47

47

KADE

Embers from the fire heat my skin as Stacey lies between my legs. The crackling, the soft wind blowing around the trees, and the view of the hills and river at the break of dawn reminds me of a time me and Stacey went camping with my parents.

I was a nervous eighteen-year-old who couldn’t stop obsessing over her. It seems nothing ever really changes because I’m still fucking obsessed. It feels like I’ve been in love with this girl since I was born.

I don’t remember a time I didn’t feel this way about her.

I do remember the butterflies I got when she snuck into my tent. I fucked her while my friends and brother slept beside us. I kept my hand over her mouth, a little like I’ve been doing the past two nights, since my dad’s room is right next to ours.

What will it be like when it’s just us two? No one else around, both lying in our bed, living in our house, planning our next day because we’ll be able to.

Dad is arguing with Base about baby names. Barry is toasting a marshmallow that looks incinerated already. Luciella and Stacey are discussing the studio and songs to dance to when they eventually return. They talk as if my sister has that luxury – or maybe it’s just hope – but I believe my best friend will do right by her, so I trust him to deal with this in a manner that means my sister stays unscathed, even if she is carrying his spawn.

Luciella glances over at me and smiles. “Are you okay?”

I nod slowly. “Has it sunk in yet? That you’re going to be a mother?”

She shakes her head. “Has it sunk in yet that you’re going to be Uncle Kade?”

My eyes crinkle at the corners as my grin widens. “Thank God our parents gave me a good name. Imagine being called Uncle Sebastian.”

Base throws a twig at me. “Fuck you, asshole.”

“I was the one who chose your names,” Dad says. “If it was a girl, I wanted Luciella to be Lucy, and your mother wanted Gabriella incorporated in there somehow. If it was a boy, Kade was an easy choice between that and Aiden. We didn’t know she was pregnant with twins at the time.”

Grimacing, Luciella looks up at Base, whose arm is slung over her shoulders. “Twins would be hard if they end up like you.”

He nods. “A nightmare. Especially if they’re anything like you two.”

I roll my eyes.

Then Base, doing his usual annoying shit, tilts his head at my dad. “Did you not kidnap Aria while she was pregnant and bring her here? Is that why you bought this place, Kade?”

I kick his shin. “Shut the fuck up.”

Dad’s eye twitches. “I was in a bad place at the time.”

Milo and Hopper are lying on each side of us, the latter with his head on Stacey’s lap, Hopper curled into a ball and pressed up against me. It’s the calm I had no idea existed – I thought I’d lost everything, including my mind, yet here I am, smiling down at my girl, wondering what comes next.

The last two corrupt world leaders were arrested only a matter of minutes ago, and I’ve been able to breathe since. Even with the thick smoke from the fire, the incinerated marshmallows and the cigarette I inhale, I can breathe.

I lean down to whisper in Stacey’s ear, “You want to go fuck before we leave?”

“We did it like an hour ago,” she hisses back. “Your reload button needs to break.”

Barry stands up, grabbing everyone’s attention. “I think, going by the reports…” He zooms into something on his phone screen. “Yeah. They’ve got everyone now. It’s really over.”

He looks over at Base and Luciella. “I would suggest keeping Luciella hidden for now though.”

“I was going to,” Base snipes. “I’ll go to my grandfather and demand a divorce and to keep Luciella in protection in Russia. He won’t refuse me. I’m his only heir until my kid is born.”

“What will you do?” Barry asks Dad. “You’re technically dead. No one is searching for you, but I’d keep a low profile for now. I’ll be able to keep your meds coming until I figure out something else.”

For once, Dad doesn’t argue with him or call him a dickhead. He just nods and warms his hands on the flames. “Does Aria know yet?”

“No,” Barry replies. “But since the officers and investigators have closed all the reports and there’s no active case, I think we’re all safe to go home.” He glances up at me. “Call your mother and let her know you’re all alive.”

“And then I need to leave?” Luciella asks.

“We’ll stay here for now,” Dad says to her. “Your plan better work, Sebastian.”

“Give me a week,” Base says. “I’ll write down the address for where to meet me.”

Stacey shifts between my legs, looking up at me. “We’ve waited years for this.”

My head tilts. “For what?”

“The chance we deserve.” She smiles. “I’m excited.”

“What do you want to do first?” I ask, playing with her hair. “We can do anything you want.”

She waggles her brows, lowering her voice to a whisper, so we can’t be heard over the music that’s playing. “I want us to go on dates, to live together and get married. You can fuck me every morning and night until I make you a daddy.” Her lip traps between her teeth as my cock twitches. “How does that sound?”

I lean down and kiss her before we excuse ourselves – then I drag her back into the building, throw her on the bed and sink into her.

Luciella and Dad stand outside the building as we pack the car. The dogs jump into the back, and Barry shakes my dad’s hand, tells Luciella to take care before getting into the driver’s side.

“At least you didn’t threaten each other,” Stacey says to Dad. “Like I said before, there’s a brewing bromance there.”

“No,” is all my dad replies. He looks at me. “I’m proud of you. I don’t know if I’ve ever said it, but I am. You’ve gone through so much, endured so much pain that no person ever should, and you’re still standing here, alive, and surviving it all.”

The corner of my mouth twitches. “I take after my old man.”

“Your mother sounded happy on the phone,” he says. “I think it’s still best if I remain dead to her. I’ll reveal myself when the time is right.”

Luciella tugs Stacey in for a hug, and they both start crying as if they’re not going to see each other anytime soon. Me and Dad watch them, Base frowning at the ground, and when they pull away, I have the severe urge to wipe Stacey’s tears and hold her against me and make sure she never cries like that again.

Stacey reaches up on her tiptoes and kisses my dad’s cheek. “Thank you for saving me and being the dad I needed. Please stay safe.”

He clears his throat and nods. “I’ll see you soon, little one.”

She heads to the car, and I pull my sister to me. “Don’t stay away too long, brat.”

She smacks my chest but sobs as she wraps her arms around me. My twin. My sister. She just cries harder, and I lean my head on top of hers.

When she steps back and wipes her cheeks, I give her a warm smile. “You’re going to be an awesome mother. If Base doesn’t keep you safe, I’ll beat the shit out of him and break his legs.”

He frowns and throws his arms out. “What the fuck?”

Dad pats my shoulder, and it’s all we need, so I nod and walk to the car, hearing my sister break down as she says goodbye to Base for a week.

A week.Why are they acting like they’re never seeing each other again?

I climb into the back seat, the dogs jumping forward to lick my face, and Stacey rests her head on my shoulder. “Where are we going to live?”

I shrug the shoulder she isn’t leaning on. “I told you, I’ll build us a house.”

“In the meantime,” she clarifies. “Where do we go in the meantime?”

“Ewan and Mum are back from Ireland and renting a house. We’ll stay there until we figure out our next steps.”

Barry turns in his seat. “I’m going to drop you all off and head home. Unless you need anything else from me?”

“You’ve done more than enough,” I say. “I’ll liquidate my company too. You’re officially fired as my assistant.”

He chuckles. “Thank fucking God for that. Don’t even bother asking me to be your friend.”

I snort. “I never want to see your face again.”

We laugh, because we already know he’s like a brother to me.

That makes me think of Jason, and my smile drops. So much loss, so many unsaid words – things I’ll never have the chance to tell him. He sacrificed himself for my girlfriend, for my happiness, and I’m going to make him proud by being what he always wanted me to be.

Happy. I’m going to be fucking happy.

Base gets into the front, and we twist to wave at my dad and Luciella while Barry drives us away from them, away from the building that has no trace of Bernadette.

Because Bernadette Sawyer doesn’t exist.

The devil trapped me, but I got myself out of her hold. She’s gone, and I’m fucking free.

Stacey falls asleep in my lap, and it reminds me of when I got her out of the States and away from Bernadette. I told her, while she slept in the same position, my fingers brushing through her hair, that she should have stayed out of my life, but she was always there. And that was true. No matter what I thought she did to break my trust, I was still in love with her.

The fifth rule never existed.

I’m even more in love with her now. My girl.

A couple of hours later, Barry pulls into the driveway of the house Mum and Ewan are renting. Dez and Tylar are sitting on the porch, and both stand up when they see us get out of the car.

They don’t get a chance to come to us, because my mum and Ewan are bursting out of the front door and crashing right into me. “Oh, son,” Mum sobs, hugging me and kissing my head, wrapping her arms around me so tightly, I can barely breathe. Ewan is here too, his forehead to mine, both just standing with me while Stacey and Base go to see Tylar and Dez.

Barry gets the dogs out, and Mum still won’t let go of me. “I thought I lost you too,” she whimpers, her words broken. “I… I thought I lost all my babies.”

“We were planning funerals with empty caskets until you called us,” Ewan says, a tear slipping down his cheek. “We thought you’d died in the fire.”

“I couldn’t risk it,” I say, pulling back from Mum. “If they’d tracked the call, they would’ve caught us, and I needed to deal with Bernadette.”

“Did you? Did you deal with her?”

I glance up at Ewan and nod. “Me and Base strangled her, and Barry got rid of the body. Everyone’s gone. All the threats. We couldn’t show face until we knew every last person involved had been arrested.”

Mum won’t let go of my arm as I look over to see Base and Dez talking, Stacey and Tylar in each other’s arms, and the dogs barking for attention.

Base and Barry agree to stay until morning, since it’s the middle of the night. Barry looks like he’s seconds from passing out too.

“Let’s go inside,” Ewan says, whistling to Milo and Hopper to follow us. “We made steak pie.”

Of course Aria Miller has cooked a dinner big enough to feed an army at three in the morning. The table is covered with food, and Dez sits next to me so he can catch up on everything with me and Base.

Tylar and Stacey are in deep discussion about what we’ve been up to the last few weeks, and Mum won’t take her eyes off me. “I wish your sister could be here.”

Tylar nods in agreement. “I miss her.” Her arm wraps around Stacey, and I imagine snapping it. “I’m so glad I got one of my besties back.”

“She’ll be home soon.”

Mum finishes her water. “There are only four rooms. Sebastian will need to share with Barry, if that’s okay?”

They glare at each other across the table. “I’ll sleep on the floor,” Barry says. “Or you can.”

Base laughs. “Are you still pretending to hate me? Come on – we’re practically friends.”

Barry ignores him, and I try not to laugh at the outraged look on my friend’s face.

Then Base mumbles through his bite of steak pie, “Tobes nearly fed me human food.”

Mum’s eyes widen, and Ewan tilts his head in confusion. “What? Tobias?”

I kick him, but he keeps talking. “Yeah. Mr Dead-Yet-Not-So-Dead. He was frying Archie’s body parts like they were steak, and I nearly fucking became a cannibal, the asshole.” He grimaces at his plate. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

Mum pushes back from the table. “Where is he?” she asks, her eyes widening with every second. “Is… is he okay?”

“He’s with Luciella. He’s fine. He’ll reach out when he’s ready.”

Standing, she wipes her mouth. “I need to go to him. Can you give me the address?”

I sigh, because I hate myself for this. “No. He doesn’t want you to know he’s alive yet. He isn’t ready, and he’s keeping Luciella safe.”

Her eyes drop to the plate of food as she lowers to her seat once more. “Oh. But he’s alive.” Her eyes are watering. “Tobias is alive.”

“Yeah. He needs to lie low for a bit.”

She nods. “Okay.” But that one word tells me she really isn’t. Her hand shakes as she grabs her fork, and she misses the steak five times before Ewan places his hand over hers.

I get to my feet and go to her, crouching beside her seat and kissing her cheek. “He couldn’t risk reaching out. He called you twice and didn’t say a word. He just wanted to hear your voice. He’s safe. He’s alive, and once everything dies down, he’ll reach out.”

She forces a smile as a tear slides down her cheek. “I thought he died.” She sniffles and blinks rapidly as more tears fall. “I… I thought I’d lost him.”

I nod. “Me too. But he’s as big a nuisance as ever.”

Base scoffs. “Nuisance is an understatement. He fucking bullies me. Him and Barry. They don’t even like each other!”

Stacey looks at me from across the table while Barry and Base go at each other. She smiles and mouths, I love you.

I go all warm inside. It’s embarrassing how warm I get, and I think I’m fucking blushing. I smile back at her and press my shoe up against hers under the table like we’re teenagers.

“We were thinking,” Mum says, her eyes still wet. “Stay here for a few days before you contact the authorities and let them know you’re okay and safe. The media interest will be intense, and the interviews are going to drain you all, so rest.”

“I’m going to head to Russia tomorrow,” Base replies. “I’ve got a shitload of grovelling to do and not a very long time to do it.” He leans back on his chair. “Do you think I’d be a good dad, Aria?”

Her brows rise as she stabs a chunk of steak and dips it into gravy. “Is Nikita pregnant?”

“No,” he replies. “Your daughter is.”

Mum’s fork pauses halfway to her mouth. Ewan’s drops to his plate. “She’s what?”

“Pregnant,” Base repeats as if it’s a given. “You didn’t know?”

Mum and Ewan stare at each other, and I snort a laugh as her tears vanish – she covers her mouth and lets out a little squeal. “I need to call her! Oh, my, Sebastian dear, please grab me another glass of water.”

Ewan flattens his lips. “Did you not say you hated children?”

“Don’t you fucking start too.” He shakes his head as he goes to the sink and pours Mum more water. “You, Barry and Tobes can stand in the corner while I become the best dad in the world.”

“We need to bring her home,” Mum says, giving Base a warm smile as he hands her the glass.

“Too dangerous,” I say. “Base has an agreement with his grandfather’s enemies, which is why he married Nikita. We told you this already. Luciella needs to stay dead until he fixes it.”

Ewan narrows his eyes. “You’ve put my daughter into this mess.”

Base smiles at him. “I’m not going to let you get to me. I just survived Tobes for weeks; you can’t scare me. Not even Baz here can scare me. I’m a survivor of Tobias Mitchell, and I deserve a fucking medal.”

“Language, Sebastian.”

“Sorry, ma’am. You deserve a medal too.”

I try not to laugh. “Baz?”

Base winks. “Suits it, doesn’t he?”

“No,” Barry retorts, clearly fed up. “I’ll drive you to the airport in the morning, then I never want to see you again.” Barry looks over at me. “Lisa and Eva are still at the safe house. I’ll take them home.”

Dez, who’s been sitting silently for the past hour, eventually speaks, counting on his fingers each point. “So Tobias is alive. He fed Bernadette her own husband before you strangled her to death. Chris Fields is dead. The underworld you both were trapped in is destabilised. You both got away with hundreds of murders. And to top it all off, Luciella is pregnant with Base’s spawn?”

Base raises a glass of water. “Spot on, Desmond.”

“Did I miss anything?”

“I’m sure I’ll text you if I remember anything. Since, you know, you were travelling the world with your girlfriend while we all fought for our lives. I think it’s safe to say Kade loves me more than you.”

“If one of you had told me, I would’ve helped.”

Tylar leans her elbows on the table, looking at him. “You’re terrified of harmless bugs, and you only drive small-engine cars because you don’t like going fast. And you do the dishes with an apron on because the water splashes make you feel sick. When they were training at the manor, you pretended to be asleep half the time when Base came to the door because you didn’t like fighting. What exactly would you have done?”

“Shameful,” Base says with a repulsed expression. “Why are we friends with him, Kade?”

I shake my head. “Shut up, Base.”

Once we finish eating and help clean up the mess, Mum shows me and Stacey our room. There’s a king-sized bed, fresh sheets, fluffy pillows. I haven’t slept like this in so long. I shower with Stacey glued to my back, and I lather her with soap while I kiss her.

She stands under the water while I wash her hair, then gasps as I drop to my knees until she unravels against my tongue. And when we climb out, I dry her hair then commit each inch of her to memory with delicate, chaste kisses against her skin as I slide her PJs on.

I kiss the tattoos I designed – the ones she got for me and never covered up the way I did mine. I kiss the initials on her back, then she falls asleep in my arms.

I don’t sleep yet though – I stay with her against me, studying her face, playing with her hair while I silently go through every scenario in my head. Every scenario I’ve thought of that could ruin this moment.

None of them happen. Instead of the house blowing up or Bernadette rising from the pits of hell to take this away from me, I slip into a deep, peaceful slumber.