He kisses me back. Long, slow, and just enough to make my toes curl and my knees weak. “You’ve got that right,” he whispers. For a moment, he looks at me, his blue eyes bright as the sun. “So, what happens now?”
That’s a question I’ve been mulling over for all the sleepless hours I’ve spent at his bedside. One that I’ve bent every part of my heart and my brain that wasn’t worrying about Crash to solving. What do I do now? What do we do now?
“When I moved to Carbon Ridge, it was to chase a dream and my freedom. That’s what it was all about. Being free to go after what’s important to me. I love what I built here, but it was never just about a bar. It’s about being free to go after what’s important. And I think what’s important to me has changed,” I say and then, with a laugh, I add, “Not to mention, the bar’s gone. Poor Bowen Dale. I imagine he will not be too happy to find out what happened.”
“That old man can go fuck himself, I’m sure the loss doesn’t mean shit to him, he’s got enough money,” Crash laughs. Then, he looks at me and his smile grows and mine grows along with it. “So, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
“I’m saying my best friend and I are out of a job and, after everything that’s happened, I’m sure we’ll both be looking for a change of scenery. How are the schools in Lone Mesa? Because Kendra will definitely need to know that before she’ll even think about moving.”
“I’m a proud graduate of the Lone Mesa school system and I’d say I turned out pretty good. I mean, look at me now,” Crash says. Gesturing to his bandages and IV drip.
“So, are you trying to convince me not to move to Lone Mesa? Because that’s what it sounds like you’re doing.”
He shakes his head, laughing again. Even with him hurt, it feels so good to be sitting at his bedside, able to think about the future instead of worrying about surviving through the next moment; I’ve gone from worrying about life and death, to feeling empowered and positive about my future.
“No, no,” he says. “Look, some guys in the club, like Mack and Stone, they’ve got kids. Stone put his daughter Adella through Lone Mesa’s school system, and Mack will do the same, once Matty grows up. And neither of them are the type to compromise when it comes to giving their families the best they can get. I’d say if the schools there are good enough for an MC’s enforcer and its president, both of whom are serious as hell about being good dads, they’ll be just fine for Josie.”
I kiss him. Even talking about the incidentals involved in building a future together, like making sure the schools are good enough for my best friend’s daughter, excites me. And, after everything I’ve been through, this kind of positivity is overwhelming.
“There’s just one other question I have for you, Crash. Is there room in your life in Lone Mesa for an unemployed bartender, her unemployed waitress best friend, and her friend’s crazy daughter?”
Crash thinks for a moment, but even before he opens his mouth I can see the answer in his eyes and it takes all of my willpower not to hop out of my seat and squeeze him so tight his stitches would break. “I’ve got all the room in the world for my old lady and her family.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Crash
“That’s the last of it,” Kendra says as she and Josie heft a small box labeled ‘Shoes’ into the back of the cargo truck. “Violet, I’m amazed that, after four years living here, you don’t have more stuff.”
We’re parked in the driveway to her home, it’s been nearly a week since they released me from the hospital and about five days since Mack, Snake, and Blaze have come back in to Carbon Ridge. This time, even though I’ve spent most of it on light duty as I recover from my injuries, has been some of the most peaceful and rewarding days of my life. And the more time goes along and I get to know Violet, the more I realize just how fucking lucky I am.
“She did. But what you didn’t see were the two truckloads of stuff we took to the thrift shop the other day,” I say.
“It wasn’t that much stuff,” Violet says. “Just a few odds and ends. Like my old bed and couch. And some tables and chairs. And a few other big pieces of furniture. OK, so maybe it was a lot.”
“If you didn’t want to get rid of them, I could’ve helped you carry them, Aunt Vi,” Josie says.
“I’ll bet you could, Speed Demon,” Snake says, ruffling her hair. “You’re strong like the Hulk.”
Josie gets an incredibly thoughtful look on her face. “No, I’m not the Hulk. I want to be like Furiosa.”
“Who?” Kendra says.
“She is the one who rips Immortan Joe’s face off,” Josie says.
Kendra looks from Josie to Snake, shocked. “Excuse me? What did you just say, young lady?”
“It’s another Mad Max movie,” Snake says. “It’s actually a pretty feminist flick. Furiosa saves a bunch of women from a patriarchal society where they’re sex slaves and then she and a bunch of badass chicks — along with a bit of help from Mad Max, of course — kick a whole bunch of ass to save the day.”
“Mom, it was
