Reign would let me take off for a couple days if I asked. I could head up for the new year. Have the hard talk she wanted so badly to avoid.
By the time I kissed my mom and sisters goodbye, that had become the plan. I wouldn't be able to ask until - at earliest - the next day, Reign being at home with his family.
But that was alright.
It gave me some time to do some washing and repacking, maybe get in contact with Astrid to make sure Liv would be around.
Show up all fairytale or rom-com and shit.
That was the plan.
"Might want to wipe that lipstick off your cheek," Virgin suggested as I got out of the SUV, deciding to deal with my packages later, only bringing in the giant box my ma had gotten at Costco loaded up with leftovers for my brothers who didn't have women to take care of them. I reached up, scrubbing at my cheek as I hauled the box out. "Get the fuck outta here," he said, eyes brightening up. "Did your ma make us all Christmas dinner?"
"She worries about us single guys."
There was an odd dancing in his eyes then that I shrugged off, figuring it was simply anticipation for home-cooked food.
"Shit. Can she be my Ma too?" he asked, shaking his head as he fell into step with me back to the building. "Oh, yeah, man... one more thing," he said, but didn't finish his sentence as I stepped inside ahead of him.
I had no idea what he meant as I went into the empty clubhouse, putting the box down on the bar.
But then I heard footsteps.
Turning, I expected Roan, was ready to tell him to help himself to all the leftovers.
Only the person who moved out from the kitchen with a mug between their hands wasn't the giant of a man with a beard and feral eyes.
No.
It was a person who didn't belong there.
A person I was planning on sweeping off their feet in a few days.
"Livvy?" I heard myself ask, shaking my head a little.
"Yeah, that's the thing," Virgin agreed, clamping a hand on my shoulder as he moved past. "Your girl is here."
I never told them about her, aside from saying we'd worked together. But I guess when a woman showed up to see you after you spent some real time with her, it wasn't exactly much of a leap to assume things had gone down with us.
"When did you get here?" I heard myself asking instead of rushing over there and sealing my lips over hers like I truly wanted to do.
"Ah, about two hours ago. Virgin let me in, gave me some coffee, gave me tough talk about keeping my ass in the common area because... what was the phrase again?"
"If I catch your pretty ass snooping around the guns, I'd be forced to tie you up, and I was pretty sure Roderick wouldn't be happy with how much I'd enjoy that."
"Yes, that," she said, giving him a small smile as she toasted him with her mug.
I shook my head a bit, still not quite ready to believe she was there, that she was already bullshitting with one of my brothers.
"Mami, what are you doing here?"
"I brought you a present," she said oddly, her shoulders getting a little tense as she moved into the common area, putting her mug down, and picking up a box I hadn't noticed. "Open it," she demanded, holding it out in front of her.
Feeling awkward, unsure what all this could possibly mean, I reached to pull off the lid, finding red and green crinkled paper inside. "It's in there," she assured me when my gaze went to hers, questioning.
I dug in, hand closing around something hard and cold, pulling out the last thing I had expected.
The Double Trigger
"How?" I asked, shaking my head.
"Cam," she told me, a small smile tugging at her lips. "He, apparently, wanted me to have an excuse to come here."
"Oh, yeah?" I asked, feeling something I could only describe as hope welling up inside. "Why's that?"
"He - and Astrid - think we have some unfinished business."
"Just them?"
Her head ducked a little at that. "Maybe me too," she admitted in a small voice.
I tucked the gun back in the box, taking it from her, setting it down on the bar next to the food.
"Hey, Livvy," I called, voice just as quiet as hers had been.
"Yeah?"
"You don't need an excuse," I told her, hand moving to snag her chin, pulling it up. "To come see me," I clarified. "But thank you for the gun. It's going to make it easier to face all these fucks."
"Really? It's going to help your rep that the girl who originally stole the gun brought an identical one back when you hadn't been able to track one down yourself?" she asked, lips twitching.