I couldn’t help laughing at that. “They’d have to be,” I replied. “They basically adopted you.”
Hart chuckled. “Can’t say you’re wrong about that,” he agreed, then grew a little more sober. “Seriously, though, drive safe and don’t do anything Taavi wouldn’t want me to do.”
Elliot grinned at him. “Oh, so you’re saying we actually have to be careful? How very unusual.”
Hart snorted. “Yeah, yeah, asshole.” He hugged Elliot again. “Love you, Bucky.”
I watched Elliot’s shoulders bunch as he squeezed back. “Love you, too, Link.”
“Dorks,” I muttered, and Hart flipped me off before sticking his hands in his pockets. “I’ve got to go dig up a couple dozen bodies, but text me when you get back home, okay?”
“Okay,Ma.” Elliot rolled his eyes again, and bent down to pick up most of our stuff. I had the cat carrier and one bag over my shoulder, but I still needed the cane, so I was less useful as a pack animal. “Don’t find anything that’s going to fuck shit up too much.”
“If I do, I’m blaming Seth’s fuckhead of a father.”
“Completely fair,” I replied, hobbling after Elliot. “Completely fucking fair.”
We’d stopped for drive-through coffee and pastries before getting on 64, and I settled back in my seat, feeling my body actually relax for the first time in… I had to count back way too far. Five goddamn weeks.
I let out a long breath, and I felt Elliot’s hand come to rest on my thigh.
“You okay, baby?”
“Yeah,” I answered honestly for the first time in those five weeks. “I’m good.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glance over in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I said again. “Really. It’s over.Finally. I don’t ever have to come back here again,ever.”
“Not even to visit Helen and Ray?”
I let out an annoyed breath. I wanted to say that they could come visit us, but they had an alpaca farm to run, and I figured it would be a lot more difficult to get someone to alpaca-farm-sit than it would be for us to bribe Henry to feed the goats and chickens.
“Mrow!”
And Sassafras.
“I’ll think about it,” was my answer to Elliot’s question.
He let out a soft sound.
“What?”
“Not a damn thing,” he replied mildly. The hand on my thigh squeezed gently. “I’m just—” He paused, and I could tell he was thinking. “It’s good,” he said, finally. “That you’ll even think about it.” He let out a barked laugh that was a little dark. “Fuck, you’re more okay with this shit than I was okay with Dad’s death for like a year.”
“Your dad was murdered,” I pointed out.
He looked over at me, incredulous.
“Okay, fine,” I grumbled, since he was right—both my parents had, in fact, also been murdered. One by the other, and the other by a corrupt guard or cop or paid-off prisoner. And he’d also murdered the sister I hadn’t known existed. “But I didn’tlikemy parents, and I’d certainly stopped loving them a long time ago. You actually had a father who cared aboutyou. It’s totally different.”
He was silent for a little while. “You know I’m proud of you,” he said softly, his voice as serious as I’d ever heard it.
“Why?” I asked, confused, but not displeased.
“Because despite all that absoluteshit,” he said, softly. “You somehow managed to come out of it an incredible person. You didn’t let them turn you into someone bitter or cruel or even change who you are or wanted to be.” The hand on my thigh tightened just a little. “You’re an amazing man, Seth Crane.”
I couldn’t help the lump in the back of my throat, and it was the good kind. I covered Elliot’s hand with my own. “I will never get tired of hearing that name,” I said softly. “Thank you for letting me share it.”
