Page 101 of The Oath We Take

I nod. “Butcher doesn’t fucking deserve it. But the club maybe does.”

Grandpa smiles. “The land the clubhouse sits on will be yours by lunchtime. If you need it as collateral for anything, I fully support you giving it up if you get what makes you happy in return.”

His generosity overwhelms me on a day that started like utter shit. “Thank you. Sincerely. But I can figure out a way to solve my own problems without handing over the land like this.”

“I know you can. But you don’t need to. I trust you as a man. I have confidence in you as an Outlaw. And I love you more as a grandson than you possibly know, Hudson.”

Emotion chokes me. My tongue feels thick, and I have to sniff to bite back the sting of tears. “I love you too, Grandpa.”

“And for what it’s worth, I’m gonna kick Butcher’s ass myself. I like you and Ember. A firecracker like that will make your days interesting and your nights hot.”

“Grandpa!”

He simply chuckles. “You know what I mean. Good luck.”

31

EMBER

Ileave the note I just wrote on the back of a cereal box where Hudson can see it, and go climb into the steaming tub of hot water I’ve drawn.

I understand Hudson’s need to walk off what happened, and I’m happy to leave him to his thoughts.

Knowing him, he’s ruminating on every action and word, not just from this morning, but everything that has happened over the last few months.

He’s piecing things together.

When I think, I need a piece of paper and a pencil and a large amount of coffee. I can’t properly work through things until I can see it all written down.

But Hudson has always had a quiet, thoughtful calm about him.

The sun’s arrival is spectacular, throwing hues of orange and purple over the fields and craggy mountains I can see from the bathroom window. Somewhere deep in my bones, I feel the majesty of it. The inherent beauty of nature doing its thing, day after day, with little thought about what happened to us insignificant creatures in the last twenty-four hours.

If walking outside is Hudson’s way to unwind, soaking in the tub is mine. I splash the hot water over my face to wash my tears away. My unruly emotions have been all over the place since the fire, my thoughts scattered.

“It’s time to Ember up,” I say to the sunrise. Falling apart in the heat of the moment is one thing, but I inherited my father’s backbone and it’s time I put it to good use.

I lean my head back against the huge tub and stretch out, but my toes barely reach the other side. Guess it was designed for big, bad cowboys.

Deliberate meditation has never been my thing, but simply breathing and letting the hot water seep into my bones as the sun rises works miracles. Yet, I only fully settle when I hear the key in the lock and then the door click shut.

When he finds me in the bathroom, he’s shirtless and sockless, only wearing his denim jeans.

“Are you okay?” I ask as he crouches down next to the tub.

He cups my cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth. The twitch in the side of his jaw is gone, as is the tightness at the corners of his eyes. “Better for some air and finding you naked and waiting for me.” He leans forward and brushes my lips, then lets out a sigh.

I can’t give some poetic phrasing about how he smells, like they always do in the books Quinn likes to read. They’re all fresh air and pine and laundry soap and lemon. Atom smells like he woke up at four am and then did a hard day’s graft.

And it’s a comforting smell to me. “I have faith that you can figure it out, Atom. Maybe we can even figure it out together.”

He cups the back of my neck. “I like the sound of that. Us doing it together. I really fucking want that with you, Em. A life we choose. Hopefully, here on this ranch. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure my life doesn’t touch you.”

“Are you asking me to be your old lady?” I ask.

“No.”

Heat touches my cheeks. “Oh. Well, that was embarrassing.”

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