“I saw him pick up the gun. I couldn’t get mine fast enough.”
She shook her head, cupping his face. Lou saw the guilt, but she didn’t want him to feel it. “No, this has nothing to do with you. Do you hear? Nothing. Do not blame yourself for what happened tonight. Mom and Dad are the reason Riley’s dead. Their greed to constantly have more people betting. They didn’t even use security, and they should have. This has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with them. They’re the ones at fault, not you.” She stroked his cheeks. “I’m in pain, Jacob. It hurts.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “I feel like I’ve been torn in two, and there’s no going back from it. Please, help me make it better.”
He lifted up, kissing her lips and settling her in bed. Jacob climbed in behind her, holding her tightly as she sobbed for her brother. Throughout it all, Jacob held her, and for that, she was thankful.
Chapter Thirteen
The whole of the Denton family were with Lou at Riley’s funeral. They made sure to see him off properly. Jacob held onto his woman, giving her as much support as he could. Her sorrow cut him deeply. There was nothing he could do, and those days before and after the funeral were the hardest. Lou didn’t go to work. She didn’t do anything other than sob, screaming, and crying. Jacob didn’t go into work either. He asked his father to give him the time needed to support his woman.
His entire family took their turn visiting and taking care of Lou. A couple of weeks afterward, Lou woke up, and she decided to go to work. Her grief was still there, but Jacob got Oliver to follow her at a safe distance. He made sure she was looked after, never letting her go anywhere without a guard of some kind.
The days passed turning into weeks, and those weeks turned into months. The pain lessened, and after a time, she started to smile again. They would go every Sunday to Riley’s grave, and when her parents were sentenced she seemed to be at some peace. Their lawyer had mounted a case against the Moores, and they had even gone out to find others who had suffered at their hands.
The Denton reputation was intact, and they even earned more respect for seeing justice dealt. Jacob, himself, had been disgusted to hear of some of what happened at the Moores’ hands. They took men and women off the street, and pitched them against some of the toughest fighters. It wasn’t a fair fight, and they would be dumped in a field somewhere. The Dentons were monsters, but they had a set of morals which they lived by. They didn’t set out to kill innocents, and especially not dragging people off the streets.
“When are you going to ask her?” his father asked.
It was a Sunday, and they were at his parents’ for dinner.
“Today.” His brothers were in another room, and his mother was with Lou.
“You don’t think it’s too soon?”
“I love her, Dad. If she’s not ready, then I’ll have no choice but to accept that.”
He held the ring in his palm and closed his hands around it. Jacob had been going to ask her on the night that her brother was killed.
“She’s got us, Jacob. She’s in love with you. I don’t see a reason for her to turn you down.” Maddox slapped him on the back.
Leaving the room, he made his way toward the kitchen.
Lou was peeling chicken as his mother beat some mashed potatoes. She had lost a little weight, which grieved him. He loved her so much, and even though he had broken his promise, she wouldn’t let him blame himself. Riley, as far as Jacob was concerned, had died on his watch, and there was no way he’d be able to take that back.
Leaning against the doorframe, he held onto the ring in his pocket, and stared at her.
Why are you waiting?
Stepping into the kitchen, he moved behind her, and kissed the back of her neck.
“What’s up?” she asked, finally smiling when she saw him. He loved her smile.
“Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m doing good.” She turned around, wrapping her arms around his neck. “You don’t have to worry. I’m here, and I’m alive. Riley, he told me to give you a chance, and he’d been telling me long before he passed.”
“I should have been there.”
“Jacob, you were there.” She visibly swallowed. “Riley wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye if you hadn’t been there. I know he enjoyed working with you, and he considered you a brother he never had.” She cupped his cheeks. “Please, stop carrying this guilt. I’ve told you all the time, I don’t blame you. Riley’s death, it’s not your fault. Don’t think it is.” She snorted. “You should know by now that if I thought for a second it was your fault, I’d be a bitch.” She laughed, and Jacob saw the woman he’d fallen in love with, making a little joke.
“I love you,” he said, wrapping his arms around her.
“I love you, too. So much.”
****
Lou had never thought for a second that she would be angry at Jacob. Being in the hospital even after Riley had been pronounced dead, she’s been so relieved that she hadn’t lost Jacob as well. Riley had been taken to the morgue, and she’d sat in the waiting room, wishing that it had all been a horrible dream. It hadn’t been. Still, all the time, she’d been thankful that Jacob hadn’t been hurt.
She loved Jacob, and she never wanted to be without him. It would kill her, and she’d rather die than live without him. What had happened at that fight had been at the hands of someone who Jacob had no control over. The man had been aiming at her parents, and Riley had got in the way.