Page 79 of Worth the Ruin
Wynn waves him off. “Yeah, he’s fine. A busted lip and probably some sore abs in the morning, but he’s great.” I squeeze Austin’s hand as Wynn continues on. “Everything is in place. Andrews and his team are headed to The Farm and Stoker and his to Greenbrier to spread the word and start working on plans, and Renee has everything set up at on the island for ya. You’re sure you don’t want one of those other giant houses out there?” He eyes us skeptically like we might have some screws loose.
Austin and I share a look. We could have had our pick of any house out there, but neither of us wanted anything but that apartment back. We might rebuild the main house one day, or maybe turn the workshop into a first floor and turn the whole thing into a barndo, but for now, the apartment is home. It’s where he finally broke through every wall I tried to put in his path. It’s where we finally found what we’d both been looking for all this time. It’s where we both showed each other all of our dark and twisted and broken pieces and neither of us flinched away. No, we saw that all of those pieces fit together and made us whole in a way that we could never be alone.
“We’re sure,” I confirm, not taking my eyes from Austin’s, his smile matching mine.
“Can you cool with the gooey eyes shit? I’m going to lose my lunch, I swear to God...”
“Don’t make me come up there,” I say, giving him a look that tells him I’ll happily kick his ass if I need to. It only makes him grin wider, but he holds up his hands in surrender.
“Ok, well Renee has the apartment all ready for you. She and Zimmer got all of the stuff from your rooms—literally an entire truck load of nothing but books for fuck’s sake—and enough supplies to set you up for a bit. Plus, there are still plenty of houses on that side of the island that haven’t been scavenged yet, so you’ve got tons to pick through if you need something before someone can get back to you. Renee and Zimmer picked a house on that side too, but you’ve still each got plenty of, um…privacy,” he says with a suggestive waggle of his dark brows. Austin chuckles, but tries to hide it with a cough. He does a terrible job and I give him a dry look. Wynn continues on, “No idea what Jonah and Mulligan will pick yet, but I already called dibs on the big cabin near the inlet where you two took your little tumble.”
Renee had leapt at the chance to relocate to the island with me and Austin, and when I’d first brought up my plan to Jonah, he and Mulligan said they’d join us too with no hesitation. When Wynn said he would like the opportunity to relocate too, my heart had felt so full I had to walk away so no one could see me cry. Having all of my family back together again was more than I could ever have hoped for. Jonah and Mull are going to get things settled in Haven first, help get everyone eased into the new system and find a replacement for Jonah on the council. He’s going to be “too bereaved” from my death to continue on, and he and Mulligan are going to strike out on their own. Doc said he couldn’t leave the people who needed him, but promised to come visit soon and often. He’s excited at the prospect ofraiding the small doctor’s office we’d found on the island for new supplies and equipment, but I think he’s even more excited to have his best friend back—reallyback, for the first time in almost a decade.
“Got it, I’ll make sure they know that one is spoken for,” I assure Wynn. He nods and we all settle in for the long drive towards our new life. Austin rearranges the crates and rolls out the sleeping bags Wynn stashed back here for us. We highly doubt anyone will be watching, but we aren’t taking any chances on this plan right now, so we’re hiding out back here for the duration. He lays back with his arm behind his head and I snuggle in beside him, head on his chest.
“I shot you,” I whisper.
“Yep, you did. Just swear to never do it for real, and I think I can forgive you this once.” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“I make no promises,” I say with a grin, wondering if I’ll ever stop.
EPILOGUE
MELODY - EIGHT MONTHS LATER
“Happy to reportthat Haven is adapting well to the new government situation,” Doc tells us over dinner. He’d fabricated a medical emergency at FOS that he’d need to monitor for a few weeks as an excuse to get away and come visit. The island is still mostly off of everyone’s radar, except a small number of people at FOS, plus Doc. I feel a little bad sometimes keeping it a secret, but it’s for the best for now, and if anyone ever needed sanctuary here, of course we would offer it. Maybe in a few years, no one will care whether Austin Traeger still lives or not, but for now, we’re happy to keep playing dead out here in our weird little piece of heaven in the middle of the apocalypse.
We haven’t only been hiding out and playing house. We repaired the bridge on the other side of the island and started exploring that area. We found more supplies, took out a shit ton of Bloodies, dealt with some inhuman humans who were sacrificing women to Bloody hordes kept in pits like some freak ass religious cult, but also saved a handful of good ones. Those we made sure found their way to safety in Haven.
I have this perfect balance of still helping people and making the world safer, while also getting to have an amazing life with the man I love. Adventure and an anchor, what I’ve been craving for so long.
Doc has been regaling me with stories of Austin as a teenager and then young twenty-something idiot, and my cheeks hurt from smiling and my stomach from laughing. Austin acts indignant during some of the more embarrassing stories, but overall, he’s a good sport and I know it makes him happy to finally be able to talk about his past, to relive good memories without guilt or fear.
“You know, that reminds me of a time when Mitch and Mel got themselves trapped under a desk in Senator Braden’s office when they snuck in there to hook up,” Jonah adds with a grin.
“Ok, first off,yourhusband was the one who dared us in the first place! And you were encouraging it, so don’t even act like you couldn’t control what he did. And secondly, how were we supposed to know that he was going to come in there and take a fucking nap on his couch for two hours!!”
Austin and Doc roar with laughter, and I throw a green bean at Jonah. He catches it and tosses it in his mouth, smirking at me. Mulligan comes in and I leap up.
“Gimme, gimme, gimme!” I exclaim, reaching my hands out to the wiggling baby in his arms. Doc watches on, a bittersweet smile on his face. He’d tried so hard to save the baby’s mother—a young girl we’d found out on the road, eight months pregnant and not doing well—but there’s only so much he can do these days. She would have needed specialists and an OR back in the real world, and even then, her chances would have been slim. So, Doc had been left with a newborn who needed a home, and he’d immediately sent word to Jonah and Mulligan to see if they’d be interested. They jumped at the chance. Jonah had alwayswanted kids but then Sean’s death and the end of the world and losing Gabby had put those plans on hold.
Mull hands baby Elliot over, and he smiles and giggles, reaching a chubby hand out to my cheek. Being around Elliot has helped me heal in ways I didn’t expect. Holding him, I allow myself to remember my own daughter like I haven’t in almost a decade. It still hurts, of course, it always will, but it also makes me smile. Austin meets my eyes, knowing exactly what’s going on in my head like he always does, and gives me a look, asking if I’m good. I smile and nod as I rest Elliot’s head oh my shoulder and kiss his soft chocolate brown curls, rocking from foot to foot.
“Did we wake you up, little buddy?” I ask.
“Nah,” Mull assures us, leaning in to kiss Jonah before settling into my vacated chair, looking tired and worn, but happy. Austin fixes him a plate of food and slides it over. “He was out like a light, just decided he’d had enough sleep for now.”
“Doc, you need anything before we head out?” I ask, reluctantly relinquishing my nephew to Jonah.
“Nah, I’m all good here.” He’s staying here at Jonah and Mulligan’s since they chose one of the larger houses and Austin and I are still living happily in our little apartment. Well, more space is really only half of the reason he chose to stay with Jonah instead. He’d bunked down with us for a night but apparently Austin and I can’t keep quiet enough for his tastes. Yes, I’m aware of the irony of that after my annoyance of how loud Austin and his girls were when I was in the suite next to his at FOS.
Austin gets up and wraps Doc in a hug, slapping him on the back a few times before doing the same to the other two men.
“I’ll see you two in the morning before I head back. I’ll make sure to send Wynn back with some of the Oreos we found.” My mouth practically waters at that. Wynn is out working on supply distributions and I made him promise to visit Abulea’s grave for me while was back at FOS. She’d passed peacefully in her sleepabout a month after our big fake shootout, but she knew the truth and I like to think that she died happy for us both.
I sing to doc, “Did you ever know that you’re my hero?”
Jonah covers his ears, and Mull covers Elliot’s. Doc and Austin wince dramatically.
