“Seriously! Who the hell told you where to find me?” Hellen demanded, dredging an onion ring through a river of ketchup before taking a huge bite of it.
“Your daddy. Then he told me I should keep my distance and play hard to get. But I’m stubborn, so, here I sit.”
“Here’s your food, sir,” the waitress said, all flirtatious glances and peeking at him through her lashes. “I brought you two doubles and double onion rings. You look like your appetite is insatiable.”
“You have no idea, sweetheart,” he said with a rumble, as he took the food from her. “Why don’t you run your sweet little self back in there and bring my mate over there another chocolate shake. Seems she finished the first. I like to make sure she’s always got everything she wants.”
The waitress looked crestfallen, but nodded and headed back to the kitchen.
Lucien looked over his shoulder at Hellen. “Better?”
“Leave me alone,” she said, taking a bite of her burger.
Christian looked at Addie. “I was going to try to convince you of how lucky we are, just to make sure that you’re not running out of patience with me being gone so much. But I think my point is already made. And I didn’t even have to say a word.”
Addie picked up her shake and pretended to clink it against Christian’s shake, then they sat watching the rest of the show play out before them.
Lucien got up and moved his plates to the table Hellen had moved to, pulling out the chair next to hers after he’d placed his food on the table. He sat in the chair, easing himself into it andturned it sideways to face her rather than the table. “Look, I owe you an apology.”
“Damn straight, you do,” Hellen grumbled.
He just sat there, smiling at her, knowing it was coming.
“For what, exactly, do you plan to apologize? There are so many things you’ve done to really piss me off,” Hellen finally said angrily.
“Several, actually. Thought I’d start with the obvious — I’m sorry I left and made you worry. My plan was to follow you. But when I got out there, I couldn’t fucking function. I found a place to lie low in the water and let the salt water do its thing. Then I came to find you.”
“And?” she asked.
“And I’m sorry for snarling and growling the whole time you tried to help me. I was angry and hurting and pissed off.”
“Isn’t angry and pissed off the same thing?”
“Yes, I was really mad.”
“And what about the accusing me of trying to bury you alive?”
“In all fairness, you did.”
“How was I supposed to know you were alive?”
“You could have checked before you started burying me.”
She raised her gaze from her food to his face, her eyes a little glassy from unshed tears as she saw the image of him cut up, shot up and bleeding in her mind. “I thought there was no way any creature could survive what had been done to you. I’m amazed you’re sitting here talking to me.”
“Me, too. But not for the same reason.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“You are the single most infuriating female I’ve ever met. You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen anywhere, anytime, in my whole life. You’re the most righteous, furious, protector of those who can’t protect themselves I’ve ever evenheard of. And you’ve got the purest heart I’ve ever met. I can’t believe I was fortunate enough to survive all I have, and then be gifted with you after all I’ve done. All I can figure is the powers that be made me for you, and had no idea how I’d buck the system and turn out to be me instead of whatever they had in mind. So they decided to let me live long enough to introduce me to my future so maybe I’d calm my ass down and be what you need, instead of my usual self-indulgent arrogance.”
“What are you saying, Lucien?”
“I’m saying, I’m not leaving, Hellen. You’re stuck with me for as long as it takes me to convince you that I’m here for the right reasons. After that, I’m hoping you’ll accept me and we can manage to be happy instead of arguing all the time.”
“I kind of like the arguing,” she said quietly without looking at him again.
“How about sixty/forty? Or maybe fifty/fifty. We’ll balance our arguing with some laughter.”
