Page 94 of Embers in the Dark

I honestly want to talk about everything with the guys,but I also don’t want to cause more friction. Tensions are high as it is when we go on a call, I don’t need to add more to it with the news of Baylee and I getting "married."

“Don’t think I’ll forget,” River scolds.

“Believe me, I know,” I say. “You’re my ride, remember?”

River rubs his hands together, remembering he’ll get my undivided attention, and I regret getting that ride with him. Between the two brothers, I’m wishing I’d asked Clay instead. I look over at the other Nichols brother and I can tell he knows exactly what I’m thinking. The laugh he lets out confirms it too.

The moment I walk into the apartment, Baylee sits up on the couch, yawning. From the blanket hanging off the opposite end, it looks like she slept in the living room.

“Bay, why are you out here?” I drop my bag at the door after locking up behind me.

She stretches her arms above her head, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Even as she’s waking up, with her hair haphazardly pointing in all directions, she’s still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

“I just got up and fell asleep again. I wanted to wait out here for you,” she says. “My class got canceled today.” She rests her head on her hands as she waits for me to walk over to her. I lean over and kiss her lips.

I look over at the coffee table and see some crafting supplies laid out.

“What’s all that?” I gesture.

“Oh, your mom taught me how to cross-stitch last time I went over there. Dr. Nuys told me picking up a hobby outside of school might be good to get my mind off everything with Myles, and your mom said embroidery is fun. She wasn’t wrong. Turns out I’m not bad at it.” She shrugs.

“So that’s the design you went with while sitting across from my mom?” I look at her.

“Well, obviously not. This is what I’m doing while I’m here. The ‘Fuck Cancer’ design is the one I do while I’m around your mom. She likes that one.” She smiles brightly.

“That’s a relief. I was hoping an embroidered dick wasn’t something you were doing while hanging out with my sweet mother.” I laugh, although I wouldn’t put it past Baylee to do something like that.

“It’s not just any dick, Tucker; it’s yours, obviously. Don’t you see how I put a shimmery thread right there and embroidered your piercing to show it’s your dick?” She gives me aduhexpression.

“How could I have missed that?” I deadpan.

“How was your night?” She changes the subject, even though I know she’s holding back a laugh at how ridiculous this entire conversation has been so far.

“Long. I felt like the minute we got back to the station and got comfortable, there'd be another call. It was one thing after another, but all the calls were successful. No losses, so that’s always positive,” I tell her as I move toward the kitchen.

“That’s always a good thing,” she says. “Your mom was doing well when I left the house.” She stretches again and yawns.

“Why don’t you go to bed and try to catch a few more hours of sleep if you don’t have class?” I say as I grab a mug.

“Because I missed you and now that I don’t have class, I want to spend it staring at you and maybe touching you all over,” she says.

I look over my shoulder and catch her looking at my ass. “Excuse me, were you checking me out?”

She bites her lower lip and finally looks up to meet my eyes. “Maybe. Can’t I ogle my husband?” The smirk she gives me tells me she only has one thing on the agenda this morning.

I can’t help the way my dick reacts to the smoldering way her gaze keeps taking me in. “Well, if you crave something, why don’t you come show me what you’d like.”

She throws the blanket off her and makes her way over. The way she confidently strides over to me shows the Baylee I remember from before that monster got ahold of her. I don’t see the vulnerable person she was the night I got that call from her anymore. That heavy shield that kept her down with fear and shame is no longer holding her back. She’s standing tall and strong again. Seeing that beauty shine brightly from her is something that only makes me feel pride for this woman I love.

The moment she’s within my reach, I bring my fingers through her hair and she leans into my touch.

“I hope you know that without you, I don’t exist.” I brush my lips against hers.

“You’re a ray of light, Tucker.” She runs her fingers through my beard.

“Now I know what life looks like with you in it. I can’t exist without you by my side, Firefly.” I grab her cheeks and kiss her, deepening the connection. I swallow her moan, intertwining our tongues. She grabs my forearms, and I feel her dig her nails into my skin and it only turns me on.

“I love you, wife,” I say when I pull away slightly. I know our vows still need to be official, but that piece of paper doesn’t prove to me that she’s mine. This right here, holding her in my arms is the only proof I need. From the way she smiles before I once again bring my lips back to hers, I know she feels the same.

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