“No, I want to walk. I need air.”
She folded back the covers and bent to put on her boots. She winced as she reached to lace them up.
“Let me,” I said, kneeling to help her.
This close to her, my chest tightened. My hand on the soft skin of her calf as I eased her foot into a boot. She was too skinny, her eyes shadowed, her pale skin bruised…and so fucking beautiful I could hardly breathe.
She said nothing until I was done, then regarded me with a heart-breaking expression. A glut of emotions crossed her face, too many to count or name.
“Thanks, Evan,” she whispered.
I would die for you, Jo.
“Any time.”
The digital billboard on a bank said it was ninety-five degrees out but I felt chilled to the bone. We found a Denny’s within walking distance of the motel. The hostess seated us at a corner table, away from the windows. I studied the menu, my stomach growling over every glossy photo. I snapped it shut, disgusted with myself.
“What’s wrong?” Evan asked.
“I’m really hungry. A man is dead and I want to stuff my face. That’s sick.”
Evan’s eyes darkened. “He could’ve killed you. I thought he had. I thought I was too late.”
I didn’t know what to say to that so I cleared my throat and took up the menu again. “The irony is that I usually don’t have an appetite at all.”
“Eat, Jo. Order one of everything if you want.” He grinned. He looked happy. I could feel him watching me as I studied the menu, staring as if his eyes couldn’t get enough. Maybe I seemed as unreal to him as he did to me.
When our waitress came, I ordered a Grand Slam breakfast, a chocolate shake, toast, coffee and a side of fruit. I ate every last bite of the greasy stuff and felt good. Better than I had in months.
I sat back with my mug of coffee. “All right, now that I’ve made a pig of myself…”
Evan pushed his own plate aside. “When was the last time you had a decent meal?”
“I don’t remember. I cooked a lot for Lee. But like I said, I never had much appetite.”
Evan turned his mug around in small circles on the table. “Do you want to talk about him?”
“I have nothing to say. You saw everything there is to know about Lee and me.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
I sat back in my chair, enveloped in the old warmth of his attention. “How was it? Prison, I mean. Was it…very bad?”
“It’s all you’ve heard and more,” he said with a dry smile.
I wasn’t in the mood for teasing. “Please tell me.”
“Not too bad.”
“You’re lying.”
He looked at me steadily. “You don’t want to hear about it, Jo. Like Lee, it’s over and done.”
“You shouldn’t have been in there at all.”
“True. I should’ve been at prom with you.”
My heart ached for the way Evan was looking at me. “No, I just meant…”
“I know what you meant. What happened to Garrett was an accident. On the other hand, I shouldn’t have fought with Merle in the first place. I let Shane get to me. I hurt Garrett and ruined us. I ruined our future and left you with nothing. I hate that prison took me away from you.” He frowned darkly. “It was both the punishment and the crime.”
My tongue tied in a thousand possible replies. A thousand more emotions and memories converged on me, threatening to swamp me. I had to shove them back to think clearly.
“On the bright side,” Evan said into the silence, “Garrett is okay.”
“Really? You saw him?”
He nodded. “I went back to Planerville last week. I didn’t talk to him or anything. Just did a little commando mission. Peeked through the windows. Garrett looked good.” He smiled faintly. “He looked real good.”
“I’m so glad. Did you see your other brothers?”
“I saw Shane and Merle. They look like you’d expect them to look. Not good. Dying in their own ways. I didn’t talk to them. I was just there to take my truck back.”
I frowned. “What do you mean you took it?”
He shrugged. “I needed it. It’s my truck.”
“That won’t matter to them, will it? They’ll say you stole it. It won’t matter that it’s yours because you busted out of prison.” I raised my eyes to his. “I still can’t believe you did that. Why? For me?”
“Of course,” Evan said. “Do you remember what I told you? That last night at Funtown?”
The rain poured down like tears on our faces. He raised a hand to touch my cheek, his eyes full. “I’ll always come back to you.”
“I remember,” I said softly.
Evan leaned over the table, his eyes boring into mine. “No one is going to touch you, Jo. Not the cops, not anyone. I’m going to keep you safe.”
“Safe from what? Lee is dead and you’re the one in danger.”