Page 71 of Isabela

Isa stares at me for long enough that it would make anyone else squirm. I’m married to Gael Murphy, though, so I’m used to it.

“I don’t know why that makes so much sense, but it does,” she says finally. “Thank you for explaining it. I just realized how invasive my question was.”

I catch her hand as she winces and turns away. “Hey,” I bark out. “Look at me, Isa.”

Isabela turns to face me, her gaze slowly moving up to meet my eyes.

“I don’t hide things from people that I love, and that’s a pretty small list,” I begin. “I love you. Anything you want to know about me, just ask. I know this is fast. It sounds crazy and silly, but I started falling for you when I saw you on the bench eating your lunch. You were so beautiful and bright in a sea of entitled people.”

“You love me?” she asks in a whisper. I think this is the first time it’s really sinking in for her, so I nod.

“I fall more in love every single day,” I promise her. “I know you have a good heart, you’re giving, and you’re really fucking brave. You’re beautiful and?—“

“I love you too,” she blurts out, interrupting me. “It’s butterflies in my stomach and missing your touch when you leave. I’ve never felt that before. It’s kind of scary.”

“Then we’ll be scared together,” I say with a wink.

“Ladies!” Gael calls from the back door, making me smile. “Get your cute asses inside. We have some things to discuss.”

“So calls our lord and master,” I say under my breath, making Isa snicker.

“I bet he knows you said that,” she sing-songs as she pulls away.

God, I hope so. I know I’m wracking up my punishments right now. I manage to get out of the hammock without falling, and bring my computer and phone inside.

Gael is waiting for us as we enter, brow raised. “God, you two are going to start conspiring against me, aren’t you?”

Isa bursts out laughing as she gives him a quick hug, making his eyes widen. He’s too surprised to hug her back before she’s walking away.

“We’ll never tell,” Isa calls over her shoulder. “I need a shower before dinner and our planning session to take over the world.”

“Yes, Pinkie,” I say, cackling. God, she’s so cute. Gael is amused as he locks the door behind me.

“Does that make me a rat named Brain?” he asks drolly.

“Maybe,” I tease him. Putting my devices on the table next to me, I hug him around the waist. “I think today is what we all needed.”

“Me too,” he says. “Michael says everything is set up for Isa and I. I figure I can ask questions and she can have her fun. I don’t know if I’ll have to temper it or not so we can get the answers we need.”

“I think you’ll be surprised. She was very inventive during my torture scenes. Fiction and reality are different, but if you remind her Lily needs to answer your questions before she dies, Isabela will perform beautifully.”

“So bloodthirsty,” he growls into my ear, making me shiver and warm at the praise. It gives me ideas on how to feed into my need to praise Isa.

Until we can reclaim her triggers, there are ways to work around it.

By the time Isa and Gael get ready to leave to take care of the Society’s trash, they’ve worked through their plans and we’ve had dinner.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Isa asks. She’s wearing a T-shirt that says “Women Rule the World” and a pair of black shorts, and I make a note to do some online shopping for her. I’m sure she’ll have to burn her outfit afterwards.

Gael has a backpack over his shoulder and kisses my forehead. I’m fairly certain he packed a change of clothes as well. Shit, Isa asked me a question. My squirrels are multiplying today it seems.

“No, I’m good,” I tell her as I see her looking at me expectantly. “I feel a little spacy, so I’m probably going to write. I usually feel like this when my characters start to yell. Have fun.”

Isa wrinkles her nose at me as I smile and wrap my arms around her. “You smell good,” I say as I bury my nose in her neck. Gael hugs us both, tickling us with his beard as he kisses us.

“You both do. Kick ass, and do whatever it is that your characters want,” he says. My husband doesn’t understand my muse, but he supports my dreams.

“Yes, Daddy,” I reply. I watch as Isabela bites her lip as I let her go, and my heart soars. Take that, Charles Markship. We got the girl, while you’re burning in Hell.

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