Page 86 of Villainous Fate

“It’s fine, really. You don’t have to worry about your language. I hear worse all the time, but it’s kind of you to try.” She smiles at me, the sun hitting her face and causing her eyes to crinkle.

In that moment, she looks exactly like the girl in Deacon’s photo. The one he carries with him everywhere, and I see why he chose it. There’s purity in how beautiful she is without even trying.

“Well, my dad never swears in front of my mom despite his mouth being worse than a sailor the rest of the time. She told me once that it’s the most ‘gentlemanly’ thing about him, and it kind of stuck, so I do my best to be like him. Plus, your boyfriend kind of scares me, so I figure I should mind my manners, lest you tell him I’m being disrespectful.” At that, she throws her head back, a full laugh escaping her. Tears fill her eyes, and she can’t breathe for a moment because she is laughing so hard.

That’s when she snorts.

Loud and obnoxious and adorable in a way I couldn’t explain if I tried, and I double over laughing right along with her.

“Oh my gosh!” she squeals, hitting me with the back of her hand while her cheeks flush with embarrassment. The attempted attack only makes me laugh harder. “Marcus Stone, how dare you laugh at a lady in a moment of distress!”

It takes everything in me to compose myself, and still, I can’t remove the delirious smile.

“Apologies, I will pretend I did not hear that,” I say, barely containing the laughter building again.

“Absolutely you will, or I will throw these freshly baked banana nut muffins right in the trash.

That statement sobers me, and my eyes flash to the basket still sitting on the step.

She made my favorite muffins? The ones my mom made for me before big games or after big losses.

How? How could she know?

As if she is reading my mind, she answers, rambling in my silence.

“Deacon told me they were your favorite, and I figured since you’ve been away from home and haven’t seen your family for a while, the muffins would be like bringing a little piece of home to you.” Before she can even breathe, I wrap my arms around her and pull her in for a hug, squeezing her tightly.

“Ohf.”

After a moment she wraps her arms around me and squeezes back.

That snaps me back into the moment, and I release her like she is on fire, slamming my hands into my pockets like I’ve done something wrong.

“I’m so sorry for attacking you.” I stutter, “I just, I don’t, I mean, how Deacon would have known? It’s not something I talk about, and it just hit me in the moment, you know?” I stop and take a deep breath before trying again.

“Thank you, Spitfire. It means more than you know.” I exhale, hoping she understands that I appreciate the thought behind her gift.

Her eyes show her understanding in a way that makes me feel seen.

“You’re welcome, Marcus. Anytime. And for the record, I wouldn’t exactly say hugging someone is attacking them. Usually, it’s just a form of gratitude.” Her smile grows as she picks fun at me.

“Anyway, I have to get to school, but enjoy them and stop by the diner if you want a respectable burger. Bernadette is a master of many things, but the American burger still eludes her.” She walks away with a wave over her shoulder.

Turning back to the basket, I find myself smiling again.

A good deed, banana nut muffins, and a friendship I didn’t realize I needed.

The Fates must be on my side today.

Chapter 42

Grace

Afterdroppingmylatestletter in the mail after school, I headed home for the day. It had been six weeks since Deacon’s internship had started in Miami, and I had only spoken to him once and received two letters.

Today, he was supposed to call.

My world revolved around the tiny moments when I got to have a piece of him back. His handwriting, his words, his voice. Anything that I could cling to. Marcus told me he would meet me at my house to speak with him, too. Deacon mentioned in his last letter that things in the Amato pack were vastly different from what they were here, and Marcus wanted more information if Deacon could get it to him.

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