Page 85 of Serpent King's Revenge

“Or maybe Evelyn?” she asked.

My expression softened. “Maybe.”

We lay quietly for a few minutes, enjoying each other, the sound of the waves, the moonlight. Fog glowed on the ocean, drifting across the whitecaps.

“And for a boy?" she asked.

"Well, we’re not naming him after my father," I scoffed.

“Duh,” Abby snorted. “How about Forrest?”

“After…”

“The forest where you proposed,” she said. “And then where we—”

“Yeah, I don’t want to traumatize our child,” I cut in.

“Pretty sure we’re fucked on that front,” she said. “They’re going to be traumatized no matter what. But at least we’ll send them to therapy, unlike what you did.”

“Work things out with violence?”

She looked over at me, eyes sparkling. “Mmhm.”

The window’s glow cast a soft light on Abby's face as she snuggled closer to me, her head resting against my chest. I could feel her steady breaths against my skin and the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat alongside mine. We were wrapped up in each other, our fingers intertwined and legs tangled beneath the sheets.

"Everything's gonna be okay, right?" Abby whispered, her voice tinged with hope.

"Of course," I reassured her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. "We'll figure things out together. No matter what comes our way."

Abby smiled sleepily and nestled deeper into my embrace. This moment felt like a rare sanctuary amidst the chaos of our lives. It was beautiful, lovely even, and I allowed myself to believe that we could have a future together, despite everything.

Just as I began drifting off to sleep, the faint sound of something unusual pulled me back to reality. I strained my ears, trying to identify the noise. It sounded like…

…footsteps?

My instincts kicked into high gear, and I knew something was off.

"Abby," I said gently, nudging her awake. "I think something's wrong."

Her eyes fluttered open, concern etched on her face. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard something outside." I carefully slid out of bed, not wanting to startle her further. "Stay here. I'll go check it out."

I padded over to the window, peering through the curtains into the darkness beyond. I couldn’t make anything out in the fog at first…but then I froze. The sight of a dark, unlit boat floating near the shore sent a chill down my spine.

My gut told me something was very wrong.

The faint sound of tires crunching on gravel confirmed my suspicions.

"Abby, get out of bed and get dressed now," I whispered urgently, trying to keep my voice steady. "We've got company."

She bolted upright, her eyes widening with fear as she registered the seriousness in my tone. Without hesitation, she threw off the covers and began pulling on her clothes. Meanwhile, I grabbed my jeans, t-shirt, and jacket, dressing as quickly as possible.

"Get our stuff ready," I instructed, heading for the pack we had stashed nearby. I rummaged through it until I found my gun, checking to make sure it was loaded.

Abby joined me at the window, peering out into the darkness. "Shit," she muttered under her breath, clearly seeing what I saw. "This isn't good."

"Stay close to me," I told her.

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