Page 33 of Scythe's Salvation
“Yeah, they were. Did you get his hit on video?” he questions.
“What do you think?” I sass waving my phone in his face. “I have all his big life moments on video so someday, when he gets married, I can make one of his biggest hits.”
“Well, that was definitely a big one,” he teases. “Now, bud, how about we get all of this stuff loaded up so we can go with RiffRaff, Jilly, and Callum to get some pizza and ice cream. I understand you’ve got a sleepover planned.”
“Yes! And RiffRaff already said he’s taking us out on the ATV so we can go fishing!” Chance exclaims. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
“Now that we’re alone,” Scythe says as we walk into my house, “I think we should talk.”
Death knell. Those words always mean bad things in my experience. As my heart sinks, I motion to the couch then flopdown. I’m shocked when he sits right next to me; I was expecting him to be on the other side of the room.
“What do you want to talk about?” I morosely ask.
“Hey, hey now, Tam,” he murmurs, tilting my chin so I have to look at him. “I think you got the wrong impression. It’s not a bad talk at all, I promise.”
Suddenly, the breath I was holding escapes as I wheeze in an effort to take in another one. “Sorry, those words don’t have good expectations in my experience.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry, baby,” he says, smoothing back the wisps of hair that have escaped my ponytail. “What I wanted to discuss was us and what this means moving forward.”
“Okay,” I drawl out, my gaze never leaving his.
“For starters, I plan to spend the night with you. What that means for us is once I’ve been inside of you is you’ll be mine. My ol’ lady. No takebacks, either. I also want you to know I’m clean. I get tested regularly because of what I do for a living since there’s always a chance I could get cut while using my tattoo gun. Plus, it’s been months since I’ve been with anyone else.”
I slowly nod as what he’s saying sinks in. “I’m on birth control. After I had Chance, my uh my periods went a little wonky, so the doctor suggested it to help get things regulated again. Since it does, I stayed on it.” I don’t totally know what being his ol’ lady entails, so I ask him that very thing, curious to know how he’ll respond.
“Being an ol’ lady in our world is a position of honor and respect. It’s as strong as a marriage is in the civilian world, with the exception that typically only death ends that relationship. Thereare a few extenuating circumstances, of course, but honestly, those will never be an issue for us. But I also want my rings on your finger, and someday, I want my babies in your belly. I think Chance will make a great big brother, don’t you?” At my nod he adds, “And if there’s any way possible, I want to adopt that boy and make him legally mine.”
My. Heart. Melts. “Really?” I whisper. One of my biggest fears since having Chance was that no man would ever treat him as if he was theirs. Yet, here’s Scythe, literally offering me the world and he has no clue that’s what he’s done. “You keep making me fall more and more for you,” I admit.
“That’s my plan since I’m head over heels in love with you already, Tamara Fruge,” he replies, leaning in to kiss me. It’s a short, almost chaste kiss, but the fire in my blood heats up anyway. “Now, do you have any questions?”
“Will we have to move to the property at the clubhouse?” I ask. I love my little slice of heaven but I’m willing to walk away from what I bought and slaved over to follow him anywhere.
“Nope,” he replies. “In fact, your house is perfect. Plenty big enough for more kids, and it’s close enough to the clubhouse if we party too hard and need to stay there.”
I giggle a bit as he holds out his hand and helps me stand. “Good. I mean, I’d go, of course, but this is the first thing I did that was all on me. I had no help, no cosigner.”
“As long as we’re together, we’re always gonna be home, sweetheart,” he states as he leads me down the hallway to my room. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hot and sticky from the ballfield. Since you don’t take time to pamper yourself,I want you to take a bubble bath. I’ll grab a shower in Chance’s bathroom.”
Now he’s spoiling me? Or is he building up the anticipation? As my heart rate increases, I start setting up my bath. Usually, I’m a five-minute shower girlie, unless I have to shave. Then it’s maybe ten or fifteen. The last relaxing bath I took was when Amara had Chance for the night. I drank half a bottle of wine, did several face masks, took a long-ass bath, and lotioned every single spot on my body. This time, though, I’ll just make sure I’m shaved. I snicker as I add a bath bomb then head into my room to find something to slip into afterward.
I mean, as a single mom who, for the longest time, scraped pennies together, my wardrobe is sadly lacking. Shrugging, I grab a pair of capri yoga pants and a tank top with a shelf bra inside. If nothing else, I’m going to be comfortable.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Scythe
I’m whistlingas I shower, grinning at the toys that are now lined up along the sides of the tub. Chance, apparently, must stage epic battles since he’s got dinosaurs, as well as other animals. He also must like the colored soap crayons because there’s ‘writing’ on the tiles that quickly disappears as the water hits it.
“He’s definitely all boy,” I mutter, grinning to myself. A thought of a little girl, her hair the same shade as Tamara, with ringlet curls and hazel eyes, flashes into my head, and I briefly wonder where it came from.
It was too real to be my wishful thinking, that’s for sure, especially since the backdrop was of the front porch of this house. I briefly wonder if one of the Cedar Creek brothers is messing with me, then shrug. I honestly have no clue what most of them can do, but if what I saw is any indication of what I have to look forward to, I’m grateful for their abilities.
Keep her close and safe, a voice whispers in my head.
Okay, now that’s a bit more… freaky. I had already intended to watch over her and Chance even more since we had church. For whatever reason, Tim seems to be out to get my woman and boy. Whether it’s to ward off the pending custody battle or for something more nefarious is irrelevant. If it’s in my power to prevent her from being hurt, then I’ll protect her with every last breath in my body.
