Page 146 of Sadistic

It's been ONE DAY

Dalla’s quick, as always:

Tell that to her. She's already knitting baby booties.

"Speaking of Dalla," I say, setting the phone aside. "Tell me more about these houses."

He lights up, swiping through photos again. "The modern one is in Riverside. Gated community but not obnoxiously so. Good schools nearby."

"Schools?"

"For the future." He glances at me. "No pressure. Just... planning ahead."

"Kids." The word feels heavy. "We haven't talked about kids."

"Do you want them?"

"Eventually. Maybe. Do you?"

"With you? Yes." He says it simply, like it's obvious. "But not until you're ready. Not until you finish law school and establish your career."

"You've thought about this."

"I've thought about everything when it comes to you." He shows me another house. "This one's more traditional. Brick, big yard. Your mom would love the kitchen."

"You're already planning for my mom to visit?"

"She's your mother. Of course she'll visit." He seems genuinely puzzled by my surprise. "Rev, I'm not trying to isolate you. I want to build a life with you, and that includes your family."

"Even my father? Who threatened to feed you to gators at one point in the past?"

"Especially him. Man's got to respect the threat. It was creative."

I laugh. "You're ridiculous."

"But you married me anyway."

"Against my better judgment."

"Story of our lives." He sets the phone down, pulls me onto his lap. "No regrets?"

"Ask me in a year."

"Deal." He kisses me, slow and deep. "Want to go back to bed? We have nowhere to be."

"Actually..." I pull back. "I want to go out. See the city. Be normal for once."

"Normal." He considers this. "I can do normal."

An hour later, we're walking through downtown like any other couple.

Well, except for Mikhail trailing us at a discreet distance.

"He's not very subtle," I observe.

"He's not trying to be. Visible security deters more than hidden."

"So much for normal."

---