Page 41 of Providence

I watched her lips as she spoke about their day without me, her words washing over me like a wave of comfort. Fuck she was so damn beautiful I wanted to lay her down on the soft grass and fuck her until she couldn’t walk straight.

My gaze dropped to Madoc, who’s huge violet eyes saw so much. Geez, I hope he couldn’t understand my intentions toward his mother right now. I wondered if I should talk to Sera about my suspicions that Madoc had extra, err, perception skills but decided against it. I wasn’t convinced that I hadn’t imagined the whole fucking thing, and Sera had enough to worry about. Still, I looked at Madoc and signedI love you too, little man.Smiling at his happy gum filled grin, I wrapped my arm around Sera’s waist and kissed her temple.

I was halfway to fulfilling my promise to Gusion already, although I could hardly take the credit.

Sera had made us a family.

22

Goliath

Irolled my shoulders, trying to loosen the tight button up shirt that was currently straining over my torso. I stood outside the door to the kitchen, and I could hear all the happy voices inside that room.

Okay, so I wasn’t fucking standing. I was hiding out here. I was in clean jeans, and a blue button down and I looked like a fucking idiot. When I put them on, I was still riding the high of having Judas’ head buried in my lap. I’d decided that I’d make good on my promise right then and there. I’d was going to walk in there, tell her I was taking her out, and live up to my end of the fucking bargain. Done.

But I was standing on the other side of the damn wall, my chest tight in a way that kind of felt like a panic attack. Over a date.

“Whatcha doin’, Gowiath?”

My eyes shot down the hall to Sammie and Cara, standing there staring at me like I’d fucking lost it. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was fucking losing it.

“Nothing,” I grumbled, turning back toward the entryway, then stilled like I was stuck. “Absolutely damn nothing.” I leaned against the wall and rested my head back as I stared at the ceiling.

I could do this.

I made a rude noise low in my throat. Who was I fucking kidding? I couldn’t do fucking shit. I was a pussy, hiding from my damn emotions like they had the ability to cripple me. I needed a drink. “Neither of you guys happen to have a hip flask on you, right?”

They both gave me equally confused looks, and I sighed. Cara bounced up to me, her dark hair swaying in their ringlets. Serendipity must have done her hair, because there was no way Marco could have done the complicated style.

“Why are you dressed up all pretty?”

I looked down at my outfit. “Guys don’t look pretty,” I growled, my eyebrows drawing together in a frown. The kid was so brave, she just laughed at me like I was dumb.

“Of course boys can be pretty, silly. Boys can be pretty, and girls can be tough and ride motorcycles and wear black stuff.”

Sammie nudged her with his elbow. “He means you call boys handsome, not pretty.”

Cara rolled her eyes at him, the action highlighting her opinion of her brother and boys in general. “Marco said I can be whatever I want to be, as long as I don’t date til I’m thirty. That’s okay though,” she leaned closer to me, and I found myself stooping down to listen to her secret. “Doesn’t matter, because I’m gonna marry Trigger.”

I snorted, standing back up to my full height. “Over my dead body, kid. Or probably his.”

She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, but her bottom lip wobbled. Ah crap. “Hey, don’t do that. Look, what I meant is that you’ll find someone better than fu-” crap, “err Trigger. You’ll find a man who will see you as a princess to cherish and a warrior queen to stand beside. He’ll think you are his world and he will love you with everything he has, and then burn down the world to give you just a little bit more.”

She gave me a squinty eyed glare. “Promise?”

I nodded solemnly. “I’ll make sure of it. So will Sammie, right?”

He nodded, but he was still watching me pensively. “Like you love Judas?”

I reared back, all the blood draining from my face and then flowing back to pool in my cheeks. Dammit, I was fucking blushing like a Southern Belle.

“Where’d you hear that?” I growled, realizing I sounded a little more ominous than I meant when Sammie’s face went pale too. Fuck. “It’s okay,” I said, putting out a softening hand.

Cara grinned happily. “We saw him kissing you. K.I.S….umm, N.G.E?” My lips quirked. Fuck, she was cute.

Sammie was still watching me with a pensive expression. Marco seemed cool with my relationship with Judas, but Sammie and Cara’s parents sounded like scumbags, so I wouldn’t put it past them to be fucking homophobes. “He looked at you like Marco looks at Sera. Like he wants to marry you.”

I nodded. What the hell did I say to that? “Yeah, we love each other.”

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