Page 86 of Otto: The Hawthornes

I slid my arms into it as he strode toward the bed and threw the quilt back, making the petals fly all over the room.

“Climb in, baby.”

I looked at him in confusion, wondering why in the world he’d given me a T-shirt if we were getting into bed.

“Been a long day,” he said, gesturing.

I climbed onto the bed and lay down, still staring at him.

Otto laughed.

“Scoot over,” he ordered gruffly. “I sleep by the door.”

“Why do you get to be closer to the door?” I asked, inching back to the other side of the bed.

“Ah, she speaks,” he joked, climbing in next to me. “I wondered if you’d gone mute.”

“I get up to pee all the time,” I warned, ignoring him. “I should be closer to the door.”

He laughed and turned on his side to face me, curling one arm under his head. “I sleep closest to the door,” he replied firmly. “Someone comes through it, they get to me first.”

I jolted in surprise. Who did he think would be coming into our bedroom?

“You’ll just have to walk the three extra steps around the bed when you have to pee.”

“I’ll just climb over you,” I said easily, shrugging.

“Go ahead.” He grinned. “I’ll enjoy that.”

We lay there for a while, quiet.

“What’s goin’ on in your head?” he asked softly. “You checked out.”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, Esther,” he cajoled. “Where’s the woman that put her foot down about sleepin’ arrangements before we were married? Didn’t have a problem tellin’ me what was up then.”

“We’re married,” I blurted, widening my eyes.

Otto chuckled. “Yeah, we are.”

“My parents don’t even know.”

The smile left his face instantly. “I know, baby. I’m sorry they weren’t there today.”

I swallowed hard and gave him the truth. “Even if they’d known about it, they wouldn’t have come.”

“Doubt your dad would show his face around the clubhouse,” he agreed darkly.

“No,” I corrected, shaking my head. “Even if—” I searched for the right words. “Even if none of the other stuff was going on. The stuff about the guns, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“They still wouldn’t have come.”

“Well, that’s bullshit.”

“I didn’t marry in the church.”

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