Page 44 of Watercolor Skulls

“Yeah, thank you for helping me today.” I wrap my hand around the pendant.

“Come on Jackson, we better get home.”

Jackson waves as they climb in their truck. Rachel pauses by me. “It was so nice meeting you, Lily. I look forward to next time.”

“Me too.” I hug myself as they back out and head down the road.

Dirk and Jesse tell us they are leaving too.

“Next weekend.” Jesse points to me.

“She’ll be there,” Dan answers for me.

Jesse smiles at him. “Didn’t think I’d ever see the day Dan let a chick ride on the back of his bike.”

“I let you ride with me.” He crosses his arms across his chest.

“Not the same thing,” Jesse sing songs as she sets Billie Rose in her car seat.

Dirk knocks on the side of his truck before giving us a one finger salute. “See you motherfuckers next weekend.”

I burst out laughing. The way these people interact is befuddling, yet the most endearing thing I’ve ever witnessed.

Dan and I watch them drive away and then it’s just the two of us. The only sound is the wind whistling through the trees and the soulful song of the crickets.

Dan is the first to speak. “I suppose I should take you back into town to get your car.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” I say quietly.

We walk back into the house and I slowly spin in a circle. “I can’t believe how hard everyone worked today. Everything looks beautiful and now that I have some furniture the place feels even cozier than it did the first time I walked in.”

Dan glances around the room. “Do you need me to help organize any of this stuff?”

“No, I’m not sure where I want everything. I’m sure it will come to me. But thank you for the offer.”

His eyes stop on the place where my painting was hanging. “Sorry about that.” He points to the wall.

“Don’t be. When Jackson shattered the glass, it enlightened me.”

Dan plops down on my couch. Which by the way looks comfy as all get out. The furniture in my parent’s home was definitely not comfortable, but it was showroom beautiful.

“How did it enlighten you?” Dan asks as he stretches his muscular tattooed arms along the back of the couch.

I sit down, turning to face him. “I’ve spent my whole life looking out a window, watching everyone else live. When Jackson broke that window, it made me think maybe I’d finally found something that was on the same side of the glass as me.” My heart pounds at my admission.

His amber eyes bore into me. “I’m right here. We are on the same side of the glass. Don’t ever feel that we are not.” His hand wraps gently around my throat as he pulls me close to him. His beard tickles the side of my face as he leans in. “You’ll never be alone on one side. Do you know how I’m sure of this?” he growls lightly in my ear.

I shake my head no.

His grip tightens around my throat. “Because I will hurt anyone who puts you there and then I’ll shatter the glass. I’ll never let you feel that way again.”

I close my eyes. Falling. Falling. Falling.

Dan’s lips graze my neck. His tongue sneaks out to taste me as he makes his way down. He places a gentle kiss at the juncture of my neck and shoulder. When he pulls away, his eyes are a blaze of amber.

“What is happening?” I whisper across his face.

“I think you know,” he says before he pulls me to my feet. “Let’s go get your car.”

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