Chapter Two-Hundred and Sixty-One
Chapter Two-Hundred and Sixty-One
Shaking her head, London took Boot’s hand and said, “Ok…I never would have guessed that.”
They both laughed.
“So, you joined this group and decided to stay with them?” she asked.
“Yeah, they are good men and after a while I learned to trust them." Boots nodded.
“I know it wasn’t easy to trust you guys at first. Most MC’s don’t really care about the law or helping people other than their own.”
“Yeah, we’ve been finding that out. But we are who we are and Hawkins keeps us honest. I guess it doesn’t help that we have affiliations with Hondo and his old cartel but we also have affiliations with a couple of Mexican cartels through Luna and Tatum and she’s got the Irish mob behind her too.”
London stared at him wide eyed. “Wow, you guys could be dangerous as hell.”
Boots shrugged. “Yeah, we could be. And I never even mentioned Bane and his brothers.”
She cocked her head at him.
“Never mind,” he said with a laugh. “We don’t see them a lot. Even Cat had a family that was dangerous, but they’re just a little bit dead right now.”
“Wow, I guess we all have our own stories to tell.”
“Yeah, we do,” he agreed.
“So what’s your story then?” London finally asked him. “You know my sad story. What makes you…you?”
Boots shrugged. “Not much to tell. I was a navy medic when I was in the service. So when I got out, I just got on my bike one day and drove away from home. I guess I didn’t stop until I got here.”
“No family?” she asked.
“I joined the service when I lost…” he paused and slowly shook his head. “My parents and sister…They were all in a car crash. They died.”
Her eyes rounded as she gasped.
“I was away at college, studying medicine,” he went on. “I got a med degree then joined the military. I had no home to go to… really.”
Reaching out, London took his hand. “That’s…” She swallowed heavily and said, “...so sad.”
He shrugged. “It was… it had been hard going back home, so after everything was sorted out… I left. I’d been looking for a replacement family in the military, I guess?”
“Where was home?” she wanted to know.
“Boston,” Boots told her. “Titan and I were friends in the service. So when he got out and came here, I followed him. And I stayed. These guys are my family of sorts and it's not a bad family. We’re legit, we all work for a living and we got a good life here. As you can see, most of the guys have wives now and they’re starting on the next generation.”
“And is this what you want for the rest of your life?” she asked him.
Boots thought about it for a moment then nodded. “Yeah, I want this family and I want a woman to call my own…a family to call mine too.”
She smiled. “That’s a big wish list. For some it's like a miracle.”
“Doesn’t have to be.” He shrugged. “But I’ve seen them happen. Especially when love is involved. But what about you? What do you want when this is over?”
“You know, no one has ever asked me that before now. What do I want? But I’ve thought about it before. I know what I don’t want. I don’t want the life I had, one where I don’t know what I’ll find when I come home at night. Where I’m always looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is watching me. I want a life where I can open my door anytime and just take a deep breath. A life where Chris and I are a team and we can find someone to take us both on. And I want a dog. I’ve wanted a dog since I was a kid and my dad would never let us have one. But yeah…” She laughed a little. “I want a dog. I want to be able to give Chris a good life. I want a man I can work alongside of. Someone I don’t have to be afraid of. That I can lean on if I have to but I can be strong for him too. And I want a family of my own someday.”
“Those are some pretty lofty goals,” Boots told her as he gave her a wink.
“I’m not settling for anything less than that,” she assured him. “I may not find that here but I know I’ll find it somewhere.”
Boots shook his head. “What makes you think you can’t find it here?”
“How do I fight the bad taste this is going to leave in everyone’s mouths?” She looked disgusted. “Everyone will say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when they find out how deep my dad’s feet are in the mud.”
“Unless they already know.” Boots shrugged. “And unless they already know just how far you went to bring this to everyone’s attention.”
She studied him for a moment then she whispered, “What are you saying here?”
He leaned closer and pressed his lips on hers. They both felt the sizzle and the spark.
London broke the kiss and just stared at him. “Wow.”
Boots nodded. “You can say that again.”
“Wow,” she repeated her statement.
He chuckled.
“Was that real?” she asked as she rubbed her lower lip with her finger.
Boots leaned in again and they both felt the spark when their lips met. He deepened the kiss and they felt the jolt of passion as it ignited a fire. They laid flat and he covered her with his body as they got lost in the pleasure of the moment. Then he broke the kiss and looked down at her.
“Holy heck…” she whispered. “What is this?”
“This,” he whispered back, “Is the beginning of the rest of our lives. All we have to do is hang on and never let go.”
“Maybe we should hold that thought until this is over,” she told him. “As much as I want this feeling, we have so much to get through yet and so much could go wrong in the next few days.”
Boots laid his forehead on hers and brushed his lips over hers. “I hate to lose this, but you’re right.”
“If this is meant to be, it’ll be,” London said. “I do want this. I guess I gave up hoping for it but yeah, I want this.”
“I want it too,” he admitted. “So we just hang on for a few more days.”
London nodded then looked over at Chris. He was asleep and she shook her head as she whispered, “He’s been through so much. Losing Mom so young and not knowing why, how was I supposed to tell him she died because she was going to tell the truth about my dad and his friends? How do I tell him our dad is just not a good man?”
“You think he doesn’t know that already?” Boots asked her. “He may only be twelve but I think he knows what kind of man his dad is.”