Page 117 of Sing Me Home
I tossed my cattle prod to Griff and dropped to my knees in front of her. “I swear, woman. You’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days.” I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tight against my chest. “Man, I love you.”
“I loveyou,” she cried. “IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou. You’re everything. You’remymiracle—and I’m going to stop being so stubborn and insisting I do everything on my own. And I’m going to let you take care of me, and I’m going to take care of you, too.” The words were interspersed with kisses all over my face. “And I was coming on tour. I was. I just—I wanted to make you sweat. I thought I was being clever, but turns out I’m the dumbest dummy that ever lived. But you still came for me. You saved me. Youalwayssave me.”
“What about the rest of us?” Theo broke up her monologue from the loft.
“Thank you,” she said to everyone else. “All of you.”
“Yeah,” Bowen said, looking at Griff specifically. “Thank you.”
Griffin said nothing, just bent down and cut Charlie loose with his pocket knife. Bowen turned for him to do the same, but Griffin closed the knife and dropped it back in his pocket.
“Seriously?” Bowen scoffed.
Griffin looked at him with a hard expression but intense love in his eyes. “I’m glad you’re alive.” His jaw clamped but we knew what he was saying.I’d die for you, but I’m still angry at what you did.
Charlie threw her arms around me. “And thank you for paying my debt. I’m so grateful and I’ll marry you tomorrow, barefoot and in the rain, with only a piece of fencing wire for a ring. We can live in a tent or your parents’ basement, I don’t care. I just want to be yours, on paper and in my heart. Forever. I want to make so much love to you andnotchange my last name.” She peppered me with more kisses. “And have your babies, if I?—”
I grabbed her hips and pulled her into me so hard we nearly lost our balance. Then I kissed her—deep and unhurried—like nothing and no one else existed. She whimpered into my mouth, and it undid me. I cupped the back of her head, then they went to her waist, her shoulders, her ribcage, needing to feel every living, breathing inch of her against me.
“Ahem,” James cleared his throat.
“Later, guys,” Theo called from the loft.
“We get it,” Griff huffed bitterly. “You’re crazy, stupid in love.”
I tipped my forehead to Charlie’s, noses brushing. “Me too. Barefoot and in the rain.”
“With only fencing wire for a ring?” she chortled.
“I think we can do better than that,” I said with a smile.
“But we’re broke,” Charlie said.
“Don’t care,” I said right back. “All I need is you. That’s all I’ve ever needed. We’ll figure out the rest.”
A tear slid onto her cheek but she looked so happy. And relieved. “Yeah.” I pulled her to her feet.
“Wha di you shoo me wiff?” Stout kicked out his legs, his eyes rolling around in his head.
“You’re going to take a nice long nap.” Bowen cackled. “Nigh’ night.”
Stout lifted his head off the floor and gave us one last swirly-eyed look before caving in to the sedation. Baldy was still squirming, trying to get free to no avail with James’s foot on his face.
Lanky gave Charlie a sad look. “Do you think you might consider asking for that autograph?”
“No!” all of us shouted in unison.
James tipped his head at Lorne. “He can’t possibly still be passed out.”
“Nah.” Liam flipped Lorne onto his back. “Guarantee he’s playing dead like a possum. Freaking wimp.”
“Who cares?” Griff huffed. “The cops’ll be here momentarily.”
Yup. There was the faint sound of sirens blaring in the distance.
Liam snorted. “Yo. Guys. Homeboy really did pee himself.”
James snickered, a grin breaking free.
