Page 39 of Tye

“Thanks.” I grabbed the hamper and drinks carrier and headed out the kitchen door to the stables.

Dante stopped me in my path. “Where you going?”

“Out.”

“I wanna come,” Dante demanded.

“Not a chance in hell, kid.”

“I’ll tell Mom,” Dante threatened.

“Go ahead. I still won’t take you.”

The little shit looked at me, and his eyes narrowed.

“You want to make your eighth birthday?” I asked, and Dante froze on whatever he was thinking. “In the forest surrounding us, it would be pretty easy to hide a body.”

Dante glowered at me and took to his heels.

“Mom! Tye threatened to bury me,” he howled as he raced through the kitchen.

I grinned. That had two benefits. First, I was free of Dante and whatever chaos he’d have brought. Second, he would disturb Mom and Dad ‘working’. Bonus!

I hurried to the stables before any more of my damn siblings turned up and met Demi there.

“You didn’t peek?” I asked.

“No.”

“Good. Come on, sweet girl,” I ordered and shoved open the door. I led her into the stables, and Demi gasped.

“A sleigh ride?”

“Yeah! The snow’s thick enough for one, and I thought you might enjoy it,” I said as she gazed in excitement.

“Yes. Are you driving it?”

“Christian is. And he’s wearing headphones, too, so we can talk.”

Christian appeared from around the back of the barn, and I hand him a flask and a lunch Mrs Ames made for him. He glared at me and climbed into the driver’s seat.

Then I helped Demi in and got in after her. After tucking the blankets around our laps, I leaned forward and tapped Christian. He made a show of putting his headphones in and sent me a smirk.

As I glowered at his back, Christian slapped the reins of the shire horses, and we set off. Once again, the weather was in my favour as a light snowfall fell around us. I’d done several sleigh rides over the years, but never with a special girl.

Watching Demi’s face light up as she snuggled under my good arm was amazing. I felt like I was on top of the world, that I was invincible. Experiences like this were memory makers, and I was glad I was sharing with Demi. The sleigh bells jingled gently as Demi peered over the side at them and then at the shire horses.

“They’re on the reins, too!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah. Mom wanted everything as authentic as possible,” I said.

“This is our third date, I can’t imagine what you’d do for our fourth,” Demi whispered, gazing at me.

The look in her eyes blew up my ego. Damn, I wanted to see that expression on her face for the rest of my life. I’d break my back to make sure she looks at me that way forever. Because Demi may not realise it, but there was a wealth of emotion there and all positive. I could see how much she was beginning to care for me, and I wanted to puff my chest out and beat it like a caveman.

Who gave a fuck it was only three days? There was something between Demi and me. It was growing fast, and I wanted to fan the flames of it. I needed Demi to be so into me she could ignore my past and live the future with me.

Demi had to be tied tightly to me. I couldn’t risk losing her. I’d be honest and tell her everything, but I needed to get her bonded to me so tight she wouldn’t dream of walking. Even this early on, I knew if she walked, it would destroy me. Demi was turning out to be all I’d ever wanted in a woman, and I’d kill to keep her.

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