays out of trouble from now on.
But that’s up to Jarett to say. I can’t make any promises on his behalf. Whether he steers clear of gangs and violence has to be his decision.
That ulcer is still in the cards. I mean, he said he’s done with it all. He told me Connor, his adoptive father before the Lowes, was so set against crime and gang violence he’d felt sick with shame all this time he was following Sebastian around. That he’s relieved it’s over. That all he’s ever wanted was a quiet life.