Page 81 of Hitch
My heart swells with warmth. “I haven’t even taken the courses or the exam,” I mutter, bumping my shoulder into his.
“Then take it, Hitch,” he says. “Take it all. The world is yours now.”
I place my hand on top of his and squeeze his fingers.
“Ours,” I say.
Epilogue
Duane
a year and some months later
And there she is,on the side of the road again. Like an insect buzzing in the early evening light. A sexy little thing that could make any man drop dead in their tracks. A woman who killed for me.
Now, that woman makes more money than I do lately, and yet she refuses to get a new car. Swears by her trusty little thing, even when it breaks down each week like it’s barely hanging on.
But it’s not an accident. I know how to arrange a situation like this to my advantage. Anything to give me a good excuse to pick up the little hitchhiker.
“Where you heading?” I ask.
She gives me a sideways glance, rolling her eyes in a way that makes me want to bend her over the truck’s hood and fuck her until she can’t see straight.
“Courthouse,” she answers.
“You going up for trial?” I tease. “Must be locking you up. A woman like you is always looking for trouble in the wrong places.”
“The only way I’ll ever be locked up is with you,” she smirks. And I can’t help it then; I grin like a damn fool. We’re on the way to the courthouse to make it official. Us, getting married, like some stupid couple in love.
These days, we don’t live in California. We live in a small town in Iowa, where Reggie found a plot of land for a steal of a price. We bought it right away, as well as a house down the road for her mother, and though her mother wasn’t too keen on moving until the school year was over, she eventually did, seeing as she couldn’t bear to be that far away from her only daughter.
The two of them have taught me something. Sometimes, family sticks with each other. I respect them both, for that especially. And hell, I’m a lucky bastard. They’re my family now.
Reggie’s got her real estate license and sells for all the local folk. In a small town like this, everyone knows everyone, and it didn’t take long for Reggie’s name to get out there. She’s in the spotlight these days, which is why the clerk agreed to stay open late for us, so that we could get officially married on the same exact day that I picked Reggie up for the first time on the side of the road.
Love isn’t real, sure. But we’re getting married anyway.
In the meantime, I run a small soybean farm. It’s enough to make a living and keep me occupied. Maybe one day I’ll get back to the mushrooms, but for now, I’m good with where we are. The itch for blood comes over me every now and then, and I find ways to curb the craving. Just like in Florida and California, if you bury the bodies underneath the crops, with enough animal flesh to cover up the scent, no one looks twice. There’s no reason to. Especially when you’re more careful about choosing your victims.
In the passenger seat, Reggie’s wearing a white tank top and white cut-off jeans, and she’s so damn cute like that, my sexy little bride. I’m in flannel, but with black jeans this time, and it’s about dressed up as we care to get.
“You look good,” she says to me. I chuckle, because we both know she looks better. Always has, and always will. A game I’m happy to lose.
It’s a legal ceremony, and we didn’t even invite her mother—it’s just a regular witness, the clerk, and us. There’s no confession of love or anything like that. We both know we’ve killed for each other, and we’d do it again. Which isn’t something you can say in front of a government official.
Still, I beam at my wife. She blushes back at me, and I ache for her all over again.
“All right. Sign here,” the clerk says. And we both do. “You are officially married. Congratulations! You may kiss the bride!”
I pick my woman up in my arms and the world is a bit lighter than it was before. It’s all legal jargon anyway, but it means something to Reggie, and if it means something to her, then it means something to me too.
I kiss her slow and deep, and I don’t stop until the clerk clears her throat. As I pull back and break the kiss, there’s a twinkle in Reggie’s eyes that makes my head spin.
“How are you two celebrating?” the clerk asks.
“I don’t know,” Reggie says. “Duane’s surprising me.”
“It’s a secret,” I say, winking at the clerk.
