Page 22 of Bratva Past

“You don’t get a say in it. You’re a man.”

“We don’t know anything about this man,” Harry said. “Lucy is being cautious.”

It wasn’t even about being cautious. She just didn’t know if she should move out of the home her parents had worked so hard to get. They had bought their home, and she remembered how happy they were when they finally got the papers. The truth was, she didn’t know anything about Isaac. He was a very private man, and she respected him for it.

“Stop worrying. We know he is a good man. He helped us when no one else would. He didn’t even allow us to pay for fixing our bus, and let’s face it, we all know that was expensive.” Marge waved a hand in the air. “He’s a good man.”

“Good man or not, we don’t know anything about him.”

“Don’t you listen to him. That man is a pessimist. He has been for as long as I have known him.” Marge shook her head at him. “You do not want to live alone, my darling. You like Isaac. You have liked him for a long time, and I don’t see a reason to stop you from enjoying your life. Take it from us, we all have regrets about what we have or haven’t done.”

Lucy smiled at her friends, but she couldn’t help wondering if Harry was on to something. She didn’t know a lot about Isaac, and he did keep quiet about his past.

For the rest of the day, she tried not to think about it, and instead got to work. She helped Marge go to bed for her nap, and played cards with Harry. By the end of the day, she was exhausted. Leaving the care home, she made her way toward Isaac’s garage. She couldn’t help but think about Harry’s warning. Was it really a warning, or just encouraging her to be cautious?

She couldn’t help but wonder what her parents would think to Isaac, if they were alive. Would they hate the age gap? Lucy thought about it. She knew her dad would have an issue with the age gap; her mother, however, wouldn’t care. She would only want to know if he made her happy.

Isaac did make her happy. She loved being with him, and he had been the perfect gentleman. He never pushed. He didn’t try to force her to get into a car. He helped her with chores. Once the power came back on, he was right there in the kitchen with her, cleaning, cooking, like they had never been apart.

She arrived at his garage to see him handing a pair of keys to Bill, one of the many locals who complained when the garage had closed down. Bill also owned a car sales shop. She knew Phill closing had really hindered his business, and at one point he was close to closing down himself.

She watched them shake hands, then Bill got in his car, with a smile at her, and she watched him drive away.

“He looks happy,” she said.

“He is. Bill and I finally made a deal. It has taken me ten years, but he now trusts me to work on the cars he sells. Once he gets them, he wants me to be available to do a quick check over them all, to make sure he is not being conned.”

“Ten years?” She found that hard to believe.

“Yeah, he grew loyal with whoever he used to replace this one, and now they’re selling, and he wants to make a deal.” Isaac shrugged.

“Doesn’t that annoy you?”

“Nah, you got to do business where you can trust, and I get why he didn’t trust me, but now he has no reason not to trust me. I’ve proven myself, and that is all it takes.”

Lucy looked at him, really looked at him. Did she need to know about his past to love him? No. She only needed to know that she loved the man in front of her. She had loved him ten years ago, and she still loved him.

“My answer is yes,” Lucy said.

“You’re going to move in with me?”

She nodded.

He went to her, picking her up in his arms and spinning her around. “You won’t regret it.”

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