I turned off the highway and followed the familiar road to Old Pier. Makayla was still fast asleep. At my suggestion, she had curled up under my heavy jacket and ultimately floated off to sleep. Rest was something we both needed desperately. But not nearly as much as we needed each other. We needed the reconnection, the healing time, and the time to figure out what would happen next. I needed to make sure that Makayla felt safe again. That she knew that what occurred in Georgia would never happen again. Her nightmare was over and would never haunt her again. That would forever be my life’s mission from this point on. The poor girl had been through enough.

After hours of driving, we had finally reached the restaurant that sat near the lake house. It had been a long trip home, so I’d decided to stop at the nearby restaurant, before continuing on to the house. Not to mention that we needed some level of normalcy and to see normal people who had no idea the hell we had just experienced. We needed to be a part of ordinary life almost as badly as we needed air.

I smiled at Makayla as I pondered how to wake her. Very softly, I whispered her name and kissed her warm cheek. Makayla began to stir, a moan mixing with a soft sigh. I brushed my lips against hers, feeling the loving beginnings of a smile. I pulled back enough to watch Makayla’s eyes gradually flutter awake. The smile disappeared for a short moment, but returned when she looked up into my eyes. It had been a while since I saw it, felt it, but I could see the connection was still there. The overpowering bond that would always hold us together. The love that united us always. We just needed this time at the lake to remind us of it and to wash all the ugly of the last couple of days away.

“Are we there yet?” she asked huskily while rubbing her eyes.

“We are.” I pointed at the beginning of a sunset, dipping beneath the sparkling water of the lake. “The sun’s about to set.”

Makayla’s smile widened and her eyes brightened as she sat up all the way to take in the scenery. The horizon illuminated a gold that seemed magical against the tranquil water.

I freed her seat belt and tapped the armrest between us. “Come closer to me,” I softly commanded as I enclosed her under my arm, snuggling her close. Makayla nuzzled her head against my right arm with a soft sigh.

She lifted her face as though she read my mind. As though she could hear how badly I wanted to kiss her. Her lips parted, inviting my mouth, beckoning my touch. She positioned her body closer to me, pressing tight against my strength. I gave a passionate kiss, a kiss like the times before The Iron Colt Brotherhood gripped our souls and attempted to shred them to pieces. A kiss that reminded me of why, why we were meant to be regardless of all the elements that fought to keep us apart. I tightened my hold, pulling her into my arms to keep her from slipping away. Our love felt whole again, strong again with the backdrop of the lake in the distance, but I didn’t trust anything I was feeling. We needed to figure out how to keep this feeling always. My hope was that this time back at the house would do just that.

We sat in silence until the entire sky changed from a copper flame to a dark ember. We held each other, occasionally kissing, stroking, and relishing our love. Alone in the parking lot, the simple moment gave us hope.

* * *

At the Pier Point Restaurant, we had a table with an expansive view of the lake. The lights of the houseboats sparkled against the nighttime sheen of the water, which was illuminated by the early moonlight. Although the restaurant was crowded, I felt nearly alone since the other diners were lost in their own conversations. It was the most romantic place I had ever been with a man who had captured my heart.

I took in the scenery while fumbling with my napkin. I was nervous and didn’t know how to hide that blatant fact from Alec. He sat across a small table from me, and all I could think about was what would happen now.

“You seem awfully quiet,” he started, after the waiter had poured our wine, leaving the bottle behind.

I took a sip of the wine. It left a trail of red fingering down the crystal. The bold flavor helped ease the tightness forming in my throat. “So do you.”

“It seems we’ve both been this way since leaving the plantation house.” Alec reclined back in his chair and rubbed his thumb against the edge of the glass. “I think we really need this lake to get back to normal.”

I looked off toward the illumination on the water, trying to fight back the tears threatening to escape my eyes. “Normal? I’m not sure I even know what that is.”

“Then it’s my job to help you find that… if you allow me to. I want to.”

“I want that, too. I love you, Alec.” The words still felt right to say even when not under duress thinking the man was about to die. That was a good sign.

A smile washed over his breathtakingly handsome face. “So what do you feel is going to be our main issue? Do you think you can move on from all this? And do you feel I have a place in that picture?”

I took a ragged breath to attempt to steady my composure “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Without you by my side from this moment on.”

“Do you want to move back to New Orleans with me?” he asked, keeping his gaze locked on me. “I love the lake house, but I really do need to be closer to Spiked Roses. I’m not ready to retire from my involvement with that place yet. I enjoy it.” He chuckled. “I might be old, but not that old. Retirement is not in my near future yet.”

“Yes. I want that,” I almost whispered. “I had been so excited with the thought of moving and living in New Orleans before… well before all this happened.”

“What about your father? He seemed all right with us, though I don’t think he really understands the level of what ‘us’ really is. What if he objects?” Alec leaned toward me, reaching for my hand. “I’m old enough to be your father, and that harsh reality is going to become very obvious when we thrust ourselves into day to day life.”

“I have to live my life regardless of what my father says. But he did say he was going to join us at the lake in a couple of days, so I think that is saying something. It might take him a bit to get used to the idea, but when he sees how happy you make me… As for when we go back to New Orleans and Spiked Roses… people will assume you’re my sugar daddy.” The blush on my face began to take over. I pulled my hand away and reached for my wine, taking a large swig.

“There’s some truth to that. I don’t mind being considered your sugar daddy. Let people talk all they want. I do plan on taking care of you and giving you whatever you want. I want you to have the luxury of following your dreams in whatever way that is. Call it what you want. I call it taking care of what is mine.”

I took another deep breath. “I don’t even know what my dreams to be are. I have had such a sheltered life that I didn’t give myself that leeway to plan for a future. The only dream I truly had was to one day feel ordinary.” I paused, shrugged, and took another sip of wine. “I guess I have to find myself somehow. I’ve been lost in a sea of darkness.”

“Well,” he said after a long moment’s silence, “I want you to find yourself as I stand by your side every step of the way.”

I allowed my gaze to move from Alec to the calm surface of the lake. The unfamiliar feeling of hope seemed to ease itself into my tense body.

Alec must have read my body language and guessed my thoughts because he continued, “I know not knowing the future is scary.” He poured each of us some more wine from the bottle. “But we survived something so ugly, that we are definitely going to survive anything that can be thrown our way.”

“I hope so,” I said softly, then paused as our waitress approached and set down our dinner. Alec reached for my hand and squeezed. His eyes connected with mine, silently letting me know we were going to be fine. The waitress was quick and, in moments, gone.

“You know I love you, right?” Alec said, his voice a whispered hush that couldn’t be ignored.

I nodded as I took a bite of my salmon. “I do. But I get nervous that love might not be enough.” I stiffened in my chair and reached for my wine with a shaky hand. “The Iron Colt Brotherhood still exists and will always be there… looming in the distance.”

“Never again. We will never be involved with them again. Your father is done. I’m done.” Alec’s voice was deep and hoarse, as if he had to force the words out. He stopped eating, blew out a breath and said, “I know it’s hard to believe. But I need you to know that I am a powerful man even without the brotherhood behind me. There is nothing I won’t do to keep you safe.”

“I know… you proved that to me. You saved me. You saved my father. I owe you everything.” I took a long drink of my wine, trying desperately to clear the lump that remained in the back of my throat. I wondered if the awful memories would ever go away.

Alec shook his head slowly, staring down at his steak dinner. “You don’t owe me a thing.” Alec looked up into my eyes. “I want you, Makayla. I want you in my life. But please don’t agree to this because you feel you owe me.”

“I want you too,” was all I could barely squeak out. The man stole my breath with the way he looked at me. So powerful. So all consuming.

Alec softly touched my hand. His palm was warm, strong, and delivered chills racing up and down my spine. I looked deep within his eyes and saw a stoically confident, determined man. How could I ever resist a man like him? Alec was in my blood.

With a mischievous smile, he asked, “Do you want to get out of here? Let’s go check out the house and make sure it’s the way we left it.”

I glanced at my plate and then his. “We haven’t finished eating yet.”

“All I want right now is to pick you up, toss you over my shoulder, and carry you out of this restaurant. I want you alone, so I can show you just how much I love you.” Alec pushed his chair back, grabbed his wallet and placed a pile of cash on the table.

“We didn’t get the bill yet —”

“Makayla.” Alec reached out his hand and stared down into my eyes. “Either we get out of here right now, or all these people are going to see you as I bend you over this table and fuck you like I desperately want to do. I prefer to fuck you in private,” he said with a wink. “But I’ll leave that decision up to you.”

I took a moment to think about it, playfully acting as if I were actually considering just keeping my seat. Defying him and refusing to leave, just so I could guarantee his threat would come to fruition. But I also wanted him just as badly as he wanted me. So, with a sly smile, I stood up and took his hand.