Page 26 of Scythe's Salvation
Finally, reluctantly, he pulls back, kissing me lightly several times, before his lips touch my forehead. I’m a sucker for movies where the male character kisses the woman he’s seeing there and I don’t know why because in the scheme of things, it feels far more intimate than the tongue dueling we just did, or anythingsexual. Needless to say, I’m pretty much goo in his hands at this point.
“Had a good time tonight, Tam,” he huskily tells me. I can feel his hardness against my abdomen and belly, which affirms his statement. “Can’t wait until later this week. We’ll have two days to spend together around my family, where we can get to know each other better.”
“I’m looking forward to it too, Scythe,” I confess. “I want to meet your chosen family and the fact that there will be kids around Chance’s age is definitely a bonus.”
“It’s all part of my plan,” he replies.
“What plan?”
“To make you fall so deeply in love with me that you’ll say you’ll be mine forever. I figure if you meet the crazy relatives and survive without running away screaming, I’m one step closer to that goal,” he says, smirking at me.
Since I’m merrily trotting down that road already, I just nod. “Not much scares me, Scythe,” I warn. “As a boy mom I’ve been exposed to worse, trust me!”
He chuckles and kisses me again before saying, “Go on inside, Tam, and lock up. I’ll wait to leave until you’re safely inside."
“Good night, Scythe. Thanks for tonight.”
“My pleasure, beautiful.”
I walk back up the pathway, my feet feeling as though they’re floating above the ground. Once I’m inside with the doors locked, I hear his bike start up and roar away. Before I head to my room for the night so I can get some relief, I do a ‘refresh’of the living room and kitchen. It’s something I read somewhere that when you take fifteen or so minutes at night to reset your living space, it makes it easier to keep things straight. Since we’re always so busy, I do it while I run through the next day’s schedule. After I’m done, I take a long,verysatisfying shower then drift off to sleep with thoughts of a future with Scythe by my side in my dreams.
The past three days have been busy as hell between school, practices, and my clients, but today’s the day for Roxy’s family’s adoption and party. As I put the finishing touches on a seven-layer dip I made, I hear Chance clambering down the hallway. When I look up, I burst out laughing. He’s got his swim goggles up on his head and his arms are loaded down with his fishing gear and tackle box, as well as a baseball glove and a football.
“Chance, buddy, what on earth?” I question, still giggling.
“Scythe said there would be other kids there and I don’t know what they like, Mommy,” he says. “So, I thought I’d bring everything with me!”
I shake my head at his thoughts. “I’m sure they’ll have things there to do,” I reply. “But we can take it with us in case you need anything.”
He grins and heads out to the garage, muttering, “I hope we get to fish today and that they have chicken livers!”
Still giggling, I pack the dip up in a carrying case, then check the small cooler that’s got kid-friendly drinks. I’m positive they’ll have all of those things, but I was taught by Memaw not to showup somewhere empty handed. Once I have that in the back of my SUV, I go back inside to grab the gift bags for the kids, as well as my purse and keys. I reached out to Roxy and got some ideas for her two children, even though she said presents weren’t necessary. Since they’re being officially adopted, I wanted to get them something to commemorate the occasion, grateful that Amara was up to do a little shopping the other night after work.
I haven’t talked to Scythe much because he’s been just as busy trying to get his clients taken care of so he can take off for a few days, but we’ve gotten great at texting each other. Sometimes, I find a meme or reel to send him, while other times, he asks how my day is going. One day, he sent over lunch to me, which earned him a quick phone call as I stuffed my face full of the Chipotle bowl he got me. He’s slowly worming his way into my heart, that’s for damn sure, and the best thing is, he’s doing it at a pace that I’m comfortable with, especially since it’s not just me in this; it’s my son as well. He already looks up to Scythe with something like hero worship, and I suspect once he meets Scythe’s brothers, he’s going to add a few more men to that list.
Which doesn’t bother me. Iwantmy son to have good male role models. Regardless of what Tim’s done since he left, I don’t envision him being that for my boy, so I’m glad that Scythe seems to be unique. “Come on, Mommy, hurry up! The fish are probably biting already,” Chance exclaims, already in his booster seat and safely buckled in.
“Just getting the last few things,” I reply as I finish loading up my car. “Okay, are we ready?” I ask once I’m in the driver’s seat and also buckled.
“Ready, Freddy,” he says, giggling.
As we head toward the clubhouse, I send up a silent prayer that he always has laughter in his life. I also ask that whoever the judge we get for the custody hearing is fair, and that they have a heart for moms who’ve been doing it on their own. Although… there’s a tiny voice that says I should accept any monetary help that’s given, especially if back allotment is considered. There’s so much I could do with that money, including fencing in my backyard so that I can see about getting Chance a puppy to grow up with him.
The trip doesn’t take long at all and soon, I’m being waved through the gates by a man that Scythe says is a prospect for the club. While I don’t know all the terminology, I’ll learn, I’m sure. I look at where he pointed and see other cars, so I pull into a spot and shut my SUV down. Chance quickly unbuckles, saying, “Hurry, Mommy!”
As I exit the driver’s side, I laugh and reply, “Gonna need your help to carry all of this.”
“No, you don’t,” Scythe says, having come out to greet us. “Prospect!” he yells, and I see another man, who looks like the one who let me in, come running over from where he was filling giant aluminum bathtubs with ice while another guy was putting sodas inside. When he reaches us, Scythe points to the back of my car, which is already open, and says, “Take care of whatever she’s brought.”
“Yes, sir,” the kid replies as Chance starts dragging out his fishing stuff, as well as the sporting gear.
“Look what I brought, Scythe!” Chance says, grinning up at him.
“Seems like you’re ready to fish, huh?” Scythe asks, chuckling.
“You said some people were going to do that, so I brought my stuff,” he replies.
“Well, how about we walk your mom around back so I can introduce her to some of the other women, then I’ll take you down to where RiffRaff and the guys are so we can fish for a little while. How does that sound?” Scythe questions, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together.
