"Cool." He brought my hand to his mouth and kissed my fingers. "I was talking to Van earlier. I figured out I feel guilty for fuckin’ up your life so much. Shit, I started fuckin’ up your life before we even met.”
“You know what? I wanted to blame you at first. But that wasn’t on you. I know that.”
“What about the whole kidnapping and making you marry me? I just rolled through and snatched you out ya life.”
“I like my new life. And I like you. So I’m good.”
“Okay, but I think…I think I need to hear you say you forgive me.”
I put a hand on his cheek and stared into his eyes. “I forgive you, Jakari. For eight years ago. For a few months ago. And for anything else you feel bad about. I don’t blame you. Okay?”
He nodded, and I sealed that with a kiss.
“Just out of curiosity, what would have happened that night at the bar?” I tossed a leg over him. “Like if that man hadn’t walked in.”
“I told you before that I was feeling you that night. I was tryna fuck, so I woulda wore you down eventually and took you home. And I probably would have called you the next day. Maybe.”
“You’re such an asshole sometimes.”
He laughed. “Nobody forced you to marry me. Oh, wait—”
I busted out laughing, glad that he was able to joke about it. “Okay, so we’re gonna fall in love.”
He smiled. “Yeah.”
“Cool.”
We sealed that with a kiss, and then the topic of conversation shifted. To business.
“I still wanna kill Hightower, though.”
“And you still can’t,” I insisted. “Not yet anyway.”
“Okay, so hypothetically, you’d be good with him dying one day.”
I shrugged. “We all gotta go sometime.”
“Alright, okay. I see you.”
I giggled into his chest. I was feeling kinda naughty today. “There might be something we could do now, though. We know something about them. Their son is a rapist. I know I’m not the only one.”
He was quiet for a minute. “I see where you’re going with it.”
“Of course you do. So we should probably link up with Gray again.”
“We should.”
“I’m thinking…we have a housewarming. Invite him so he’s coming to us.”
“Okay…”
“He’ll feel weak being by himself around the family, and then we call him into the office and drop it on him.”
He put his hand on my leg and squeezed. “You got a little mean streak in you. I like it.”
I smiled devilishly. “Oh, you do? What else do you like?”
“Aight. Keep lookin’ at me like that.”