“You’re not freaking out.” I let out a shaky laugh that’s a mixture of relief and terror that I’m still missing something. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”
Devlin lifts the arm that’s around my back, burying his hand in my hair and turning my face to his without taking his other hand from my middle. He gazes into my eyes with such tenderness that a lump forms in my throat. “I love you, Crystal. You’re my forever girl. The only thing that scares me is someone taking you away from me. And this little baby isn’t going to do that, so why would I freak out?”
“You’re my forever, too,” I say, laughing even as tears blur my eyes.
“Good,” Devlin says, pulling me in and gently pressing his lips to mine. “Then nothing has changed except that now there’s one more person in our forever.”
“You’re still in?” I ask, pressing my forehead to his and slipping a hand behind his neck.
“Until I fucking die.”
“Okay,” I say, relief melting me against him. For the first time since I realized I was late, and then more than late, I feel like I can breathe. Like there is hope. Like maybe, by some miracle, we’ll be okay. After what we’ve been through, I think we deserve a fucking miracle.
“You don’t think this could’ve changed your family’s mind?” Devlin asks.
“No,” I admit. “I already asked King. He said Dad would put a hit on you.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen,” Devlin says. “No one is going to take care of my girls but me.”
“Oh, so you already know it’s a girl?” I tease.
“I know it’s mine,” he says, his voice close to a growl. “And so are you.”
“Then let’s go somewhere where that’s possible,” I say. “Somewhere no one will ever find us.”
We pull on our wet clothes in silence. I’m not cold anymore. Every inch of me is vibrating with adrenaline. I can feel us careening toward the edge, toward the point of no return, but I’m not afraid. I know this is our miracle. That we won’t fall. We’ll fly.
When we’re dressed, we climb out of the car, leaving our phones and all our possessions inside. Devlin leaves his gun in the glove box and sits in the front seat, the door open. The water has risen so high that it’s only a few feet in front of the car now. I look at Devlin. He looks at me.
Thunder rumbles overhead, mingling with the roar of the water. We may freeze our asses off walking into town to buy a crappy car, but I know it’s a blessing that the storm isn’t over. More rain means our footprints will be washed away. But the storm is over for us.
Devlin tosses his soaked jacket into the back seat, turns on the car, and looks at me.
This is it. This is the end. The point of no return. The moment when we cut ties with Faulkner, with our families. The moment our identities disappear, and we become our own people.
He sits for a second, then climbs out, pulls the brake, and steps back. Gravity does the rest. The car rolls forward on the slope of the bank. The water catches the front end, and we watch it sink in and disappear beneath the churning water. And then it’s gone. I no longer carry a Dolce ID. I no longer carry a name that was a noose around my neck for too long. I once said I sold my heart to keep my name. Tonight, I washed away my name to keep my heart. I belong to no one but myself and this boy, this boy with no family, no past, no name. He’s no longer Devlin Darling. He’s only mine.
He takes my hand in his, pulling me closer as the rain begins to fall again. Laughter bubbles up inside me, and I turn and run. My darling boy keeps his fingers laced through mine, and we don’t let go. My clothes are wet and cold and heavy, but I’ve never felt lighter. I’m free. I’m finally fucking free. I’m ready to fly.
“Come on,” I yell above the rush of rain and river. “Let’s disappear.”
epilogue
Crystal
The sound of the key in the lock startles me. I didn’t hear the Honda pull up outside our little two-bedroom house. I struggle to sit up, pulling down my shirt over my big belly. I shove my phone under the couch pillow just as Devlin walks in. He studies me as he pushes the door closed with his foot.
“How’s my favorite girls?” he asks, leaning down to give me a kiss and setting down the shopping bag on the coffee table. He sinks onto the couch beside me and puts a possessive hand on my belly. “Has she done anything new today?”
“I think she discovered her future career,” I say, smiling as I rest a hand on the top of my belly.
Devlin arches a brow. “I’m intrigued.”
“Yep,” I say, reaching for the food. “She’s going to be a boxer. She’s decided my bladder will be her first punching bag. She’s been practicing all day.”
He laughs and pulls me in, kissing me softly. I wrap my arms around him, kissing him like I do every time he comes home from work, every time I have to go a whole day without feeling his touch. He pulls me into his lap, and I move to straddle him. Devlin runs his hands up my thighs and around my hips, grabbing my ass and pulling me forward as he pushes his hips against mine, letting me feel his hardness through his work pants.
I rock against him, already wet for him. Hormones are a blessing and a curse.