Page 47 of Wrath's Nightingale

“No worries, Nightingale. You’re surrounded by love.”

“So, we’re in a public place?”

“We are,” I say as I take off the blindfold.

She gasps. “Dollywood! Oh my god, I hope you don’t hate our honeymoon.”

I laugh. Hard and long. Our family and friends join in.

“No, baby. I don’t hate it. I love it. And seeing the joy on your face makes me love it more. Now, let’s go make this the best birthday ever.”

“Where should we go first?” she asks.

“To Eagle’s Flight Outfitters to get matching outfits,” Roman says.

We stop at the gate long enough to give our tickets before Roman leads us to the store. We choose denim shorts and red shirts. The store has a variety to choose from, making the ladies happy they got to choose their own style.

From there, we split up into groups. Our group heads to the rides. We make it through the Barnstormer, Big Bear Mountain and Daredevil Falls before walking through the old schoolroom, and Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain home.

It’s tiny compared to modern homes, but you know her home had a lot of love. She’s such a caring, giving person. In addition to her foundation, she gives books to children and donated portions of her royalties from Whitney Houston’s cover ofI Will Always Love Youto a historic black neighborhood in Nashville.

“I’d love to get some cast iron cookware, and those granite dishes are so cute.”

“Whatever you want, Nightingale. I have a few cast iron pieces already.”

“Me too. After we pool our resources, we can start adding pieces. Have you ever been to a chuck wagon cook off?”

“Can’t say that I have,” Wrath chuckles.

A few hours later, we meet everyone for lunch at Aunt Granny’s. They serve food family style. Bellies full, we walk off the food browsing shops, viewing shows, and perusing Craftsman’s Alley. Millie found a beautiful hand-blown piece of glass for our place. Although we haven’t talked about our living situations. Hell, she hasn’t even been to the compound. She’s in for a whole new world. I only hope her transition is easy.

The evening ended with dinner and a show at the Hatfield and McCoy dinner feud. It was cute and funny. Food wasn’t bad either. I laughed hard enough my sides hurt.

Chapter 30

Millie

Wrath and his brothers went to one of the local gyms to work out. He apologized but said he ate way too much fried food yesterday. We’ve been hitting the high fat, high calorie foods hard these last couple of weeks.

While Wrath was occupied at the gym, I seized the opportunity to go horseback riding. My friends left this morning after breakfast. They had to get back to their jobs.

I dress in riding pants, a white V-neck tee and riding boots. My hair is up in a bouncy ponytail. I grab my hat and sunglasses before heading out to the SUV. Wrath took his bike... err sled this morning. On the way home, we’re taking the sled part of the way. Havoc or Mayhem will switch with us if my ass, legs and back can’t handle all nine hours from Pigeon Forge to New Orleans.

The drive to the stables only takes a few minutes. I can’t believe Lisa found a whole barn to rent on such short notice. She’s a dynamo and the best mom a girl could ask for. I may have gotten her when I was six, but I claim her as mine, nonetheless. She’s the example I’ll use and the person I run to when I have children of my own. Although I’m not sure if I want to adopt first or have a biological child first.

Something else to add to the list of where we’re living when we get back to New Orleans. With Wrath’s encouragement, I emailed my official resume to Gambit and Stormy.

The ride to the barn didn’t take long. I passed on, riding Magnus for one of the local horses. The people who own the barnalso rented us the extra horses we needed to ride the other day. Lisa arranged for the horses to be available for our entire stay. I forgot to ask mom and dad who owns this place. It’s close to the Goodwyne’s, friends of the family.

Since I’m riding alone today, I think it’s best to use one of their horses. They’ll know the land better. Plus, if I get lost, they’ll know the way to the barn. I take my time looking in each stall. I’ll groom Magnus when I get back from my ride. I still can’t believe Wrath got me a horse and that they have stables an hour away.

I foresee a lot of riding on my days off. If I can talk Wrath into it, we can ride the sled to the stables. After several minutes of perusing the stalls, I choose a leggy buckskin gelding. It doesn’t take long for me to get him saddled. I studied the trail maps earlier and have one marked in my phone.

I clip my water bottle to the saddle and mount up. It’s a beautiful spring day. The sun is shining. The clouds are white and fluffy. The kind you lay on your back and watch the shapes as they drift by.

Our family and friends are all leaving over the next few days to allow us to have a couple days by ourselves. Honestly, I couldn’t have planned a more perfect wedding and honeymoon. I'm glad that we waited until after we were married to have sex.

Of course, the entire romance has been a completely unexpected whirlwind. I leave work single and exhausted. I’m returning as a happily married woman in need of losing five pounds. We’ve eaten our way through the surrounding area, including going to North Carolina.

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