There you go.
We fell silent as the old girl’s wheels took us closer to Mustang.
Shit.
As if sensing my thoughts went back to my worries, Gray said softly, “No one thinks bad things about you, baby.”
Right.
“Gray, you wouldn’t know. If they did, they wouldn’t tell you but I’ll feel it.”
“They know we got played and they know what you did for me, for Gran, no one thinks shit about you.”
We would see.
I didn’t reply.
When I didn’t, Gray ordered, “Give me your hand, Ivey.”
I looked to him to see he had an arm extended to me, palm up. I put my hand in his and his fingers closed around tight.
Then he whispered, “No one thinks shit. They did, you think I’d put you in my truck and take you to town?”
He had a point there.
“No,” I said quietly.
“Then relax.”
I drew in breath.
Then I said, “Okay.”
His hand gave me a squeeze and he repeated my, “Okay.”
We drove to town, Gray holding my hand between us on the bench seat and me trying to be calm. The Gray I knew seven years ago would never make me endure something unpleasant. And, as far as I could tell, the Gray of now would be the same.
He parked, our doors creaked, we got out and Gray came around my side to claim me. He did this by sliding an arm around my shoulders and pointing me to the front doors of the VFW lodge. I slid my arm around his waist and let it pour over me, walking again with Gray, tucked to his side close, his arm around me.
So behind those doors might be good people who nevertheless held judgmental thoughts about me.
But I had Gray.
I’d be okay.
Gray pushed through the doors taking me with him.
Seven years hadn’t changed this either. The long tables with their benches were packed. Conversation hummed through the large space. And the smell of steak was in the air.
We took two steps in, me in my expensive dress and shoes, Gray in his jeans and tee.
Eyes came to us.
I should have changed. I was way overdressed.
More eyes came to us.
I definitely should have changed.
More eyes and conversation started dimming.
No greetings were called out to Gray as he led me down the aisle between the two sides of tables and it dawned on me maybe I couldn’t do this.
We hit a table where there were empty spaces across from each other three folks in and Gray stopped me but by this point the lodge was silent and I knew all eyes were on me.
I didn’t have my heavy makeup, my sequins or a spotlight to hide behind.
No, I couldn’t do this.
Gray’s arm tensed around my shoulders, my head started to tip back as my body curled close to his so I could whisper to him I wanted to leave when it happened.
Someone started clapping.
My head turned in that direction and I saw Sonny walking down the aisle toward us, his hands smacking against each other, the sound booming loud in the silence of the space and an intense expression on his face.
What on earth?
Someone else started clapping and I whipped my head around to see Janie’s man Danny was doing it and as my eyes hit him he rose to his feet.
Someone else started clapping and my eyes again turned to see Barry and Gene both rising from their seats, their eyes on me, their faces split in grins, their hands cracking together. Then someone else started clapping. Then another. Then another. Then suddenly everyone around us was getting to their feet, clapping, hooting, catcalling and someone shouted, “Way to go, Ivey!”
What on earth?
Suddenly, I was no longer held in the curve of Gray’s arm but tugged into a tight embrace, iron bands clamped around me and in my ear a man whispered, “Saved Mirry, saved Gray, saved Mustang. Welcome home, Ivey.”
I pulled my head back and saw Sonny had hold of me.
I stared in his still intense eyes as his arms gave me a tight squeeze and he said again, “Welcome home.”
That was when me, tough, badass, hard as nails ex-Vegas showgirl Ivey Larue burst out crying.
Publically.
Okay, evidence was suggesting that maybe Gray, Lash and Brutus were right. I wasn’t all that hard. Instead, I was a big softie.
Shit.
The iron bands released but I was shuffled into Gray’s embrace as everyone kept cheering.
For me.
I shoved my face in his chest and kept crying.
Gray’s body moved so his lips were at my ear where he muttered, “Told you they don’t think shit about you. Or, at least, not bad shit.”
“Shut up!” I snapped, this muffled by his tee since I snapped into it then my body jerked with a sob.
“Pipe down! Pipe down! You don’t shut up, I can’t get their orders and feed Ivey,” I heard Sonny shout.
My body was again shuffled and I heard Gray ask, “Can you shift? I want my girl sittin’ at my side.”
“No problem, Gray,” someone answered as the applause started to die then Gray came back to me.
“Dollface, you wanna unplant your face from my chest so we can sit down and eat?”
“Not really,” I told his chest.
“Honey –”
“I have a feeling my makeup is messed up.”
“First, they got a bathroom. Second, I don’t think you get it that these folks don’t give a shit. You’re Ivey, you saved my ass, you saved my land, we got ripped apart and now we’re back together and, bottom line, they like you.”
This appeared to be true on all counts. A standing ovation was hard to deny.
I shoved my hands up between us and swiped at my cheeks hoping I wasn’t doing more damage.
Then I tipped my head back and looked at Gray.
“Well?” I asked.
“Bathroom’s at the front, off to your right,” he answered.
Great. He gave that answer and he barely had to look.
He grinned and dipped his head to touch his mouth to mine.
He shouldn’t have done that. He really, really shouldn’t have.
Because when he did, the whole lodge again went crazy.
Great.
He lifted his head no longer grinning but smiling huge. I rolled my eyes, dashed my hand across my cheeks and pulled at his arms.
Gray let me go.
I walked to the bathroom lamely giving out waves to people who were clapping and shouting after me.
I hit the bathroom and tried to repair the damage.
And as I did, I stared into the mirror and saw Gray, Lash and Freddie were right.
There was no hard behind my eyes, no hard around my mouth.
I just looked happy.
“Welcome back to Mustang, Ivey,” I whispered to the mirror.