Page 39 of Devil's Last Dance

It was strange to be walking around the house without seeing someone. She was used to the soldiers guarding the doors, or constantly checking on the house.

Antwone placed her bowl next to his, so she had no choice but to sit beside him. Candice didn’t mind. She wasn’t going to make a problem out of nothing.

She found the knives and forks. Not that she thought they would need the knives as she’d cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, and the pasta was a similar size.

Picking up her fork, she speared a piece of chicken and pasta, and then popped it into her mouth. She closed her eyes. Her mother often cooked pesto chicken and pasta, making different versions. If she didn’t have the broccoli, she’d use cauliflower or zucchini. The vegetable would often change to whatever was in season when she cooked it. The pesto rarely changed, unless her mother wanted to try something new.

“This is good,” Antwone said.

She reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked at her and then at their hands. She waited a moment and then let him go.

Everything was going to be all right.

****

They had gotten into a comfortable routine.

Antwone knew that after four months of Luke being in their lives, coming home wasn’t difficult, and in the early weeks of his marriage, he didn’t mind being home. Candice had been cold toward him, but he understood why.

His life hadn’t exactly been an easy one to explain. She hadn’t known the truth about him, and overnight they were married and he’d pulled her into his world.

He stood in the doorway of his library and watched as Candice listened to some soft tunes. She hadn’t heard him arrive, and he watched as she danced around the room. Unlike the sitting room, there was no obstruction in this one.

Other than the one night in her apartment where she had gotten him to dance, he’d never seen her dance before. Her eyes were closed as she swayed her hips. He saw the baby monitor which was constantly attached to her if Luke wasn’t with her.

Candice was an amazing mom. She was a fantastic wife. Not once had she caused him any troubles. She hadn’t asked to leave the house.

Antwone frowned. Draven had asked him about that. Maria had offered to go shopping with her, but Candice always had an excuse.

“Do you think your wife is afraid to leave your home?”

Antwone hadn’t thought about it like that.

Staring at his wife, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the truth. Was Candice afraid? Yes, there was always a risk to her life, but he hadn’t admitted to her that it didn’t matter where she was, there was a risk. He didn’t want her to live her life afraid. Antwone would take care of everything.

The song came to an end, and he lifted his hands and clapped. She gasped and spun around.

“Antwone,” she said. “I didn’t hear you.”

“Do you enjoy dancing?”

“Sometimes.” She walked over to the small stereo and turned it off.

“You don’t have to stop on my account.”

“I know. I was looking for a book and I put on a few tunes, and I don’t know, the need to dance just swept over me.”

Antwone stepped into the room.

He’d not been able to kiss her. He’d not been able to fuck her or hold her. Antwone had known she was in pain and she felt betrayed by him and he did accept it. Actually, he didn’t accept it. That was bullshit. He just didn’t know what to do other than give her time.

Candice was close, but he reached out and put the music back on.

Holding his hand out toward her, he waited to see what she was going to do. He had already decided that if she rejected him, he’d take hold of her hand and pull her against him.

Candice looked at his hand, and he saw her struggling with this decision, but he did wait. Slowly, she put her hand within his and he pulled her close, not giving her a chance to back down.

“Good choice,” he said.

---