Curtain Call (The Jewel Project #7)

25. Bitter Beginnings

It felt amazing to see her again. Her blue eyes twinkling in the morning light, her smile curving those kissable lips. Yep, from the day they'd first made love inside a castle in France, he'd known this was the image he wanted to wake up to for the rest of his life. And somehow, after almost five years of marriage, it didn't get old.

He wanted to kiss her so badly, bask in her lily scent, in the happiness she gave him. But it wasn't that easy anymore. Jenny and Alex would burst into their bedroom, bouncing on their bed, demand that they go to the Zoo again.

"Already?" Kay asked with a laugh. "We were there last week. You already know all the monkeys by name!"

"We don't know the penguins!" Alex claimed. "We need to learn their names, too."

"Oh, dear God," Kay said with a laugh. She glanced at him, amusement and love in her eyes. "Any chance to draw someone else there?"

He grinned at her. "I'll ask the others. Might as well make them all miserable."

Yes, they had many Sunday afternoons like this, taking their kids to the Zoo or the park, letting the cousins play together while the adults watched and spent their own bonding time.

This was no longer just about Kay and the kids. He missed his brothers, his sisters-in-law with an intensity that smothered him. He'd become so accustomed with his entire family, he felt vulnerable alone. 

And yet it was Kay's blue eyes that haunted his dreams the most.

"You can do this," she whispered. "You can do anything."

"But that doesn't mean that I don't need you."

She put her hand on his cheek. "You don't need me, Kyle. You want me. There's a difference. You don't need anyone."

It was something he'd told her when they were growing up to empower her, but it had been different then. Yes, he wanted her and loved her more than he ever thought he could love anyone, but he also needed her. She pushed his darkness away, held it at bay. She was the guardian of his serum, just like he was of hers. They made it work together.

She made him happy.

God, what if she was dead? What if they were all dead?

Her image shifted, and there she was, panting underneath him, so much desire in her eyes.

"I want another baby."

They'd had no idea then. They hadn't even had the chance to make that happen. Their life had come to a screeching halt.

No. She's fine. I'm fine. I'll get out of here. I'll get back to her, to everyone.

And they'd do what needed to be done. It was just a snag in the plan, a temporary standstill... Had she found the letter and the will?

The thought startled him awake just as Snitch Gravel let out a small sound of pain. It twisted together with his dreams and Kyle found himself sitting upright, his entire body alert, his senses scanning the surroundings for danger.

No snakes around or weird bugs, no sound of other potentially dangerous animals. The fire was still crackling. Snitch Gravel sat with his back against a nearby tree, his sleeve pressed to his forearm, a knife in his hand.