Page 58 of Bound By Words

Taking a step toward her, I cupped her cheek, brushing away an errant tear. “No. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m more content to be an uncle than ever to be a father. It’s not in the cards for me, and I’ve done things to ensure that. I promise I’ll tell you more when we’re ready.”

“Alright,” she nodded, taking my proffered hand to stand, and followed me toward the kitchen.

“Now, let’s feed the beast in your stomach before it breaks out.”

She shook her head at me, but it lightened things between us as we scrounged for something to heat up, the pre-made meals starting to dwindle. We’d need to make a trip into town soon.

Once we were tucked into the guest bed, the questions started again. Kelly hadn’t wanted to be alone, and the thought of returning to the small bed in the trailer alone without her wasn’t appealing. I thought it’d be awkward to cuddle up with her every night without sex being involved, but I liked listening to her voice while we lay in the dark.

“What’s your safe word?” she whispered. “Let me guess, something rugged like chainsaw or ax-master.”

“Not quite,” I chuckled. “It’s dovetail.”

“Like the joint?” she asked, propping her chin on my chest as she looked up at me. The moonlight through the window illuminated her features enough that I could read her expressions, and she could apparently read mine as well. “Don’t look so shocked. My gramps was into woodworking. That’s the strongest type of joint, right?”

A genuine smile crossed my lips as I traced a finger across her shoulder blades. “You are full of surprises, sunshine. And yes. It is one of the strongest joints in furniture making.”

“So, why did you choose it? The strength aspect, or…” Her voice trailed off as I shook my head.

“No, I chose it because it involves two pieces that by themselves have weaknesses and empty spaces, but when you join them together, they form something so strong it’s almost impossible to pull apart.”

She was quiet for a moment, staring down at my bare skin as she played with my chest hair.

“Oh…wow. That’s…”

Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, I decided to go for self-deprecating. I hadn’t had a sub ask me why I chose that word before. “Cheesy, I know.”

“No, it’s beautiful,” she argued, kissing the skin above my nipple. “Your words are beautiful, Nathan. That…that gave me goosebumps.”

I felt her flesh pebble underneath my fingertips, telling me she wasn’t lying. “Have you thought of what you want to use for yours?”

“Well, now everything I considered sounds trivial in comparison,” she laughed, “but I’m working on it.”

“It needs to be something you’ll remember under any circumstance,” I told her, but I had a feeling she likely already knew that. “Hopefully, you’ll never need to use it, but make sure it’s something you remember.”

“I’ll do that,” she whispered before resting on my chest again.

“We should go into town tomorrow. Otherwise, we’ll run out of food in a few days.”

She sighed, nodding as she let out a big yawn. “Alright.”

“And I need to get some things from the hardware store.” She didn’t ask what, but hopefully, they’d have a decent selection of ropes. I also needed to check on the status of my lumber order.

Kissing the top of her head, I listened to her quiet breaths, relaxing once they deepened as she drifted off to sleep. Her warm body and steady heartbeat against my side lulled me off to slumber right after her.

KELLY

Ashford, CT

As the door chimed over my head, I scanned the small grocery store, hoping I could find everything I needed. I knew Evan lived here full-time, but I’d been spoiled with grocery delivery living in downtown Chicago.

A clerk was ringing up another customer, throwing a cursory nod in my direction as I grabbed a basket from the stack next to the entrance.

Nathan had told me I had forty-five minutes to get what I needed before he’d be done at the hardware store down the block.

Fishing my AirPods case from my coat pocket, I popped them in my ears and started down the far aisle as a soft feminine voice rang out in my ear after I pressed play on my phone.

I knew Nathan was patiently waiting while I finished my checklist, but I was doing another type of research this morning, courtesy of my sister-in-law.

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