Page 174 of Misrule
At that moment, he realized she’d travel alone, but instead of stopping her departure, he decided to hurry to the nearest supermarket, and purchase items for their impromptu picnic.
Arriving at the creek, he found her already sitting under a tree, looking out over the water.
“Memories?”
Her hand flew to her stomach. “You startled me.”
He sat beside her, setting the grocery bag next to him. “Sorry, sweetheart.”
Her gaze returned to the water. “It seems like another lifetime when I was homeless and living out here.”
“It does for me, too. Life seemed simpler, then.”
She sidled a glance at him. “Your life,” she said softly. “Mine was hell.”
Because of Thomas Nicholls, her fuckhead stepfather.
“Do you ever think about death, Johnnie?”
The question, so far off-topic, came out of the blue, and sent his guard up.
“Specifically,dying,” she amended.
“At times.”
“I got my happily-ever-after when I was eighteen. My soul mate. My beautiful children. Did I experience all this so early because I’m going to die young? One day, my luck will run out.”
“No, sweetheart.” If that day ever came, life would be unbearable. “You’re the club’s good luck charm.”
“So you’ve said before.”
“The club was in shambles. Christopher was a wreck. I was drifting. Mort wanted vengeance. Digger didn’t know his place. Val was pining away for Zoann. Stretch was hiding in the closet. Cash was on the fringes of life. Club members didn’t know if they wanted Christopher to lead or Snake or someone else. You fixed that. You made it right.”
She hung her head. “Then, maybe, if that’s truly the case, that’s my destiny fulfilled. I disagree with you, by the way. None of you needed me to do anything. You would’ve worked things out.”
“Would we have?” he countered. “We were looking to Christopher, who was devastated over Big Joe’s death and the fact that he killed him. He was broken. We were all broken.”
She drew her knees up and rested her cheek there.
“What’s going on, Megs?”
Her smile grew wistful. “Megs?” she whispered. “It’s been years since you’ve called me that.”
“That was my special name for you. You were my friend. Maybe, I saw you—seeyou—as my best friend. I know I’m not in love with you anymore.”
“You need to tell Kendall.Showher. As for me being your best friend, that isn’t true.”
He leaned against the trunk of the tree. “It is.” He’d given this a lot of thought since meeting Emily. “I love Christopher. I admire him. All the guys, but you’ve always done for me what Roxanne does for everyone else. You listen to me. You counsel me. You advise me.”
“That may be so, but you don’t take my advice. Otherwise, you and Kendall would still be together.”
“And you defend both me and my wife,” he continued, as though she hadn’t spoken. “Even now, when neither of us deserve it. You’re my best friend, Megan.”
“Christopher is mine,” she said without hesitation.
“I know. I wish Kendall was that to me.”
“That works both ways. You just admitted I’m your best friend. A fact you never hid. How do you think that made Kendall feel?”
