Page 55 of Deadly Obsession
Then all the lights were gone.
EPILOGUE
SERA
TWO YEARS LATER
Having just arrived home from the tattoo shop, I’d gone straight to the kitchen to warm up the leftovers James had told me were in the fridge. I grabbed the covered plate of pulled pork, mashed potatoes, and asparagus, placing it in the microwave and hitting thetwobutton.
Then I wrapped my arms around my chest as I recalled the tattoo I’d done today. A Michael Myers style kitchen knife. Each time I’d wiped at my client’s skin and smeared the blood, I’d flinched. I shouldn’t be surprised by the tattoo choice, though. It was the week before Halloween, after all, and exactly two years since Shingletown.
When the authorities had finally finished questioning us about what James and I had taken to morbidly calling theUnsubscribing at Masktok Cabin, we’d taken some time to heal before beginning to plan for the future. Construction on the main home of his ranch had already started, and he still had a large sum of money left over from the insurance claim. So, in place of a ring, he’d proposed to me with the title to a piece of real estate. A spot that would become my very own tattooshop.Morphine Kiss Tattoowas located just under an hour’s drive from the ranch and was in a rather ideal location.
I wish I could say I’d been the one to design the interior, but I’d have been lying. James had pieced it together near perfectly with a gothicboutique theme. It was also likely the only tattoo shop/dark romance library.The waiting room was slightly larger than what you’d expect at a tattoo shop. And upon entering, after being greeted by my new apprentice Kearsten, you would be transported to the finest mini dark romance library Texas had ever seen. Somewhere that allowed you to rent a good book, for a small fee, and maybe even get a new tattoo when you returned it.
Pulling my meal out of the microwave, I caught the way the sunlight reflected on the large diamond on my left finger and smiled as I moved to my favorite spot in the kitchen. I stood beside the sink and looked out the window to watch the sun setting in the West Texas sky while humming “Lullaby” by The Spill Canvas.
It was the first song we’d danced to as husband and wife.
James had let me have the majority of the say in the reconstruction of the ranch’s main house after it had burned down a month or two prior to our Booktok group’s nightmare of a vacation. The same fire he’d tragically lost his parents in. He’d shown me photos of what it used to look like. A beautiful two-story Birmingham. I’d mentioned how I wanted the kitchen to be on the west side of the house, so that I could look out and see the sunset behind the lovely hill where his family plot rested.
It was the perfect blend of beauty and spooky if you asked me.
Everything else, however, I wanted exactly as his parents loved it—with the addition of two extra rooms. James didn’t know this yet, but our little family was getting a new member soon.
Despite all the good in our lives now, I still had nightmares from time to time. Nights where I’d wake up without theability to move my body. All my friends dead around me. I’d always wake up to James cradling me in his arms, brushing my hair, and rocking me back and forth. Telling me that everything was going to be okay.
“Mum!” A bright, youthful voice had me turning to see Alexander enter the kitchen and make straight for the biscuit jar on the counter.
“Alexander! No, sir!” I scolded as his hand lifted the top of the jar.
“Ah, let the boy have a cookie, Harps. He’s earned it! Haven’t you, killer?”
I heard the gravelly base before he entered the room, and my heart fluttered just like it did every time I saw him. James filed in behind Alexander, reaching into the jar and handing my son a biscuit without waiting for my response.
“Go on then. Wash up for bed, kiddo,” James urged, and we both watched as Alexander double-hand grabbed the biscuit, bit into it, and sprinted off.
“Love you, Mum! Love you, James!” he called out as he fled the kitchen with his prize.
My eyes darted up to the man standing in front of me, his forest-green eyes like a mental aloe vera cooling my burning temper. “You spoil him.”
“Nonsense. The boy not only helped me feed the hogs, he also mucked two of the stalls and rode Zip bareback.” James smirked, but he’d lost me at the mention of the three-year-old colt he’d only recently broken.
“You did not!” I scolded him.
“I did, and he did. You should be proud, Harps. The boy is going to make a fine ranch hand one day.” James smiled as he closed the distance between us.
I maintained my stern expression for as long as I could. But the moment those large, tattooed arms closed around me, I melted like butter. Looking up to him, I gave one lastattempt at a glare before I caved. “You’re so good with him. Thank you.”
James shook his head, kissed me on the forehead, and patted my back before slapping me on the ass. “He’s a really good kid, Sera. Deserves a good dad, and I love him as if he were my own.”
“I know you do, and I’m grateful to you.” I smiled, kissing him back on his bearded jaw.
“You ready for our trail ride in the morning, Harps? I’ve got our packs all set to go, and Kearsten will be here at sunrise to watch over Alex.” James kissed me a final time before stepping over to the kitchen and pulling a can of Budweiser out, cracking it open and taking a long drink.
“You better be paying that girl!” I cast him a threatening look, waving the fork in my hand for emphasis before popping a piece of pork into my mouth.
My man could cook.
