Coming Home (Sequel to This Time Around)

Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The music was low and soft and McKenna let her eyes close as her cheek came to rest on Loki's chest. He tightened his arms about her in response, kissing the top of her head, then whispering, “I love you.”

“I know you do.” She had her arms about his waist and squeezed as she murmured, “And I love you, too.”

She loved dancing with him like this, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, the feel of his muscled arms so tight about her. Moments like these were the ones she wished would never end. Especially tonight.

Yes, she understood why he felt he had to go. But Thanos was a mystery to her. All she knew was what Loki had told her, and that was almost nothing. He didn’t like to speak of that time and she certainly couldn’t blame him. But that blank space meant her imagination could fill in the lines, like crayon in a coloring book. And some of the things her mind conjured up terrified her to her soul.

When she met Loki, he’d been battered by the Hulk and run through by the Kursed’s spear. She didn’t know him when he came to Earth after his encounter with Thanos. She did see some of the rare photographs of him, taken at the NASA facility by security cameras when he arrived. And in those photos, despite their grainy nature, she saw just how worn down and strung out he looked. Whatever Thanos did, it had to be awful. She’d never seen him look so awful.

She shivered. The thought of anyone harming him made her alternately angry and terrified. His nightmares left her helpless and furious. So while she understood—or at least tried to understand—she still wanted to find some way to keep him either in Asgard or on Earth.

But that was a pipe dream at best. He was as stubborn as she could be. Come hell or high water, he would confront Thanos.

She only hoped he returned.

Bruce Springsteen's Jersey Girl came on and her eyes immediately stung while her throat seized up on her. It was their song. Their wedding song. The song they danced to every year on their anniversary.

Loki's voice was a low growl as he murmured the lyrics in her ear. Corny, but she didn’t care. He could sing, and captured the Boss’ gravelly rasp perfectly. She squeezed her eyes shut as fresh tears poked them, and tightened her hold on him even more.

She lifted her head to gaze up at him. He looked tired, his dark hair shaggy as it fell to his shoulders in a heavy fall of jet black. He was so amazingly handsome that sometimes she wondered just how it was he fell in love with her, an ordinary Midgardian woman who was short and seemed to spend most of her time trying to make sure she could still fit into her jeans.

And yet, he did fall in love with her.

He smiled down at her, one hand now coming up to curve against her face. “What, love?”

“I just want to make this moment last forever. To just freeze time for a little while.”

“I know. If only it were possible.”

“Do you really have to go?”

He nodded. “I do. I wouldn’t if I didn’t, but this is something I must do.”

“But why does it have—” She clamped her lips shut. No, she knew the answer, and didn’t want to waste what time they had left making him repeat himself. “Never mind.”

“McKenna, I will be back. As I said, he did his worst to me and I survived. And that was when I had nothing but revenge to live for. Now I have this wonderful life. I have you. I have our four beautiful children. I will be coming home. I promise you that.”