Club Scars (36 page)
Authors: Mara McBain
Tags: #Drama, #Arts & Photography, #Theater, #Romantic Suspense, #Drama & Plays, #Mystery & Suspense, #Romance, #Suspense, #Literature & Fiction
“It’s good to hear you laugh again.”
She looked up as Crux sat down on the arm of the couch and kissed the top of her head.
“I know I’ve been more than a little fucked up lately, but I swear I’m going to pull it together.”
“I don’t have any doubt of that. You’re my tough old lady. And anyone would’ve been bat shit with all the things you went through the last couple of weeks.”
‘Thank you. I needed to hear that,” she said softly.
“It’s the truth.”
“In good news, look at all of the emotional closure the last couple of days have brought. Three monsters dead, the mystery of my mother solved, and Oakwood closed. My shrink is going to have a field day.”
Crux frowned in question and Kat grinned and nodded toward Ginny who was standing in the arch to the kitchen, watching them.
“The good thing is she’s cheap.”
“That’s not what Zeke tells me,” Crux said with a chuckle.
Kat smacked his thigh and looked around. Dark circles smudged many an eye and as she watched Zeke enfolded Ginny in a hug from behind and she leaned back, smothering a yawn into his brawny bicep. Reaper was sprawled on the steps with Lee a step below leaning back between his knees. She couldn’t hear their conversation, but Reap was playing with her blue-black hair and stealing fries off her plate. Mox’s laughter boomed from the kitchen where the younger group had gathered. She could see Rhys layering a burger together at the island. He didn’t even get a taste before Rain caught his wrist and directed the juicy delight to her mouth for a big bite. She wondered what was up with them. She’d have to ask Gin.
Cam kicked in her lap and she looked down. His dimples made her melt. She’d always heard kids were resilient. Cam showed no ill effects of being away from her and despite the drain of the last couple of days everyone was smiling. She looked up at a startling roar. Big Red had caught Tech in a headlock but the three hundred pound Georgia boy had managed to get the nearly seven-footer off his feet. She shook her head at their roughhousing as Amber intervened on the behalf of furniture and knickknacks. Kat grinned. Maybe the resilience applied to the young at heart as well.
Crux nudged the plush, padded basket in his bed with a doubtful look. His lips twitched and Kat kicked him under the blankets.
“It’s a cat bed,” he said with a chuckle.
“Shut up. The stupid cat never gave it more than a sniff.”
“Which still doesn’t explain why our son is in it.”
“Because I want him close tonight and it’s not safe to just put him between us. One of us could roll over on him.”
He looked pointedly at the bassinet and she shook her head stubbornly. He sighed.
“I agreed to have him in the bedroom with us, not in bed.”
“There is a cure for that,” she said, tracing the dragon on their son’s pajamas.
“We could get a guard dog, or a security system, maybe some razor wire,” he mused.
“Yes to all of that,” she said smugly. “But the cure for tonight if you don’t want him in bed with us is you could sleep on the couch. Then he’s only in bed with me.”
“But I thought I was everything you ever wanted in a husband,” he teased.
“Don’t push it buddy. You still play second fiddle to the number one man in my life.”
Crux leaned over the basket and fixed Cam with a look. “You know I’d kill any other man she said that about. You’re lucky.”
Kat’s hand landed on his cheek and guided him to her lips. The kiss was slow and intoxicating. A groan rumbled from his chest when she leaned back.
“Give me tonight with him and then the bed is all ours again.”
Crux dropped a kiss on Cam’s forehead and looked back up at her. “Baby, you can have all the time you need. The bogeyman is dead. You and our kiddo are safe. That’s all that matters. I know I don’t say it enough, but I love you, both of you. I didn’t think it was possible, but what you said to your mother today made me love you even more. Neither one of us had a real mother. Cam’s a lucky kid to have you.”
~ About the Author ~
Mara McBain grew up in tiny LaGrange, Indiana, population under three thousand. With little in the form of entertainment in the farming community, she haunted the quiet corners of the local Carnegie library. A love of reading soon led her to writing short stories and novels. She still calls the rural area home and when not writing or reading she enjoys spending time with her husband of twenty odd years and their son. You can check out her other books on Amazon or on her website at MaraMcBain.com !
Table of Contents
Table of Contents