Arrow of Time (42 page)

“
And travel with the kids.”

“
We'll do that.”

“
We'll fight too.”

“
Oh yeah, I know that. Just, please, stay on this continent when you need to take off.”

“
I'll do my best.”

EPILOGUE:

It's a Truck, Baby

-o0o-

Saturday, August 9
th
, the following year

EDIE STILL DIDN'T LIKE
to celebrate her birthday, and Dawg knew that. The year before he'd taken her out to the desert, just like Vasco had told him that he had done on her birthday. This year she'd told him that she still didn't want any gifts, no cakes and no other people around. She wanted it to be just the two of them again.

So he took her out to the same spot, put some blankets and pillows in the back of the truck and that's where they were sitting now, talking. It had been a good year; no big problems in the club, so that part of his life was good. The part with Edie was good, too. They still argued, she still took off when they argued, and it still drove him fucking insane that she did. She hadn't left the continent due to an argument yet, but she did take off to Vegas once and San Francisco another time. He hadn't gone after her. He figured that if she was pissed enough to leave the state he might as well leave her alone. She'd been gone for three nights on both occasions and came back all sweet and sorry, so it had been okay. It pissed him off, but he could live with it.

She still had crazy ideas about other things. Like recycling, she'd thrown a beer bottle at him once because he'd put it in the wrong container. If he bought groceries she nagged about them not being eco friendly, and he had no fucking idea why because she still couldn't cook for shit no matter what kind of groceries he bought. He'd totally given up on the idea on her ever being able to cook. He figured he'd do the cooking when they had kids, or just take them up to Brick's. Mel was a great cook, and it would be her nephews or nieces anyway.

Brick had come through when it came to her job. She was working at a dog rescue center, and on a fairly regular basis they argued about dogs; she wanted one and he didn't. Most often he won the argument by telling her that if she took off after a fight that fucking dog would be on its own, because he drank himself stupid at the club when she did. She took dogs home from work sometimes, for shorter periods to take care of them, and he was okay with that.

She was sitting between his legs, resting against his chest, looking over the landscape.

“
I still miss him,” she mumbled. “I didn't know him for long, but I still miss him.”

“
I miss him, too.” He stroked his hand over the owl on her upper arm. It looked just like his, sitting down, facing forward and staring with big yellow eyes. “What did you talk about, when you two were here?”

He'd tried to ask her on her last birthday, but she'd said she still wasn't ready to talk about him. They'd spent most of the night fucking in the back of her truck or talking about other things.

“That it was selfish of me that I didn't let people celebrate my birthday, that it was a way for others, too, to show me how much they loved me.”

“
Sounds like the old man.”

“
Yes. And we talked about his daughter and about you.”

“
Me?” He'd known that Vasco had talked to Edie about him, just like he talked to him about Edie, but she'd never told him what he'd said. This seemed like a good opportunity to try again. “What did he say?”

“
That people changed, that you'd figure out the important things and settle down. Basically, that I shouldn’t write you off.”

He knew he had a big stupid smile on his face. Vasco might have been all over his ass about Edie, but at least he'd rooted for them. It was a nice feeling, to know that.

“You've never told me that he thought we'd be good together.”

“
Not sure if he thought that or just hoped I'd make you settle down.”

“
You did.”

“
No, I didn't,” she laughed. “I was just around when you were ready.”

“
You're not giving yourself enough credit, babe.”

“
I really don't care either way. If it was me or the situation or a combination. I'm glad we're here now.”

“
Me too. Love you, Nibbles,” he said and kissed her cheek. She turned her head, and he kissed her mouth, sucked her lower lip and when her tongue started to get seriously involved he groaned. “Think I can fuck you out here this year as well?”

“
I thought that was a given. What? You weren't gonna give me some on my birthday?”

“
Just making sure,” he mumbled and moved her around. “Just want to warn you—Brick and Mel, you know when they borrowed your truck last month...”

“
No!” She laughed. “In
my
truck!”

“
He said it was payback for us fucking on Mel's desk.”

“
We need to pay back!” She was straddling him, her arms around his neck. Her long hair was framing her face, and he ran his fingers through it. “Tell him we've done the dirty with his daughter in the house.”

“
No way! He'd beat me up for that. But we could sneak up to their bedroom on the next barbecue.”

“
That's a bit nasty. Not sure I wanna have sex in their bed.”

“
I was more thinking in the bathroom, on the sink.”

She laughed, a long laugh, and kissed him. “Deal!”

“Did we just start a fuck war?” He asked as he laid her down on her back.

“
I think so.”

“
We're so gonna win,” he mumbled against her lips. “We've got mad fuck skills.”

-o0o-

“Nibbles, you need to wake up so you don't miss the sunrise,” Dawg mumbled against my cheek and I managed to open my eyes.

I sat up and stretched before leaning against him to watch the sunrise with him.

I'd come to terms with most of it. Staying at one place, living with someone because, as suspected, he'd never gotten an apartment of his own. But legally the apartment was mine, which I pointed out now and then, often very loudly while we were arguing. I liked the club and the people in it. Only one I had a problem with was Ella, and that was mostly because I was getting very close to Vi. Brick and I were good; we met up now and then, talked, drank coffee and compared notes on how to make a relationship work, how to make the world a better place, and the essential parts in kung-fu movies. It had turned out he liked them, and when he showed me some, I was hooked as well. No one else understood why we bothered, so about once a month we watched one, just the two of us. Lanie and I were closer than ever. We were there several times a week. Dawg kept saying it was so I'd see her, but I had a sneaky feeling the real reason was that he wanted to have dinner there.

As for the diamonds, I hadn't come to terms with that, and pretty soon Dawg and I had decided to just not talk about it. I suspected that it might be a very cowardly way to get out of it, but we hadn't found another solution. The club wouldn't stop with that part of the business in the foreseeable future, and taking Brick's advice, I weighed the good against the bad and just lived with it and tried to make the world a better place in other ways. The way I saw it, the only other option was to stay away from all of them, and I couldn't do that.

I sat up and stretched again with a yawn and gathered my clothes.

“
I'm supposed to casually drop the suggestion that we could have pancakes at Mel's in a few hours and then take you there and let most of the club surprise you with gifts,” Dawg said. “They won't sing, though, and there'll be no cake. Just pancakes.”

I turned and looked at him. “Do I need to pretend to be surprised?”

“Nah, I'll tell her that you would've gotten pissed if you hadn't known,” he shrugged. “If she wants to surprise you with shit like that, she shouldn't try to get me in on it. She should know better than that.”

I sighed, but decided to go with it. We got dressed, packed up our things and were on our way home for a few more hours of sleep. That's when I realized something and started laughing.

“What?” Dawg asked and changed his focus from the road to me.

“
The day after my eighteenth birthday was when they committed me to the mental institution,” I said, still laughing. “Wonder if I should point that out to Lanie?”

“
Maybe you should just let her celebrate your birthday?”

“
Maybe.” I looked at him and took his hand. “Maybe next year. Or the year after.”

“
How about this—next year on your birthday, we get married. That way we wouldn't celebrate your birthday, but our anniversary.”

I stared at him. For a long time, and then I managed to find my breath and squeezed his hand.

“Is this you actually asking me, or are you preparing?”

“
I'm asking.”

“
In a car?”

“
It's a truck, baby. But yes, in a truck. With a My Little Pony on it.” He muttered the last part; it still bugged him.

I moved closer and put my arms around his neck, kissed his cheek.

“Yes. I'll marry you, and I promise to celebrate our anniversary every year. If you ask me properly. You can do it here in the truck, but I want it like a real question.”

“
Wanna marry me?” He said, and I could see that he was trying to hide his arrogant smile. “Won't get a ring, but I've been thinking about a small tattoo on the inside of your ring finger, just the letter 'S'. I'll do an 'E' on me.”

That was a really sweet thought, and I could agree with that, but I still wanted him to actually ask.

“Dawg! Ask me properly.”

“
Really. Now you turn all girly on me and want it all done in the 'right' way? Want me to get down on one knee to? 'Cause that's not fucking happening.”

“
You teasing, arrogant ass!” I laughed. “Then it's a no. I won't marry you.”

He turned to the side of the road, stopped the car and shifted in the seat. Holding my cheeks he looked me straight into the eyes.

“Edie Marie Yates, will you marry me, next year on your birthday so you have a reason to celebrate it and also so you'll be my woman the rest of our lives?”

“
Yes.”

He gave me a quick kiss. “Good.”

“It's still my apartment.”

“
I'm gonna buy a house,” he said, still smiling, “and if you wanna live in it you're gonna have to admit that we live together and that it's
our
house.”

“
Okay,” I whispered. “I might still run off when we fight.”

“
I know.”

“
Then it's okay. I'll move in with you.”

“
Smashing.” He let go and turned back to the wheel. “I'm sure it's gonna be a huge difference compared to what it's like now when we're in
your
apartment.”

“
Don't be arrogant. Just roll with it.” I was still close to him and leaned my head against his shoulder. “It's worked out so far.”

“
I guess we should talk about kids now that we've talked about getting married.”

I took a deep breath. “Do we have to? I still want kids, but...”

“Think we're on the same page then. I want them, but I want to be an egocentric ass and have you to myself for a while longer. Sundays in bed and all that shit.”

“
Exactly,” I said and nodded, grabbing his hand. “Sundays in bed and all that shit.”

THE END

-o0o-

About the author:

Lina Andersson was born and raised as far up north as you can go in Sweden. The long, dark winters were made for reading and writing, which is pretty much all she ever did. In her early twenties, she packed up her husband and son and moved to the slightly warmer climate of southern Sweden, where they still live, more than a decade later. When she's not writing, she's an avid gamer and film geek.

Arrow of Time is her first novel and the first book in the Marauders series. The second book will be out in spring 2014. For more information:
http://tfcpress.wordpress.com/