Page 135 of Reaper

She shakes her head. “I never even thought of the possibility of him drugging the flowers. I just wanted them gone so I could head home.” She pauses as her eyes turn a little misty as she worries her bottom lip between her teeth. “If Atlas hadn’t been there…” She exhales hard and starts to shake her head but then winces as she stops. “Fuck, it’s going to be hard to remember not to do that,” she mutters. “Even before what Loki told us, I somehow knew whoever cut my lines was laying in wait for me. For us. I think it’s going to be a while before my brain will stop making up scenarios about what could have happened.”

Reaching my arm over the edge of the tub, I give her calf a gentle squeeze. “And that’s completely normal, Darlin’. We can start journaling together again as well if you want.” I pause and sigh as I gently squeeze her calf again under the water. “I keep hearing the crush of metal as you hit that tree and the panic in Atlas’ voice as he yelled out your name on repeat in my head. I’m also going to apologize ahead of time, because I’m going to be hovering for a while, especially after hearing that. I was afraid that I might lose you.” My throat tightens and my eyes sting with tears.

She lifts her hand and I wrap it in mine.

“I get it. If things were reversed, I’d be doing the same, but keep in mind I will call you out if you are taking things too far. My ER doctor said I should stay home for a week and after that, Doc can see if he thinks I should stay home longer or just do light duty things like paperwork or bookkeeping for a bit longer.” She pauses and frowns as she narrows her eyes at me. “I still want to go to Forest Creek though for Mae’s baby shower at the end of the month.”

I huff and shake my head, but I can’t stop the smile tugging at my lips.

“I wouldn’t dare keep you home for that unless you were physically sick or something.”

Seeing the time, I let go of her hand and get off the floor.

“Now, how about I wash your hair for you and then you and Miracle can hang out together. My guess is she’ll be waking up soon and I know she’s freaked out about what happened just as much as me.”

Chapter 50

Lark

TwelveDaysLater~December 29th, 2023

Zipping up my suitcase, I damn near bounce on my toes in excitement.

I finally get to meet the Forest Creek Old Ladies in person today!

I’m also super stoked that Patch and Mary are engaged now and her demons have been… ahem… handled.

Humming to myself, I tuck my jacket and cut into my travel bag along with my tablet and some snacks I’ve already prepped for the drive. For this trip, Atlas, Cannon, Loki, Beast, Punisher, Odin, Mama Astrid, Erik and Dom are going with us.

I’ve also got a small weapons bag packed in it that I’ll take inside with us. I’m still leery about going somewhere unarmed, even if we will be at another clubhouse.

“Ready, Darlin’?”

I jump, not having heard Anthony come upstairs. Normally I’d tease him for sneaking up on me—he knows I hate when he does that—but I’m too excited to care right now.

“Yup. I just need to take these downstairs and grab some drinks for the ride.”

The guys, as well as my family and friends, all tease me about that but if I’m going somewhere that’s more than a couple hours away, I always pack snacks and drinks from home so that we don’t have to stop as often or have to pay an arm and a leg at the gas stations.

His eyes sparkle and I’m just sure he’s going to tease me again about that, but then my brain short circuits when he pulls me in close and kisses me. I’m not sure what’s going on lately, but I’ve been craving him like crazy. Something he’s been all too happy with.

He nips my lip and I whimper before playfully swatting his arm. “No fair—it’s not nice to rile me up before a long drive.”

Anthony grins as he nips my lip again before pulling back. “I think you’ll forgive me when you see my surprise downstairs.”

I narrow my eyes at him, confused.

What surprise?

He treated me like a queen for Christmas with all the presents he got me. Not to mention all the guys and Mama Astrid, too. Though, he did set a high bar for next year since he got me the handgun I’d been eying, some knives to keep concealed on me, a hunting knife, plus some wood carving tools and supplies. He even surprised me by setting up a portion of our basement into a woodworking and carving area. Sure, I like jewelry and gadgets as much as the next person, but the way to this woman’s heart is through weapons, wood carving, and beer making supplies. As for my beer making, I’d already planned to ask him if I could build an outbuilding back near the tree line. I had thought abouthaving a space downstairs as well, but it’d get too hard to keep the wood dust out of everything.

Smirking at me, he picks up my suitcase and hands me my travel bag before snagging my hand and leading me downstairs.

A moment later, I let out a very girlie like shriek of surprise and I dart down the rest of the stairs and into the living room, throwing my arms around Miracle. She laughs and hugs me back, just as fiercely. Thankfully, all my injuries from the car accident have healed, but Anthony still hovers a lot. Not that I blame him. After seeing things from his side, I let almost all of it slide, only letting him know when he’s really stepping over the line.

“What are you doing here?”

Miracle laughs again. “Reaper invited me. Apparently, Mae reached out to him and asked him if I’d be able to come as well.”