Page 88 of Bully

“Uh oh.” She widened her eyes at me, “What did you do?”

“Bought us a house.” I replied, and her lips parted as she stared at me. If there were ever a picture worthy of a buffering circle to be stickered onto it, she was it. “Hello?” I waved my hand in front of her face, and she swatted me away. “Oh good, you’re still here.”

“What do you mean, you bought a house?”

“I boughtusa house.” I held my hands out at my side. “This house, actually.”

She looked around us at the modern craftsman style house we were standing in with exposed brick along one wall and rough timber beams in the ceiling. “I don’t understand. We live in Boston. We work in the city.”

“I know.” I stopped her, “But I thought maybe we could have a place to go to when the city gets to be too much. Someplace to escape to, like our suite in Vegas, where only our happiness matters and everything else can kind of disappear, for just a small amount of time. Someplace we can build something together.”

“Tamen.” She whispered as her golden eyes misted up. “You bought a house.”

“A home.” I corrected her. “I’m hoping maybe you’ll give me a chance to make itour home.Together, as husband and wife.” Anxious and uncertain, I rushed on, blurting, “I know you wanted time to think, but I really want this, Rainbow.” Unable to resist the urge anymore, I ran my hand around the back of her head through her locks and pulled her close to me, clinging to her for dear life. “I want you. I want us.” Her shoulders trembled with emotion, tears tracing paths down her cheeks as my forehead touched hers. “I want forever with you, Rainbow. And I want to start living for it. You make me feel like I’m not broken anymore, you make me feel loveable, even the dark and scarred parts of me. I didn’t think it was possible, or that I would ever want this, but dammit, I do. I love you, Rainbow. And I don’t even hate it. Not even a little. I just love you. Even if you think you aren’t loveable, you are. And I love you.”

“God.” She cried, wrapping her arms around my waist and smiling up at me as I kissed her. “You have me! I want this too. I’m scared, don’t get me wrong. But I want it, and I’m not going to hide it anymore. I love you Tamen, and I don’t even hate it. Not even a little.”

I kissed her again, deepening it, and she clung to me as I did her. I was going to lie her down on the center of the hardwood floor and show her exactly how much I meant those words when a little voice interrupted us.

“Fire!” Rory called out with a chuckle and we both whipped our heads to the side and found the little girl standing in front of the massive fireplace with her hands above her head, staring at the newly lit fireplace in glee.

“Jesus fuck.” I tore off after her, pulling her back from the toddler incinerator, and flicked the switch off the wall. “Who puts a fireplace switch that bloody low on the wall?” I cursed, carrying the giggling girl over to my sappy one. “Do you want to show Rainbow your shirt, Rory?” I asked and my niece eagerly wiggled to get down, before ceremoniously ripping her jacket off to reveal the messy, handmade shirt I made for her underneath.

Sloane covered her mouth as more happy tears fell from her eyes, nodding her head yes, as Rory cheered and danced around.

Her shirt read,Will you be my Auntie Rainbow?

As Sloane cried, I sank to one knee in front of her and pulled out the puny little ring we got that night in Vegas together that she hid in her jewelry box. “I swore I’d have more time to get a real one made for you, but this will have to do for one more day, at least.” I shrugged in embarrassment but trudged on, “Sloane Ivy Archer, will you marry me and build a life together with me here?”

“Yes!” She cheered, throwing herself at me and tackling me to the floor in excitement, “Yes, ten times over!”

“Yay!” Rory yelled, dog piling on top of us until we all laid sprawled out across the hardwood floor of our new getaway home.

I had a wife.

And a home.

And while it was dysfunctional and blended in weird ways, I had a family, too. Which was the first thing I could ever remember wanting as a child. It was all because Sloane taught me that I was loveable, just as I was.

Broken, scarred, and most days a jackass.

I was enough.

And she was so much more.

Epilogue – Sloane

“Thanksforinvitingustonight.” Peyton said, as we walked down the hall from my office toward the stage room. “I feel like we’re breaking the rules by being here.”

I snorted, “Tamen really has to get off that kick of not allowing you guys to come here. There’s so much to learn!”

“Like pole dancing.” Liv chuckled, “I’ll be honest, I never in a million years imagined my big ass on a stripper pole, but hey, I hear it’s a great workout.”

“And a great aphrodisiac.” Peyton snickered, nudging her sister. “If I like it, I’m making Dane put a pole up in the bedroom.”

I gave her a high-five and Liv shook her head aggressively. “Not me. I told Maddox I was taking a painting class tonight with you two. He doesn’t get to know the truth.”

“Um, why not?” I asked, opening the door to the stage room for them where there were two dozen temporary poles set up for the class. The club was closed for the evening and the class was open to the public for signups, which filled up within a day of announcing. It turns out the public wanted in on the sexual fun at Prism, even without wanting to hire services for the evening.

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