Page 54 of Reckless Forever
Tears fell down her cheeks before she even said a word. Then she nodded. “Yes, Judah. Of course.”
All their asses went crazy. Moms clapped and wiped her tears. Pops hit the table, and Trouble yelled out something about me finally not being a clown.
Kennedy’s mouth was on the floor, and Storm smiled so hard that if I wanted, I could’ve counted all her tooth gems.
I slid the ring on Ivy’s finger, then stood and pulled her into me. She kissed me like none of them were there, and honestly, at that moment, they weren’t. It was just me and her.
This was where I was supposed to be and who I was supposed to be with.
CHAPTER 16
Ivy
“Congratulations, again. I can’t wait to be a bridesmaid,” Storm glowed, hugging me so tight I didn’t know if it was a hug or a Mafia take down that she had picked up.
“Thank you,” I whispered against her shoulder, the words half-stuck in my throat. I hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off my face for hours now, but this moment made it deeper.
The last week inside the safe house had been strange, a moment I couldn’t explain. On the one hand, we were confined to a single space. Wondering if our men were going to make it back safely or if our lives were in danger. On the other hand, it was a kind of bonding I never thought I’d experience. Kennedy, Storm, their kids, and even Remy.
Judah’s family had embraced me so quickly that it felt both scary and natural. Not having been close to my own family, but to witness how his family showed up for him, and for me, was something I couldn’t take for granted. It explained everything about the man beside me. Why he loved me the way he did, and why he gave more than he said he could.
Judah held open the back door of the truck, still finding a way to cater to me and be a gentleman even when the weight of the world fell on his shoulders. I slid across the leather seat,making room for him. Hollow was in the driver’s seat, and the engine rumbled as he pulled away from the curb.
I immediately reached for Judah’s hand. His fingers, always warm, while mine were always cold, laced together as his other hand held his phone. His brows furrowed, eyes scanning, thumbs moving quickly. He never got a second of rest from business.
I tugged his hand gently, pressing it against my chest. “Did you know lightning is five times hotter than the surface of the sun? That's exactly how my heart feels right now.”
The eyes that were once on the screen slowly dragged over to me. The corner of his mouth twitched, and I already knew that he was about to say something slick.
“No, baby. I don’t know how lightning feels.” He scoffed, voice full of sarcasm.
I chuckled, rolled my eyes, and tossed his hand away from me. “You really get on my nerves.”
He smirked at my pout but went back to his phone.
Outside, the night had just started to fall. The stars had already started to take their place in the sky, and I could see them glistening through the tinted windows. For a moment, I forgot about everything: the safe house, the war, the chaos we had been through, and just took it all in. But like I knew it would, my mind still drifted back to where I tried to avoid. Were these the same stars burning in Bolivia?
A single tear rolled down before I even noticed. I wiped it away quickly, hoping Judah hadn’t seen it. But of course, he had. He noticed everything. He dropped his phone on his lap and pushed my shoulder gently to turn me toward him.
“What’s wrong, baby?” His voice was softer than normal.
I hesitated, chewing on the inside of my cheek. The question had been nagging at me since he walked through the door. I exhaled, building the nerve to ask again.
“Can you at least tell me what happened in Bolivia?” My voice cracked, but I kept it together as best I could.
Judah’s expression tightened, and when he didn’t speak, it was enough to send anxiety through me. He rubbed my hand, trying to calm me.
“Baby, I was going to tell you when we made it home.”
My stomach sank. The tone of his voice almost confirmed what I was afraid of. I was supposed to be happy. I was gaining something. A promise, forever, a husband, and a family. But that same gain caused me to lose the only family I had ever known.
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a perfectly folded square of paper. He placed it in my hand. “Here.”
I stared at him, eyes never leaving him, before carefully unfolding it. My breathing hitched when the handwriting jumped off the page.
That blue ink. The felt-tip pens and the words that were half cursive and half print.
I broke down right there in the back seat of the truck. The sobs that left me echoed in the car, as Judah hugged me and pulled me into his chest. He held me in his arms as I cried so hard that I was hyperventilating. He whispered to me words of comfort that I barely heard.
