Page 121 of Vandal Unbound

Reaper does the same. “If she can put up with Vandal and his singing, then yes.”

Sunny dips behind one of Camila’s brothers and pretends to use him as a ventriloquist dummy. “Sunny says yes.”

That gets a small chuckle from Elsie in spite of the situation.

Ridge raises the hand with his gun in it before getting confused, then switching it with his other hand. “I’m a yep.”

Havoc squeezes my shoulder. “I’m a yes for Daisy and Elsie even though she stole my best friend.”

Elsie reaches for me to prove his point, and I take her from Daisy.

Knox nods. “Everyone says yes, Van.”

I turn immediately to Daisy. “You want to be my old lady, Daze? Be mine to protect and love forever.”

Daisy puts her hands to my cheek. “Yes. With all my heart yes. But I’m kinda with Sunny on the timing.”

Sunny whoops. “Fucking first time this month I’ve been right.”

Knox tips his chin in my direction. “I’m calling this in, then. You stay with your family.”

“Do I get a vote?” Elsie says.

“What do you want to vote on?” I ask her.

She shrugs. “Anything?”

“Okay. Do you want to come live with me forever?”

She puts her hand into the air. “Yes.”

“Even though it means sharing me a little bit with Havoc?”

She looks over her shoulder at him. “But not all the time, right?”

“Hey, Els-bells, why so mean?” Havoc says. “I rode all the way out here to get you back.”

Elsie looks at the people on the ground, so I turn her, making it harder for her to see. I know she’s probably got a shit load of trauma we’re going to have to work through, but she doesn’t need to see any more.

“Okay,” she says. “I can share him a little bit. Do you want a vote, Vandal?”

“What about, Elsie?”

“They voted to keep Momma. Do they want to keep me too?”

“Hey, Els. I vote to keep you,” Sunny says.

“I got you,” Reaper says.

North nods and raises his hand. “Course we want to keep you too.”

Knox is on the phone to the sheriff, but he raises his hand.

Ridge raises his hand. “I vote yes for Elsie.”

Elsie’s smile grows with every vote. “You know you get my vote every time,” I say, shifting her in my arms so I can raise one hand.

Then she turns to look at Havoc. “Do you vote yes, Havoc?”