by T. S. Joyce
Tabby smiled. “It’s one of my favorite days with you, girl. We had so many, but this was my favorite.”
“How are you here?” Mae asked.
Tabby shrugged and leaned against the tree. “Willpower. The magic of this town. Raina.”
“Raina?”
“I asked her before I died if she would tether me here until you didn’t need me anymore. Plus I wanted to make sure you are taking care of my chicken.”
“Squirts is doing good!”
“Yeah, you turned into a stage five clinger on her, child. She ain’t your baby, she’s a fuckin’ chicken.”
Mae scoffed. “Says the woman who was buried in a chicken casket made in her likeness. If I’m a stage five clinger, I came by it honestly. You’re the same way.”
A slow smile stretched Tabby’s face. “No, child. You’re different. You’re better. You cling to the right things.”
Mae sat back on the swing. Something told her if she got too close to Tabby, this dream would end and she would disappear. “What do you mean?”
“You clung to the right boy, Mae Lynn. I clung to a chicken because I couldn’t choose a boy. I was too scared my whole life. I never loved a man like I should’ve. I never let myself.” Her voice dipped to a whisper. “You’re different in the best ways, honey. You get so damn loyal, and that used to scare me when you were a kid. I thought, ‘God, she’s going to throw that loyalty to people who don’t deserve it someday.’ But you didn’t. You threw it at Cole, and when that happened, I watched you thrive. You were never as beautiful as when you were madly in love with him.” Her eyes filled with tears. “And now you’re beautiful like that again.”
“Can I ask a question?”
“I don’t have much time.”
“Just one.”
Tabby faded and came back in clear again, glitched and came back.
In a rush, Mae asked, “Why did you give me the house?”
“Just in case you found your way back home.”
“To Uncertain?”
“No, baby. To Cole.”
She faded again, and Mae could see right through her to the snowy woods. It didn’t snow much in Uncertain, but that winter, it had snowed so much school had been cancelled for the day, and she and Tabby had spent the entire day, from sun up to sun down, in their pjs, cooking comfort food, drinking hot chocolate, and watching their favorite movies. “This was one of my favorite days with you too,” Mae murmured.
Tabby twitched her chin at something behind her, and Mae turned. Through the snow, a German Shepherd trotted toward them. He was smaller and wore a collar. His tongue was flopped to the side, and he panted as he approached. Max? His tail went crazy when he saw her, wagging so hard his whole body shook. When he bolted forward, Mae knelt in the snow and held out her arms. She could feel him! She could feel his fur and his kisses all over her face, feel his claws when he jumped up on her. He did his turns in the snow, spinning to expel his excitement like he’d always done. He didn’t look sad like Cole had described him. He just looked like Max.
A short whistle sounded from Tabby, and Max’s excited yip echoed through the woods as he sprinted for her. He slid the last few feet in the snow, rolled straight to his back and kicked his legs up in the air like a happy pup. His doggo smile filled Mae’s heart. Tabby knelt to scratch his belly. “Aw, there he is. Come to visit me so soon. Cole did good, didn’t he, sweet boy? He came back to our Mae Lynn. That’s a goooood boy,” she crooned. Tabby stood, and Max moved to her side, sat facing Mae, panting, dark brown eyes bright.
To Mae, Tabby said, “Call on Raina, child. Everything’s gotta go to hell before it can get better.”
“What?” Mae asked, stepping forward.
Tabby and Max were translucent.
Sadness swam in Tabby’s eyes. “I’m sorry for it, Mae, but it’s got to get worse. I promise though, everything will be okay.”
“Cole says that.” Mae took a few steps forward, her sneakers crunching in the snow.
Tabby smiled. “Tell Cole and Raina I’ll take good care of him.” Her fingertip brushed the top of Max’s head, and he laid his ears back and rested the side of his face against her leg.
“I…I don’t understand,” Mae said as the wind picked up, blowing snow all around them.
“You will. Call on Raina. Now come hug me and get your closure, child.”
Mae closed the distance between them, snow surrounding them, the wind roaring. Tabby was barely there anymore, but Mae stumbled into her arms, and she could feel her. She squeezed her so tight and rested her cheek against hers. Tabby was warm, the only thing that was warm about this place. “I don’t want you to go.”
“Greedy child, go feed my chicken. And tell your cousin Tony my ghost thinks he’s a queef. And tell Thomas he was always my favorite boyfriend and to stop talking to that trampy trollop, Brenda Forbes. She has crabs. I don’t know if she really has them, but tell Thomas my ghost says she does. I’m gonna need the boyfriends to all mourn my death longer than a week.”
****
Mae gasped and sat up in bed. She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry.
She reached out for Cole’s fur for comfort. He’d curled up in bed with her when she’d gone to sleep, but he wasn’t there. “Cole?” she asked the darkness. There wasn’t an answer.
She untangled her legs from the sheets and padded out of the bedroom and down the hallway. The porch light was on and filtered through the window, illuminating Cole.
He sat on the floor, human again, leaned against the couch.
A wave of relief washed over her like a storm. “Are you real?” she whispered.
Half of his handsome face was cast in that gold light from the window. Light brown eyes, that looked tired but happy, short beard, chiseled cheeks, mussed hair.
“I love you, too,” he said in a raspy voice. “I wanted to come back and say that.”
She bit her lip so hard because of her promise to herself. No more tears. She closed the cold distance between them and sat on his warm lap, cupped his cheeks, and searched his eyes. “I know.” She could tell. He’d made it happen; he’d Changed back for her.
He pulled her into his strong embrace and hugged her tight, rocking gently. “I don’t know how long I can stay.”
“Even if it’s a minute, it’s enough.”
He chuckled. “Woman, I need more than a minute with you. Wearing that damn low-cut nighty is driving me mad.”
She laughed and drew back, wiggled her shoulders so her boobs would bounce for him. She was so damn happy she and Cole were already back to normal, joking. His six-pack looked extra yummy tonight.
He rested his hand on the side of her neck and pressed his thumb against her chin, lifting her gaze to his. His eyes roiled with intensity. “You stayed.”
All she could do was nod. Complete and utter joy had frozen the words in her throat. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle. It was another “I love you.” It was lips moving against each other, no rush, memorizing the taste of a kiss all over again. This was the place she was happiest in the world—in his strong arms, connected, touching. The rest of the world always faded away when he touched her like this. The only place she could escape was in Cole.
His hand slipped to her waist, and he gripped the fabric there as she rolled slowly against him. He hadn’t put on clothes after his Change, and only a pair of panties under her nightie separated her from his thick, hard erection.
If they had five minutes or a day, she wanted to spend it just like this.
Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your time together.
She peeled her nighty over her head, and when she opened her eyes, Cole was looking at her as if she was stunning. How could a woman not feel like a queen when a man looked at her like this? He leaned into her and massaged one breast while his lips found the other. The scratch of his beard made her arch her back and look up at the ceiling, grip his hair in the back to keep him in place.
&nb
sp; “Cooooole,” she murmured as his tongue lapped at her.
A growl rattled from his throat and vibrated right through her. Mmmmm.
His grip on her waist tightened, and he dragged her body against him. He released the tight bud of her nipple, and the sound of her panties ripping filled the room. He tossed the shred of fabric aside and ground against her sex. She was already wet, already ready for him, but he didn’t rush. Her Cole explored every inch of her with his hands. Firm grip, massaging, then gentle fingers dragging down her arms, creating trails of warmth where he touched her. She was arching her back, rocking against him, begging.
His thick cock felt so good resting between her legs. She found a rhythm and ground against him until he was panting, losing it right along with her.
And when his lips found hers again, she lifted up. He grabbed his cock and slid it deep, deeeep inside of her. Mae slid her arms around his neck and pressed into him, keeping their thrusting shallow and slow.
The groan in his throat was everything. It rippled chills up her arms. God, she loved making him feel good. It intensified the sensations in her own body. He was so big, so thick, hitting her just right with every stroke. And it was building fast, that pace to release, that indescribably good feeling that pulsed between her legs every time he drove deeper.
His hands were rough when they gripped her hips, and his smile and eyes were feral when he looked up at her. Illuminated in gold light, his face twisted into something half animal, half man. She couldn’t help the wicked smile on her face.
Mine. Mine, mine, mine.
She gripped his hair harder in the back as he dug his fingers into her waist and yanked her forward and back harder and faster. Harder. Faster. She threw her head back and moaned as her orgasm quaked through her body.
“Fffffffuuuuck,” he growled as he rammed into her again. His dick swelled and pulsed, filling her with shots of heat to match her own release. On and on, they throbbed together, Cole dragged her waist where he needed to, until at least the tension left their bodies and they melted against each other.
Drained, they both just touched. Explored. Comforted. There were no words here in the dark, only heartbeats and gentle fingertips tracing skin and curves. Only languid kisses here and there.
It hadn’t been rushed and desperate like last time. There was no panic after, or questioning what the hell they’d just done. There was only the acceptance of a deeper bond with no fear.
The walls between them were down, annihilated by her decision to stick to this place, to stick with him.
There was something so beautiful about vulnerability and acceptance. Something so peaceful about exposing the shadows of your soul and not being thrown away.
Tabby had been right. She was different. Her heart had chosen Cole, and that had been that. The years away from here hadn’t softened her affection for him. Even when she’d thought he was dead, it hadn’t severed the bond she felt with him.
“You’re it for me, Cole,” she whispered, tracing circles right over his heart. “Of course, I stayed.”
She could feel his smile against her cheek. “You stay, and I promise you, I’ll earn it.”
And it was enough.
This life she was choosing might seem small to some people, but to her, it was more than enough.
Chapter Seventeen
Cole’s body was humming. It was vibrating with readiness, but for what, he didn’t know. He hoped it wasn’t a Change back so soon, but when he checked behind him in the kitchen for the tenth time, Max still wasn’t there looking sad and staring at him. He wasn’t there at all.
He stirred the eggs and pulled the toast out of the toaster, started buttering one. It was barely dawn, the first streaks of gray peeking over the horizon, just over the lake shore outside of Tabby’s window. No…Mae’s window now.
She slipped her arms around his waist from behind and rested her cheek against his spine. Warm, beautiful girl. Warm-hearted mate. She was fire, and he supposed she was just realizing that. She was changing, becoming stronger, coming into her own, knowing her mind more. The girl had left Uncertain three years ago, and she’d come back a woman who was a force of nature. He’d missed a lot of her journey, but he wouldn’t miss any more of her life.
The sunrise here couldn’t be beat. Not with her hugging him like this.
“You happy?” he asked.
“Stupid amounts of happy.” Her voice was sleepy and sweet. “We might only have a day or two together, so I’ve made an itinerary.”
“Oh, geez, okay. Let’s hear it.”
Her warmth disappeared, and he watched over his shoulder as she ripped a sheet of paper off a yellow notepad. She tore it right through the scribbled list and cursed. She mumbled, “It’s okay. I have it memorized,” then left part of the list still attached to the notepad and bunny-hopped over to the counter next to him. The hem of the blue oversize T-shirt she was wearing bounced around her knees with each jump, and then she twisted around and jumped up to sit on the counter, missed, and nearly busted it on the kitchen floor. Cole caught her. She’d always been on the clumsy side. That part hadn’t changed.
Chuckling, he settled her back, kissed her sweet lips, and mussed her honey-streaked dark hair. It was all messy from the couple of hours of sleep they’d gotten and from him rolling her over this morning and sliding into her again.
“Adventure number one: I take a shower and get extra cute and make you fall in love with me.”
“Adventure number one, check. You’re already extra cute, and I already feel that way about you.”
With a flourish, she marked right through that one with a pen. Only the pen ripped through the paper.
“Woman, you’re hell on paper, aren’t you?”
“Adventure number two.” She grinned and looked up from her list, the furrow between her dark eyebrows lifting. “I said number two. Get it? It’s a doody joke.”
He shook his head and went back to buttering her piece of toast.
“Go shopping for dog toys and a new dog bed and some flea shampoo—” She cut up laughing as he tickled her. “Just kidding, just kidding. Go out on a lunch date and maybe a movie, like a normal couple. You will be a perfect gentleman, and—”
“Put me in a dark movie theater with you, and I’m gonna feel you up.”
“Perfect. Number three…come home and do it one, maybe two, times.”
“Number three is my favorite so far.”
“Number four, feed our baby chickens together.”
“Those chickens are grown-ass chickens. You probably need to clear the eggs out of their coop soon.”
“Five, do it again.”
Cole snorted and handed her a piece of toast, then took a bite of his own. “What’s number six?”
“Dinner. Homecooked. I want that gumbo you and your dad and brother used to make on Sundays. Oh! Maybe we should invite them over.” She stuck her tongue out the corner of her mouth as she wrote a note on the list.
“You would share me?” he asked. He didn’t know why that surprised him. She’d always supported his time with his family before, but now…well, his time was much more limited.
“Of course. They are your team, too. Plus I’ve missed them. It would be fun to have a dinner. Like old times. I think it’s okay if we do some of the stuff we used to do.”
Around another bite, he asked, “Okay, what’s number seven?”
Her eyes sparked with excitement. “I’ve missed the fireflies.”
“It’s late in the season for them.”
“I’ve seen a few in the woods at night,” she said.
“Firefly date?”
Her voice dipped to a whisper, “You know how we danced the other night in the living room? Right before you Changed? I want to dance in the fireflies. With you.”
Sweet Mae. Sweet, sweet Mae. How had he gone so long without her? She was positive and bright and funny, and she siphoned the darkness from his life.
“Holt found a place. He used to
go there to think, and he would take his trusty dog with him. Now he takes Bre there, but for a long time, it was a place where I got through some of my demons, too.”
“I want to go there,” she said on a breath. “Even if we just see a few, I want to dance there.”
“Okay,” he murmured, unable to look away from her pretty hazel eyes. “What’s number eight.”
“You bang me again.”
He belted out a laugh. “Mae, how much stamina do you think I have?”
“I have faith in you,” she said, smiling brightly.
Her creepy house-chicken squawked and bawked and came flapping and flying into the kitchen. Mae covered her face and squealed as the little feathered torpedo crash-landed onto the counter beside her. Feathers were flying, but Squirts looked pretty damn proud of herself as she looked around her domain, head held high.
She tried to pet it, but the chicken pecked her.
Mae flinched away. “Ouch.” She rubbed her wrist bone and whispered, “I’ll never give up on you chicken baby. You can’t hide from my love forever.”
She looked very serious so Cole tried not to laugh but, good Lord, why would she want the affection of a zombie chicken? She attached to strange things, himself included. Biting back his smile, he pulled her wrist to his lips and kissed her on the bone, then flipped her wrist over and brushed his fingertip over the tiny tattoo there. He’d thought about it so much since the day he’d seen it. The ink was simple, just a word in cursive. Remember.
“Remember what?” he asked, searching her eyes.
Her face softened and she ducked her gaze, but he’d seen it—the blush in her cheeks. “Remember the good. Remember there’s better to come. Remember who I am. I guess there were a lot of meanings, but the biggest one was…” She hid her face, leaned forward, and rested her forehead against his chest. “Remember a boy. Remember you. Remember how strong you made me feel, how safe. I looked at this tattoo so many times in the city when I was unsure.”
Was it possible to love this woman any more than he already did? In this moment, he realized it was. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to keep surprising me your whole life,” he murmured, running his hands through her hair and scratching her scalp gently.