Page 137 of All Our Ghosts

Her eyes move from me and she shakes her head. “Scottie and Dex are doing patrols, but Cole gave up this morning.”

“What the hell do you mean hegave up?” I snap tilting my head to catch her gaze again. “Why the hell–”

“Baby,” she squeezes my hand and her eyes flicker to the heart rate machine that’s rapidly beeping again. “He wanted to focus on the club. Trey’s already taking over the Sheriff’s office withmost of the town backing him. He’s doing his best and he was worried about you.”

“He doesn’t need to worry about me, he needs to worry about finding the asshole that killed Becca.”

Kade lets go of my hand to cup my cheek, running her thumb along my cheekbone. “Cole can’t lose another, Nash. He’s already barely holding on as it is.”

There’s something in the words that she says where it sounds like there’s more. Cole and I haven’t been on the best terms. Butting heads every chance we get, keeping things from one another that as kids we wouldn’t dare not share with the other one.

“He’s hurting.”

“We’re all hurting,” I bite and shake my head.

“And we all need a break from the heavy shit,” She says firmly, catching my gaze. “Wyatt needs to heal,youneed to heal.” She starts and I can’t help the upturn twitch of the corners of my mouth as she does. “We have a baby we have to prepare for. Dex and Scottie are on a hunting spree,” Kade starts rambling and it only grows the smile on my face.

“Okay, okay,” I whisper, conceding to her. If not focusing on the fact that Watson is gone will help ease the obvious nerves she has, I’ll do it.

Becca was a huge part of my life. Closer than most siblings and been through ten lifetimes' worth of pain. Even now, her sass and the way she loves the club flows through me. If I ever get the chance to avenge her death, I’ll do it with a smile on my face and a trigger finger that’s happy to pull. I know Becca wouldn’t want me to live in the past. My sister would most definitely kick my ass for acting the way I have over the past four months. My grief overwhelmed my need to live and be present in the life I have. It was time to change.

I need to start living for myself, for the things that make me happy and for the woman sitting on this bed who looks like she hasn't had a full night's sleep in days while she waited for me to wake up.

“You killed Jeremy,” I rasp, “are you?”

“Glad he’s dead?” Kadence finishes for me.

“I was going to sayokay, but that works too.”

“I’m glad he’s dead,” she says with conviction. “I’m glad I can be sure that chapter of my life is done. He won’t be able to haunt me anymore and…” Her eyes fill with tears.

“What is it?”

“When he had me before you and Cole showed up. He told me he killed my mother.” The words leave her lips in a strained tone. Soft and as if she’s trying to be strong for me. “And that he attacked Maria.”

“The woman who helped you?” I ask.

Kadence nods. I swipe a tear from her cheek. “I have to live with that. That I let this man into my life and he took almost everything away.Ihad to be the one.”

“You didn’t, Sunflower.” I shake my head, “That’s not a burden I would ever want for you.”

“Killing Jeremy wasn’t a burden.” Her green eyes flicker to mine. “It was inevitable.”

I stare at her for a moment while the words settle in my chest. She’s a lot more like me than I realized. I know Kadence is strong, probably stronger than I would ever be, given what she’s been through and she’s still sitting here with me with her head on straight and not a broken shell.

“You’re a strong woman, Kadence.” I nod. “Stronger than I’ll ever be and what you did to Jeremy…he deserved worse.”

She lets out a sigh and curls her fingers around mine again. “I want to go back to Florida, even under the radar, just to see Maria and bury my mother.”

“We can do that.” I pull her into my uninjured side pressing my lips to the crown of her head. “Whatever you need to do, Kade, I’m there with you.”

“I love you,” she whispers after a moment. The words feel different now, not weighed down by everything chasing us. They feel lighter, happier than before and how they should feel.

“I love you too,” I rasp into her hair. Kadence carefully wraps her arm around my waist, curling into my side, and for the first time since I woke up, makes herself small against me. There still isn’t anything I won’t do for her. I’ll drag my ass through Mosul again if it means bringing me to this point. To have the only woman who ever truly saw me in my arms.

“Marry me,” I whisper.

Kadence lifts her head to look at me with furrowed brows. “We’re already married,” she says with confusion in her voice.

---