Page 7

VIRUS

When arrived at Hook’s place, Adam and June were playing video games. He’d gone by his place and grabbed a change of clothes.

“She’s not here yet,” Nova answered his unasked question.

“I didn’t ask.”

“Your mouth didn’t, but your body did.”

“Whatever.” He dropped his bag in June’s room before heading back out to the living room. Hook had already pushed the couch back against the wall and set up a tent for the kids.

It was downright weird how quickly Nova had domesticated him.

“Beer?” Hook offered, but declined. Rae had already seen him at his worst, so he wanted to put his best foot forward. Not just for her, but for Adam. He wanted to get to know him and remember every second of it. One beer wouldn’t be enough. It would be six or more with the nerves that were plaguing him, so he wouldn’t take that chance.

Virgin on prom night level jitters, and alcohol wouldn’t help. He needed to be sharp, especially since he would be sharing a bed with Rae. Sharing a bed and not touching her. Hell, he needed a whole truckload of beer to keep his dick down, and one or two would just make him hornier.

No. He was not going to blow his chances with either one of them. They both deserved the best version of him he could give them.

Adam turned, noticing him for the first time since he walked in. “Dad,” he squealed and dropped the controller.

Adam ran into his arms like he’d known him his whole life. Then, he plopped up on the couch between and Hook and started chattering away.

was floored. He never expected Adam to just take to him. He made a mental note to ask Rae about it. had no love whatsoever for Celeste, but she’d apparently done one good thing in her life, and he had to acknowledge that. His son seemed like a well-adjusted kid.

Adam was telling him all about June and his plans for the night. didn’t have the heart to tell him there weren’t enough hours to fit all those things in. Why crush his dream?

“Adam, come on, it’s time to make puppets,” June called from the kitchen table. Nova was setting out all kinds of colored paper, markers, brown sacks, and a whole host of glitter.

Adam catapulted off the couch and bolted for the table.

“Dude, you need to get your ol’ lady under control. Glitter? That shit’s like lice, we’ll all be infested with it. The Bastards will be sparkling like fucking strippers,” whispered to Hook.

Before Hook could answer, Nova came around the table, hands on her hips. “I heard that. One, little ears, mind the language. Two, big ears,”—she pointed to hers—“will not be controlled.” She stuck her tongue out at him like a child and returned to her glitter.

“Fudge, if I ain’t the luckiest man alive,” Hook proclaimed.

“Dad, come make a puppet with me,” June called to Hook. No sooner than she said it and he was standing to obey.

“You bet, Flower.”

chuckled. “Pussy,” he whispered, but way lower this time so as not to trigger Nova’s bat hearing.

“Nah, just so in love with those two that nothing else matters but making them happy. You’ll see. You’ll do anything to see them smile.”

Them?

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Hook there was no them , just him . Rae wasn’t his and he wouldn’t blame her if she never was his again, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

Hook was already seated at the table, gluing googly eyes on a brown paper bag when Adam called out.

“Yeah, Dad. Come make a puppet with me.”

He was striding toward the table before he knew it.

Fuck if Hook wasn’t right. He didn’t even hesitate when Adam summoned.

had just finished taping on pipe cleaner arms and legs when Adam was waving his sack puppet in his face. shoved his hand into his puppet and gave its mouth a try.

“My name is Chomper and I like to chomp things,” Adam declared in a fake deep voice while chomping his puppet at ’s.

adopted a similar tone. “Well, my name is Stomper, and I like to stomp things.” He proceeded to stomp on Chomper with his flimsy pipe cleaner legs while Chomper tried to chomp down on him. The sound of Adam’s laughter was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

His son’s laughter.

He had a son, and he just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Adam got up and ran away screaming, “Stomper noooooo.”

jumped up to give chase and there she was, Rae. Looking at him the way she used to, like he was the maker of miracles. Like she was in awe of him. He didn’t realize how much he craved that look until right then and there.

He finally pulled his gaze away from the captivating blue eyes that held him hostage and saw Chomper peek around from behind her.

“I smell …” He made his puppet sniff the air. “Chomper. He’s here somewhere, I just know it, and he’s about to get a … STOMPING.” ’s puppet lunged around Rae, but Chomper feinted right. When he went right, Chomper went left. A few more rounds of that and Rae was laughing so hard she started snorting, Adam seized the opportunity to run.

“Hurry up, Chomper. This way,” June’s puppet called, and they ran toward the bedrooms. Her puppet had a pink tutu, but he didn’t know the name. It didn’t matter because his focus was stuck on Rae.

“You still do that, huh?” Stomper noted.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She tweaked the puppet’s nose before crossing her arms in challenge.

“Yes, you do. You snort when you laugh,” Stomper accused.

“Do not.”

“Do too. But I like it. It means you’re genuinely happy. And that makes me happy.” Stomper’s voice had started sounding a lot more like ’s.

“You’re beautiful when you laugh.” That was all . He couldn’t not tell her in that moment.

“Thank you, Stomper .” She kissed the puppet, and he ached for it to be him.

“What about me, don’t I get a kiss?”

Rae stared at him for so long, was convinced she would deny him.

Finally, after what felt like forever, she dropped a chaste but lingering kiss on his lips.

“Thank you, .”

“What for?”

“For just being you.”

Before he could ask her what that meant, she picked up her duffel and headed for the room.

Standing there in a daze with a puppet still stuck on his hand is where he stayed until the bustle around him got to be too much. Rae was back and helping Nova clean up the craft supplies.

“Why don’t you two take these and join the kiddos? Go grab a seat, the movie’s starting. I’ll be in as soon as the popcorn’s done.” Nova handed them cans of soda and shoed them away.

Sure enough, June and Adam were planted in front of the TV. opened the soda and handed it to Adam, while Rae did the same for June.

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, but didn’t spare a second glance. He was watching a lamp jump on a letter. Again, he found himself thinking, holy shit, I have a son.

He tore his attention away from Adam when he heard Rae’s melodic voice.

“Wow. These are … stunning. Who’s the photographer?”

“Guilty.” He heard Hook reply humbly.

“They really are captivating.” watched as she reached to touch them. Tracing them with her finger hovering above, without touching the picture itself. “The color and shadows are amazing. Everything looks so alive.”

Hook mumbled a thanks then stepped away, but ’s attention was riveted to Rae. She was in her element with photography; it was written in every micro expression she made.

He watched as an array of emotions crossed her face, while she inventoried elements of a picture. Then her expression settled into bliss as she then took in the picture as a whole.

stepped up beside her, needing to see her better, to be closer to her when she was like that.

It felt like a lifetime since he saw her that way. Radiant with euphoria. There were two things that put her in that state—photography and sex. She was a woman who gave herself over completely to both. God, he fucking missed her. When, no, if, she left again, he wouldn’t survive it.

It wasn’t just a case of loving and wanting her. He needed her. He’d just shut that need down in order to live without her. It wasn’t going to be possible anymore. But he’d fucked up so bad, he didn’t know how to make her stay. Sure, she’d agreed to start over, but he would never forget the look in her eyes when she’d seen him with Celeste. No matter what she said, she’d never completely get over that—how could she?

How could he even ask her to try? Especially when there was a living, breathing reminder of what he’d done and who he’d done it with. Even though they’d been broken up at the time, it was still a betrayal.

drank in her blissful expression, because he feared he’d never induce that look for her again.

When she shifted her attention down and to the right, her hand flew to her mouth in shock.

“Is that—?” she asked no one in particular, but the kids shushed her.

“Yeah, it is,” whispered so as not to receive another scolding from the ankle biters.

“How?”

“I put it there.”

“Why?” Her voice was breathy, and it tugged at his heart.

hesitated to answer because the answer would make him sound like a pussy in front of Hook, who sat just a few feet away, but he made a promise to himself after that night to be completely honest with Rae if she ever spoke to him again.

“When I saw Hook’s love of photography, I felt like it belonged there. A nice contrast to his, like you always tried to explain to me.” He understood the words but the way Rae would speak about it in terms of photography made her light up and so he used to pretend not to quite grasp the concept just to watch her beam.

“I never thought you’d see it, to be honest, but in my heart, I knew you’d be happy, at least in theory.” He added the last mostly to himself.

Rae turned to him with unshed tears shimmering in her eyes, but before he could ask her why, Hook piped in.

“That’s yours?” She turned away and nodded at Hook.

“It packs a lot of punch for the size. I dare to say it’s the biggest picture on the wall.” knew that was a massive compliment for Rae. She’d always tried to tell the most with the least. That’s why he’d had it framed in inner beveled reclaimed wood, measuring three inches on all sides. The picture itself was only a four-inch square. Even with that, it only took up ten inches of real estate on Hook’s wall. Most of his photos were easily twice that size.

“I have to say, I’ve been jealous of the photographer of that picture since I met Nova.”

“What? Why?”

“Because the first time she was here, it was that picture that captivated her. Mine were chopped liver as soon as she saw yours.”

Nova playfully slapped his bicep.

“That’s not how it was at all. Hook’s pictures have a very human quality, even though there isn’t a single one with a person. I knew yours was different the second I saw it. More gritty and raw. Kinda dark feeling. That’s what had my attention, not that I didn’t love his too.”

Nova leaned her head on Hook’s shoulder, and it seemed to placate the enforcer. was struck again by how different his friend was with June and Nova. The man would torture a fucker if he had to, but he was all gooey for those two.

Not for the first time, wondered if that was how people would see him when he looked at Rae.

“Hey Rae, maybe you can help me out with something I’ve always been curious about?” Hook asked.

“Sure, if I can?” She turned her attention fully toward Hook, and was at her back. A place he wouldn’t mind being, metaphorically speaking.

“When hung that there among my pictures, he said it was because my wall needed a touch of sunshine.” Hook stood and came to the wall, gesturing to various shots. “I never understood because mine are colorful, and yours is a black and white extreme close-up. I literally have a shot of the sun.” He pointed to one picture in particular. “So, what gives?”

Rae wasn’t looking at Hook. Hell, she wasn’t even facing his direction any longer. She’d spun around to face as soon as the word sunshine left Hook’s mouth.

When she didn’t answer, did. “Because she’s Sun Rae, Sunny, my very own ray of sunshine.” He may have directed his words at Hook, but Rae held his undivided attention.

He hadn’t uttered that phrase in so long it tasted odd. Not wrong, just different than it used to.

Rae gasped again.

Neither moving except for their breaths sawing in and out. watched the roller coaster of emotions play out in her perfect blue eyes, and still, they didn’t move.

“What is he holding?” Nova’s voice floated through the charged air.

“My heart.” Rae breathed, and he knew in that moment that she would either be his long-awaited redemption or his well-deserved ruin—there was no other option. Because once upon a time, he had held her heart, but he’d thrown it away, and she still held his and always would, even when she didn’t want it anymore.