Skin and Bone: A Psychological Thriller
Page 22
And then I say I do, and he says I do. And we’re declared man and wife.
I kiss Davis like I’ve never kissed him before. Free of any weight, of any guilt. Free of the past and any imposters.
This is our future, the start of the story of Sawyer and Davis Knox.
I kept telling him there was no way, that it was impossible, but Davis kept insisting that he would deliver the best wedding present possible.
After the ceremony and the family dinner, and finally the reception party that seemed to last an eternity, I changed out of my dress and Davis and I were sent off with sparklers. We rode in the new SUV we purchased together. We cut through the fading light, though it isn’t dark just yet.
Davis insisted the reception had to be wrapped up before dark so he could do his big reveal.
We turn down one road and then another. We drive past homes that are halfway built, past all the construction equipment. And then our tires touch a driveway and we wind our way back through thick trees.
And then there it is.
It has the sleek modern charm that made me fall in love with the first, but it’s bigger and more dramatic with my touch. And it means everything, because we created it together.
That’s our house.
I kept telling Davis there was no way we could get it built in six months, but he promised he’d have it done for this night.
He delivered.
“Davis, this is amazing,” I say in wonder as he parks in the wide driveway. He smiles as he climbs out and goes to open my door for me. He takes my hand as he helps me out of the car.
“I deliver on my promises, Mrs. Knox,” he says, offering me a coy smile as he raises my hand and presses a kiss to the back of my knuckles.
I smile, shaking my head at my husband, marveling at how perfect and weird that title sounds in my head.
Hand in hand, we walk up the sidewalk and I take it all in.
It’s always an incredible experience, seeing something I designed come to life. When it’s no longer just paper and pencil marks, but wood and glass and metal.
My heart swells with satisfaction and excitement for what is going to happen in this house.
It’s a piece of both of us. Built right in the middle of our identities, our beginnings.
I’m so ready for our fresh start here in Woodinville.
Davis pulls his keys out and unlocks the front door. The smile begins forming on my face before he even grabs me. I knew it was coming.
He scoops me into his arms, grinning like a fool and I give a loud squeal.
“Welcome home, Sawyer,” he breathes, kissing me as he steps over the threshold.
I could take a moment to appreciate the beautiful house. I could admire the lighting or the floors. I could notice that it’s even completely furnished with everything we picked out together.
Instead, I just wrap my arms behind Davis’ head and sink further into his kiss. I let my mouth open wide for him, relishing in how perfect we fit together.
I groan as he aims down the hall where the master bedroom is. But he backs me against a wall before we reach it, my feet setting back down on the floor, letting his hands slide down my sides, to my hips, wrapping around back to pull me tighter to him.
This is it, the moment we’ve been holding out for for so long now. With the past always creeping in and interrupting, there’s a threshold we still haven’t crossed.
Ezra has been there, yelling in the back of our heads, weighing down on our chests. Charity has been there, mocking us with the insanity she put us through.
I didn’t know it, but from the day after I left after moving into my own apartment again, Davis couldn’t stay in his house. He’d gone to stay in one of his empty rentals. He couldn’t stand to be in the house where he’d shot a woman who looked just like me. He couldn’t sleep without me sharing the same walls, he’d said.
Ezra sold his house within three months of learning the truth about Charity. He moved in with his parents, and he’s still there so they can help with baby Kaden.
Charity changed everything. She uprooted entire lives, destroyed them.
But without her, Davis and I never would have intersected again. We’d still be living our separate lives. We never would have known Ezra had a problem. He never would have gotten the help he needed.
Am I supposed to feel thankful for what she did?
Hell no.
But how can I really hate her? Because she changed everything and somehow it all shifted into the exact place it should be.
For now, I choose to shove her out of my mind, as my husband’s hands reach lower, lifting me right off the floor. He carries me down the hall, pushing the door to the bedroom open.
I squeal as he topples both of us into the bed. Reaching up, I caress the side of his face as he looks down at me.
“I love you,” I say, feeling every one of those words.
“I love you too, Sawyer Knox,” he says, the intensity in his eyes growing, building the anticipation in my lower belly.
He leans down and kisses me.
Good riddance to being Sawyer James. The name is forever tainted. A bad memory with a bad taste on my tongue.
Being Sawyer Knox is so much better.
THE END
A Tale of Insidious Obsession…
Check out THREE HEART ECHO
Welcome to Roselock, where the ground bleeds, and the night screams.
After the senseless murder of her fiancé, Iona Faye can’t move on. There was no happily ever after, and no goodbye. Desperate for closure, she goes to see Roselock’s one and only reclusive inhabitant.
Sully Whitmore has lived a life of seclusion, with one hand on the gate to the other side, and a family curse binding him to the town his ancestors founded. When Iona demands he speak to Jack for her one last time, he knows something is wrong. She paints a picture of love and devotion, but Sully sees something else: a story of possession. A story of lies. A story of two faces.
But it’s too late now. Sully has opened the gate. And he will help Iona find the truth about Jack, if it’s the last thing he does.
Also by T.L. Keary
Also by T.L. Keary
OUR LAST CONFESSION
THREE HEART ECHO
Also by Keary Taylor (science fiction & fantasy pen name)
THE BLOOD DESCENDANTS UNIVERSE
House of Royals Saga
Garden of Thorns Trilogy
Crown of Death Saga
THE FALL OF ANGELS TRILOGY
THE NERON RISING SAGA
THE EDEN TRILOGY
Also by Annie K. (contemporary romance pen name)
THE McCAIN SAGA
WHAT I DIDN’T SAY
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About the Author
T.L. Keary is the psychological thriller pen name of USA TODAY bestselling author Keary Taylor. She has written over thirty-five novels, encompassing suspense, thriller, sci-fi, paranormal, and contemporary romance. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where, from a young age, she started creating imaginary worlds, dark motives, and daring characters who had a tendency to fall in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and a beautiful valley in Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.keeps her up at night.
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