Page 115 of The Twins

Grey

MEANWHILE IN LAKE ARROWHEAD

Tara’s on her laptop,skimming through the internet. Remo drove us out here this morning, and she insisted on joining us, yet she can’t take her eyes off that screen in front of her.

Alone, she works at the table while Remo and I lie on the outdoor sunbeds nearby. The cabin’s patio overviews the lake. The trees and stone balance the cabin with its surrounding nature.

Birds fly over our heads, chirping. A blue butterfly rests on the granite floor by the brick fire pit. The water laps against the boardwalk, gently so.

It’s a place to rest, to recuperate.

I frown. “Can’t Tara take a break?”

Remo replies, “She’s already on the next case.”

“Why does she have to work so much? One tiny break won’t hurt her,” I say. Tara’s eyelids are fluttering shut, and her hands are shaking because she’s drunk half the coffee in the state of California. She doesn’t give up, though.

“She needs to keep busy,” Remo says absentmindedly. I shift on top of him, peering up at his face from below.

“And you know the feeling?” I ask.

“Unfortunately, I do.”

I climb higher, and I kiss his face, his mouth. “When you need to keep busy now, you have me. Use me, Remo. You let me use you when I need….”

Remo smirks. “Need what?”

“Rougher sex. Sometimes, I want a little pain to take the edge off. That’s my unhealthy habit,” I confess, blushing.

“We need to tell them about it,” Remo suggests. “Vegas won’t mind. If we’re the ones to help you out when you need it, you can ask for anything. He’d fist you if you let him.”

“No, thank you.” I grimace, and he tickles my side. “Yes to the open communication. If I expect that from you, I should be an example for you.”

When he stops, he plants a kiss on top of my head. “You’re pregnant, Grey. I don’t know what happened, but you’re pregnant. What if this comes to fruition? Can you imagine Vegas as a dad?”

“What about Charles? He’ll sleep with an AK-47 attached to his hip in case anyone dares to harm his baby,” I say, grinning from ear to ear. “Vegas will go crazy for the baby. I can see it happening already.”

I take a deep breath. “It means a lot to me that you shared your story with us.”

He observes, “You didn’t freak out.”

“Of course not. I had my suspicions, but I never imagined anything close to what you told me,” I confess, cuddling into him.

“You’re not bothered by Andre?” he asks, tucking a strain of my hair behind my ear.

“Remo, he’s dead. He’s been out of your life for years. You cherish him because he meant a lot to you. I can never take that away from you. How can I have a problem with him when he’s giving you all of this?” I gesture at the cabin and the lake. Never mind the cash he has in his bank accounts. He doesn’t believe that it’s his now, so he gives as much as he can to LGBTQ+ and children’s charities. “He was there for you. He looked out for you. I’m grateful for that.”

“Charles kept insisting that I open up, but I didn’t trust his judgment,” Remo admits.

“You should trust Charles more often. He knows what he’s doing.” Oh fuck. “Remo… Does it bother you when we refer to him as Daddy?”

Remo remains quiet.

“Remo!” I yelp.

He chuckles, and Tara glances at us with a frustrated frown on her face. She doesn’t devote much of her time to us. She inhales sharply, and then she focuses on her screen again.

“He’s a daddy,” Remo comments, shrugging.

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