“I’ll make sure to keep my phone within reach.”
Winter took Aisha’s hand to go stand on the path with Lily, Beth, and the other children. Jewell took out her cell phone to take a picture. Then, placing her phone back into her pocket, she continued to where Rory was standing next to the passenger door he had opened. Taking a last glance at the club, she looked up to see The Last Riders gathered on the porch and on the steps, silently saying goodbye to her.
The tears she was holding back started rolling down her cheeks.
Rory slammed the door before she could get in. “Goddammit to hell and back! You win!” Taking the IOUs out of his jacket pocket, he tried to hand them to her. “We’ll stay. I don’t want to live on a mountain, but if it makes you happy, I will,” he snarled.
Jewell smiled at him, reaching out to close his fingers around the IOUs. “I’m ready to move to Queen City. Your family is just as important as mine is to me. I’ll grow to love Queen City because that’s where you want to be. Treepoint was never where I wanted to be. I only stayed because most of my family is here. I plan for us to make our own family, one where both of us are happy. I really don’t care where we end up as long as we’re together.”
Jewell opened her heart to the man who was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for hers. “I love you. I’m not choosing Queen City over Treepoint. I’m choosing the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, the man I want to be with when the world comes to an end, the only man whom I want to spend the rest of my life riding with.”
Rory hooked his arm around her neck. “I love you, Firefly. That’s why I couldn’t leave without you.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll be right here beside you.”
Rory opened the door for her again before walking around the hood to get in on his side of the SUV. Jewell put her hand on top of the door, staring up at the group of the men, her heart full of love for all of them. Raising her hand, she waved at them, saying her own silent goodbye to each of them before getting inside and shutting the door.
As Rory backed out of the parking lot, he put his blinker on.
“There is a stop I need to make before I leave.” Jewell pointed in the other direction.
Rory cast her a troubled look, but made the turn in the direction she wanted. His frown grew darker, and Jewell had to hide her smile.
“This is it.” Jewell pointed at the side road, noticing Rory’s expression cleared.
“I thought you wanted to see Reaper.”
“No, I told him goodbye yesterday.”
Jewell unbuckled her seat belt when they reached Greer and Dustin’s home. As she got out of the car, Rory got out, too.
“I won’t be long,” she promised.
“Take your time.”
Jewell stepped up to the porch. As she did, Greer’s wife came out of the barn at the side of the house, carrying a kitten.
“Hey, Jewell,” Holly said, coming up the porch. “What can I do for you?”
“Is Greer here? I’d like to talk to him, if it’s possible?”
“Sure, I’ll get him for you.”
Jewell burrowed her hands in her pockets as she waited, giving a soft smile to Rory as he leaned back against the front of his SUV.
“Hey, Jewell.” Greer came out, holding the door for Holly, who came out again and headed back to the barn. “Holly said you wanted to see me.” Greer sighted Rory where he was standing. “If you’re coming here to beg me to send Holly for more lessons, the answer is no. She didn’t learn shit from him. She already knew how to burn my eggs.”
Jewell shook her head at him. “That’s not why we’re here. I’m moving to Queen City with Rory. I wanted to come and say goodbye to you.”
“You came to say goodbye to me?” Greer made a face at her. “Okay. Drive safe.” He then turned to go back inside his house, uncaring about her leaving. Jewell wasn’t going to be deterred.
“You’re a good man, Greer Porter. I’m sorry I didn’t realize it sooner, but you are.” She tried not to become choked up, knowing how Greer would react as he pivoted around to face her again. “I know what you did. You forced my dad to give me my money back. I didn’t know until yesterday when I had to pay in advance for a moving company. You even took the money you paid for our meal to make sure the scales stayed balanced.” Jewell took a deep breath. “Can I ask you one question?”