Page 86 of Keep Me

“No, mo ghràidh. They’re not dangerous. You just have to know how to handle them.”

She continues coughing, so I pull her up and pat her back through the spell. By the time she’s done, I can hear the rasp in her breathing. The doctor said the virus will work itself out, but the cough could take longer. I wish it’d hurry. I can’t stand the sound of her like this.

When she’s done heaving, she takes my hand in hers, staring down at my finger. There’s a red, swollen lump there already.

“Does it hurt?” she whispers.

“Nah,” I say. “Not too bad.”

Then she brings it to her mouth and presses her lips to the end of my index finger. “I’m sorry.”

“Come on then,” I reply after kissing the top of her head. “Let’s get back home and get you to bed. Enough fresh air for you today.”

“Okay,” she agrees.

I pull her to her feet and leave her a good distance away from the hives while I go back to replace the frame I had removed. When I’m done, I return to Sylvie and tuck her under my arm so we can walk back to the house together.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Is tomorrow your birthday?” Sylvie finds me kneeling in the dirt by the farm. Squinting through the sun, I stare up at her with a bad feeling in my gut.

“Yeah…why?”

“When were you gonna tell me?” she replies. “Your sister just mentioned it in a text.”

I shrug. “Why would I tell you? It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it does,” she replies. “Anna said you always have your friends over for your birthday.”

My only response is a disgruntled sigh.

It’s true; I always do have my friends over for my birthday, but that’s not always a good thing. The party is nothing more than a binge of sex, alcohol, and debauchery. It just doesn’t interest me anymore.

If I could have anything for my birthday, it would just be a typical day at home with my wife. Or perhaps her admitting to me that she actually gives a fuck about me. I’d like that too.

“So, let’s throw a party,” she says with excitement.

Now that she’s finally able to argue with me without setting off a fit of coughs, she takes advantage of it and argues with me ten times as much. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

“No,” I grunt as I turn my attention back to pulling the weeds that have sprouted along the fence line.

“Come on, you miserable ogre. Ineeda party. I’m so bored.”

“I’ll keep you busy,” I reply as I glance up at her with a wicked grin.

She rolls her eyes. “We’re already screwing two times a day, Killian. My poor lady bits can’t take anymore.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ben fumble with the tool in his hand before quickly scurrying over to the barn and out of earshot of our conversation. I let out a small chuckle.

Then I turn back toward Sylvie. “Wait… I’m not hurting you, am I?”

“No, my dear husband. You’re not hurting me. Besides,” she adds with a shrug. “I like a little pain.”

My eyebrows nearly shoot to my hairline.Oh, we’re coming back to that.

“How about for my birthday, we see just how much pain you like?” I ask.

“No,” she barks, stomping her foot on the ground. “We can’t just sit around this house alone every single day, Killian. We need human interaction. We need to celebrate. We need to havefun. You remember what that is, don’t you?”

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