Page 178 of Patching Over

“We have a cooler now, I can always make us some sandwiches for the trip so we’ll only have to stop for gas and bathroom breaks.”

“Perfect ol’ lady, babe,” I whisper. “Because that sounds like a great idea. Okay, finish eating, we’ve got stuff to take care of before we can head home.”

With the two of us, it took less than two hours, although they were busy ones, to get on the road. Not only did I leave a note for the caretaker, but I also called him to let him know we were leaving.

Now, I’m listening to her hysterical laughter as I tell her how Scythe reacted when Selah told him the story about the China doll. Granted, I’m laughing right along with her, because that shit was funny as hell.

“How are the kittens doing, babe?” I ask once she’s calmed down.

She glances in the backseat at the carrier and then smiles at me. “They’re sound asleep, thank goodness.”

I nod because I’m definitely not equipped to try and figure out how to givecatsa bathroom break, for fuck’s sake. Hopefully, they don’t need to go, but if they do, we’ll figure it out.

Together.

With that thought, I reach over and take her hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. “No matter what, Moira, you’ll always have me, sweetheart. Plan to put a ring on that bare finger of yours too.”

“You want to marry me?” she asks, her voice slightly above a whisper.

“Babe, any way I can tie you to me for the rest of our lives, I’m gonna do it. How do you feel about kids?”

She bursts out laughing again. “Kids? As in plural? Um, I kind of wanna wait a little longer before I have them if that’s okay.”

“Then it’ll just be us and those two little black panthers for a bit,” I decree.

“Yes! We’ll consider them practice for when we want to start having children,” she exclaims, making me chuckle. “What? Some people start out with plants, then move to a pet, mostly a goldfish although I think they die early, before they have kids.”

“Babe,” I say through my laughter.

“I can’t figure out what your ‘babe’ means this time,” she grumbles.

I squeeze her hand and say, “They all mean the same thing.”

“No, no they don’t. You use different tones and inflections. Sometimes, they sound amused, sometimes not. So, what did this one mean?”

“Just that, while I’m good with us waiting to have kids because I want it to just be us for a while, we’re surrounded by some of the best people I know and a lot of themareparents. Do you really think they’ll let us harm a child?”

“No,” she drawls out. “I guess they won’t.”

“Exactly. Now, the exit where we’re supposed to meet the brothers is coming up. We’ll get gassed up, hit the restrooms, then be on our way.”

I watch as Scythe stops to talk to Moira, then lose it, doubling over laughing when I hear her say, “So, have you seen the chop, chop China doll yet, Scythe?”

He shrieks and glares at me. “You told her? I thought you were my brother, Kracken!”

Through my chuckles, I rebut, “I am, but fuck, Scythe, it was too funny not to share and not only that, but right now, seeing your face? Yeah, it’s way better than I expected it to be.”

Banshee, who’s been listening, joins in my laughter, shaking his head. “Brother, you’re a fucking pansy,” he states, pointing at Scythe. “Find your balls, it’s all a bunch of made-up shit.”

“Is it though? Is it really?” Moira questions, her expression innocent.

But I know my ol’ lady and I suspect she’s got a mischievous side to her that’s going to be fun to watch as it grows.

“You’re not being nice right now, Moira,” Scythe retorts. “Shame on you!”

Banshee grows serious then says, “Gotta get back on the road, y’all. Load ‘em up and let’s go!”

We pull into the parking lot of the clubhouse and are immediately swarmed by my brothers and their ol’ ladies. Putting the truck into park, I hop out and round the front of the truck to help Moira down. Her eyes are wide, because not only Roanoke brothers and their ol’ ladies are out here, but also the Cedar Creek family.

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