“Tell me,” I said. “We have to be honest with each other. That hasn’t changed.”
She made an effort to look in my eyes.
“Do you believe I’ll never be cleared for duty?”
Relief washed through me, surprising her. I shook my head, smiling as I looked up at her and pain was shooting through my knees.
“No, I don’t,” I said and sat on the couch next to her.
I wanted to put my arms around her and pull her to my chest but she needed to see my face. She needed to know I wasn’t manipulating her, for her own good or for my benefit. She was watching me like she was across the desk from me in an interrogation room.
“Most people who’ve been under the Spice fog don’t even consider going back in the field,” I told her. “I don’t have access to details about your recovery. The mere fact that you thought about it makes me think you’re doing great. While it would be easier for me if you decide to become a full-time librarian, I’ll be happy to take care of our kids when you’re on a mission if that’s what you want.”
She shivered and nestled into me. “You’re serious,” she whispered, squeezing my hand.
“I never stopped loving you,” I said. “That’s going to be true if you change career or not. And it’s going to keep being true if you changed your mind about having children with me.”
She straddled my lap in one swift move. When she moved like that, with the confidence of a skilled martial artist and the feline smoothness of a panther, it reminded me of her matches. My heart shrunk at the memory of her in that hospital bed, with her eyes bandaged and tubes coming out of her. The memory faded when she pressed her lips on mine.
“Can we start right now?” she asked, griding against my crotch, and I was all too happy to oblige.
#
Six months later, we went to Magnolia Grove to get married. Jack Inigo Walker got ordained for the occasion and performed the ceremony. The only people present were Skye’s parents, her sister and Viktor Petrov. And our unborn child.
We woke up late the morning after the wedding and found ourselves alone in the villa. I started to prepare breakfast and Skye walked over to the cupboard to make the tea.
She filled the electric kettle and reached into the cupboard to take out the tea. In Chantilly, we had cardboard boxes with tea bags, but the Walkers were particular about their tea. It hadn’t occurred to me that she might have a flashback until I sensed the tension in her body. She placed the wooden box on the counter, and I watched her flip open the lid. Her movements slowed down when she reached for the round bowl and the tea scoop. When the kettle whistled, she hesitated before picking it up. I walked over to her quietly. She didn’t seem to notice I was standing behind her as she went on mechanically pouring hot water into the ceramic bowl. Her hand trembled when she scooped a spoonful of dried leaves. It started shaking more violently when she hovered over the bowl, spilling half on the counter.
I wrapped my arms gently around her. The scoop clattered on the wooden surface when Skye let it fall from her hand. She turned around and buried her face in my chest. She kept shaking and I went on holding her until I sensed her calming down.
“You’re home now,” I whispered kissing the top of her head.
“I know,” she said, smiling brightly as she detangled herself from my embrace.
She stood on tiptoes and took my face in her hands. The look in her eyes was a million miles away from the haunted expression of those who hadn’t found their way out of chaos. The worst was behind us. When she kissed me, I understood that I was also home.
The End
Author’s notes
Thank you for reading this story.
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In Chaos (Undercover Book 3) Page 14
