Page 53 of The Fates We Tame

“Yeah,” Halo says. “A mix of concern though. You two have been through the wars of late.”

“We’re good. Better to have a safe place to land.”

Halo raises an eyebrow. “Safe?”

Theo barely blinks. “Soft. I meant soft. Words get muddled.”

“Yeah, well,” Halo says finally. “Clutch might have told Gwen you got married. So be prepared and rest up. You’re getting a party tomorrow night whether you want one or not. I told ‘em you might prefer an afternoon thing. So Catalina said you should hang your dress up properly and not let Theo ruin it tonight, if you catch her drift.”

I feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I look down at the floor.

Halo laughs, a loud guffaw. “Aww, little ones who get embarrassed are my favorites. Let me go get you those glasses, then I’m off home to my own little ones.”

The door closes behind him. “Halo has kids?”

“He calls his old lady, Ari, ‘little one.’ And they have a daughter…her name?” He sighs. “Can’t remember. Don’t ask to see pictures. When he used to come see me at the hospital, he would show me all the pictures he’d taken. Lola! That’s her name. Lola eating grass, Lola breathing, Lola being an utterly normal baby doing normal baby shit while he’s talking about it like she just performed a...what’s the word for those magic tricks Jesus did?”

“Miracle.” I stroke his arm. I can tell he’s getting tired. His words and memory are more taxing. “I wonder what it must feel like to grow up with a parent who thinks of you so highly as opposed to my dad, who seems to think I’m a pawn in a chess game. Which…shit…should I reply to all those messages?”

“Only you can decide. I’ll support you. But for what it’s worth, I think a message telling them you’re safe and happy would be more than they deserve. However, it might bring some calm, even if it’s just for tonight.”

“Do you think they all knew? Like, is my mamà aware? All of my brothers?” I ask. My mind starts to fill with questions. “Were they all just waiting for me to get better? Counting down the days?”

Theo crouches in front of me. “Those questions and their answers won’t bring you any peace tonight.”

I look at Theo, taking in the way the bristles of his scruff grow across his cheek. He has such long eyelashes. And he feels like something…someone…I can hold on to. “I feel lost, Theo.”

“I know, Sparrow. But I’m right here.”

Theo kisses me, another of those whisper-soft kisses that make me melt.

“I feel like I’m fumbling my way through how the fuck to comfort my wife because I don’t know what makes you feel better in situations like this,” he says, sliding his hands into my hair.

“What do you want to do?” I ask. My voice has a breathy quality to it that I’m unused to.

“My body is urging me to do more than just kiss you, but I need to remember that you’re practically a virgin. Zero memory of sex. I have no idea if physical comfort is what you need right now.”

This time when he kisses me, he ruthlessly seeks my tongue with his and I sigh as I tumble into what we’re doing. Theo stands and tugs me to my feet.

His arms tighten around me and his fingers have just reached the zipper of my dress when my stomach rumbles embarrassingly loudly and I remember we’ve barely eaten since breakfast this morning.

Theo groans and then smiles at me. “Shouldn’t be undressing you while you’re hungry. That’s definitely not taking care of you. Let’s eat,” he says and leads me to the pizza boxes.

We open them and look at the toppings. “Guess you really like meat?” I say as we take in the pizza loaded with pepperoni, bacon, and sausage. The receipt on the box says it’s a meat lovers with double the toppings.

“We’re about to find out why,” Theo says.

The other pizza is a little heavier on the veggies. Chicken with peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions. “Which do you want to try?”

“I’m going in with the meat,” Theo says.

I tear him a piece and put it on the paper plate.

“Thanks, Sparrow.”

I tear a piece of the same and return to my seat as Theo sits on the end of the bed. It’s steaming hot, and I blow on it before I take a bite. I made the mistake of not doing so early during my time at the center.

Alessio had snuck in some stuffed-crust pizza because I’d seen it on television in a movie. I bit straight into it, just as Alessio had started to warn me that I’d burn my mouth, but the damage was done. Large blisters appeared on the roof of my mouth.