Page 105 of Fight
“How are the kiddos?”
We exit the aisle, and move toward the poultry section while Teddy regales me with Dalton’s latest funny story. I’m deciding on a pack of chicken when we’re interrupted by the last guy I should be seeing when I’m in a mood.
“Hey Cal. Good to see you and Scottie made it back down safely,” Dave says, stepping up next to me. “Sounds like you had quite the adventure.”
I swear the universe is testing me.
“Yup.” I clench my jaw.
“It’s been nice to have her back at the station.” He’s baiting me.
“She missed a day, not a week,” I remind him.
His smarmy smile grates on my nerves. “Well, when you’re used to having her around, one day can feel like a lot.”
Teddy sighs. “Shit.”
We spin to look at her, and she holds up her spread fingers. “I’m just here for the violence… and—and… this turkey.” She smiles innocently, wrestling a sixteen-pound bird from the refrigerated bay next to us and dropping it in my cart.
Great.
I roll my eyes at her and turn back to face Dave, briefly checking our surroundings before I continue.
Leaning toward him, I lower my voice. “I didn’t fight you when you slept with Molly, I hope she’s happy with you, truly. But if I find out you try to interfere withmyScottie, or spend extra time with her, or make her feel uncomfortable, I will feed you your fucking teeth.”
I flip the chicken over in the skillet as it sizzles, and the scent of garlic is mouthwatering. Scottie should be home any minute. Overall, I think I made some progress today. I moved Scottie into my house, gave her notice at her apartment, had a nice chat with her future ex-husband, and even made an appointment with a therapist. Which, after leaving the hotel and grocery store today, I’m going to need.
Jonathan and I remained civil during our discussion, but unfortunately, I didn’t walk away with a solid answer from him. Regardless of what he decides, Scottie isn’t going anywhere.
Her car pulls into the driveway just as I glance out the window. My shoulders relax at the sight of her. I should be concerned with how fast I’ve adjusted to the idea of moving her in here, but it feels normal. There’s a peacefulness about her. She has a soothing presence whenever she’s near. It’s been like that since the beginning, even when I wasn’t ready to receive it.
I meet her at the back door, opening it up.
“Don’t hug me yet, I gotta take a shower. Had a pretty messy call today.” She toes off her shoes at the door.
“Thought you weren’t going on calls?”
“I’m not, but I still cleaned the rig afterward.”
I wince, baring my teeth. “Do I wanna know?”
“Nope,” she exclaims, popping the P.
She drops her bag at the door, then steers past me. “I don’t know what you’re making, but it smells amazing!” she yells as she sprints up the stairs. Less than a minute later, I hear the shower turn on.
On the way to the stove, I grab tongs and click them twice before removing the chicken breasts from the pan and setting them aside. Then I pour in some chicken broth and heavy cream, stirring it around. This might not be the healthiest thing in the world, but damn is it delicious. And after a season of eating prepackaged food, I’m ready for something homemade. While the sauce thickens in the pan, I remove the salad I made earlier from the fridge and set out a few plates.
I pause at my actions. “Holy shit. This doesn’t even feel weird,” I mutter, then laugh, amused at the entire ordeal. “Why doesn’t this feel weird?”
Scottie returned to my house after work—we practically had aHoney, I’m home!moment, I’m making dinner, we’re going to eat in the dining room, then probably watch a movie, and go to bed. She lives here now. There’s a good chance I’ve been running off instinct since I went after her on Quell’s. We were in survival mode. Now, it’s all hitting at once. The interesting part is that I’m fine with it. All of it. Maybe keeping Scottie close is part of my survival.
When the shower turns off, I pluck a couple wine glasses from the rack, pour us each a glass, and place them on the dining room table. She meets me in the kitchen with wet hair, snaking her hands around me from behind as I plate the food. Spinning in her arms, I grab under her thighs and lift her up. She instinctively wraps her legs around my waist, and I steal her lips with mine. Her delicate fingers skim over the scruff on mycheeks, and she brushes her thumbs over my temples. Scottie pulls away, and we stare at each other. She’s drinking all of me in, like she’s memorizing every feature.
“What are you thinking?”
Her eyes shine, and she cocks her head to the side with a reluctant smile. “That I’m going to miss this.”
“It’s going to be okay.” I press my forehead to hers. “I promised I wouldn’t let you go. I’m keeping that promise.”