Page 45 of The Fates We Tame
A small nagging voice tells me I should share with King exactly who I am. It feels as though I am putting Theo, Cat, and Niro in harm’s way. But if I do, I’m in trouble. “I am.”
King offers Theo his hand. “Then congratulations, brother.”
He shakes it, and the two of them hug.
“Come on, let’s go register,” Theo says, taking my hand eventually.
“Wait,” Catalina says. “She can’t get married in hiking boots. What size are you? I’ll grab you something while you register.”
“Oh, no,” I say. “It’s fine, it’s?—”
“Tell her,” Theo says, and I find myself answering before Theo leads us around the corner.
“Your club members don’t like me very much, do they?”
He looks down at me. “I remember hanging around the club as a kid. The brothers, my dad, and some of the other guys’ dads, they were so close-knit that you couldn’t have driven a nail between them. Their old ladies were all friends. I’m guessing that’s what we all have now. They’re just looking out for me.”
The left side of my body aches, when my left foot hits the floor, it hurts. “Can we slow down, please?”
“Shit. Sorry, Sparrow. You want to sit for a minute?” He points to an industrial blue bench in the corridor.
“No. It’s okay. But I need the steps to be a little shorter and not feel like I have to jog to keep up with your long legs.”
Just before the registration office, I pull on Theo’s hand to stop him. “Last chance,” I say. “It’s easy for me to do this. I have everything to gain and nothing to lose. You can leave me here. I’ll find a shelter. Give them a fake name. Build a new life for myself doing…something.”
He puts his finger to his lips and moves us away from the door. “Can’t let them hear you…talking like that or they’ll get suspicious one of us is…forcing the other. Last time I’m gonnasay it, and you’re going to listen, Sparrow. We’re getting married because it works for both of us. I get to do something that’ll make Mom happy and because looking after you is going to give me a purpose I couldn’t find for myself. Can’t explain it better than that. I was fucking aimless. Have been since I woke up in that…fucking hospital. Then you stepped out of that pool like a movie heroine.”
I scoff. “Hardly. How many movie heroines have you seen with a severe limp, poor leg mobility, nerve damage, and a scar down their face?”
His gaze turns stern for a moment. “Stop talking about yourself like that.”
“It’s true. Look at how many villains are physically imperfect. So many movies I’ve watched in the past few months deliberately use it to imply nefarious behavior. The ‘facial scars equal villain’ trope is ableist, but it happens for a reason. People see us as lesser or a representation of evil.”
“And I can’t control my words.”
“Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but it has seemed better since we decided to run until just now.”
He closes his eyes for a second and breathes.
“I’m sure Doc would have an opinion on why that is,” he says finally. “But anyway, I have issues with my arms and grip. On any given day, I’m one…heartbeat away from a debilitating headache. Memories are flickering on and off, but I have no idea if they’re real or not. Next time I hear you put yourself down, I’m going to take you over my knee and…spank your ass.”
An ache starts in my chest, even as my whole core clenches. I can’t possibly admit that sounds…delicious.
Theo reaches out and touches my cheek. His smile is all-knowing. Like he just read my thoughts. “We got off topic.” He takes another deep breath. “You give me something to aim for, Sparrow.”
“Wait. Did you say your memories are flickering?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know if that’s the right word for what’s happening, but occasionally I get the ghost of an idea of why I know something. I see images out of context. Of my brothers. Of things in the past.”
“Is that why you keep getting the headaches, do you think? Because your brain is healing?”
“That’s what Doc thinks.”
“Then you should still be there so they can help you.”
King and Clutch appear at the bottom of the corridor, and Theo’s thumb grazes my lips. “I’d rather get married. Plus, we need to make this real so they believe us, and that’s way more fun than physiotherapy.”
I study him for a moment. This handsome man who is about to become my legally fake husband. Then nod. “Okay.”
