Page 96 of Sweet Pea

Callie

Two years later...

“Honey, are you ready?” I called up the stairs.

Sweet Pea had studied his ass off for the Bar Examination, which he’d taken six weeks ago, and we were waiting to find out the results. They were supposed to be posted within the next thirty minutes, and Sweet Pea was a nervous wreck.

“No!” he bellowed.

I smiled. “You’re gonna pass,” I encouraged. “But we won’t know until you log on.”

“Why did I let you talk me into this?” he asked.

“I believe in you,” I said, opening the door to Diamond and Sapphire’s luxury enclosure, placing two feeders inside.

Directly after assisting the FBI, Sweet Pea moved me into his condo. Even though my place had a full-time doorman, he wanted me here, immediately. He even hired full-time security for the entire building. I soon found out that Sweet Pea’s money wasn’t at all connected to his family but came from real estate and business investments he and his brother had made.

As soon as he was released from Eldie’s ad-hoc rehab clinic, Sweet Pea moved out of the Sanctuary and in here where the four of us have lived since. I say the four of us because Sweet Pea didn’t come home alone. While still in rehab, he’d reached out to several reptile rescue organizations and was able to adopt two beautiful ball pythons which we named Diamond and Sapphire in memory of my sweet Ruby. The snakes were supposed to be a gift for me, but Sweet Pea called them his “lovely ladies” and pampered them as if they were our children. He custom built a home for them that took up an entire wall of the condo. I sometimes wondered if he loved those snakes even more than he loved me.

“Holy fucking fuckballs!” Sweet Pea shouted at the top of his lungs before appearing over the railing. “I passed the Bar,” he said excitedly.

“You’re a lawyer, baby,” I said, smiling up at him, my heart bursting with pride.

“I’m gonna be a fucking lawyer!” he yelled as he barreled down the stairs before scooping me up into his arms and spinning me around.

“Careful, you’re gonna make us throw up,” I said and Sweet Pea set me down gently before giving me a kiss.

“You hear that little biker?” Pea said to my belly, “Your daddy’s big time now.”

“Charlie is not getting on a motorcycle. Ever,” I said sternly.

“The hell she isn’t,” he said and grinned wide. “Besides, if she ever gets into a wreck, she can hire me as her lawyer.”

“You plan on starting a practice specializing in personal injury?” I asked.

“Now that you mention it, it might be the right time for a career move. My boss is always hitting on me at work.”

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