Solemn Vows #2
With a brief pause to settle a sudden swell of nerves, I flung the door wide and found Reimond and Thoma on the stoop. The sun cascaded in behind them, making Reimond’s auburn hair glow orange and warming Thoma’s skin to a rich shade of umber.
I’d expected them to be arm in arm, but that would have been difficult since Thoma’s hands were laden with a covered casserole dish.
“Good evening, Penny,” Reimond said. His smile merited one from me.
“Come in!” I stepped back and ushered them in while offering to take the dish from Thoma. He gladly gave it over.
“It’s stewed apples,” he explained. “I didn’t dare attempt a pastry. Figured you had your fill of those from all your time with Rosie.”
“Never enough,” Kit said as he padded into the living room. “Pen’s a bottomless pit when it comes to confections. Not sure where he hides it all.” He came up beside me and hooked his arm around my hips, giving my side a playful squeeze.
Reimond and Thoma didn’t look nearly as surprised by the affectionate gesture as I was. I dipped aside to fix Kit with a baffled expression, but he faced straight ahead with the barest smile curving his lips .
Our guests exchanged a glance that seemed to convey a sort of knowing. In fact, all three of the other men were smiling and sharing a silent communication that left me profoundly confused.
Finally, Kit swept his free hand toward the kitchen table. “He’s also made enough food to satisfy the whole town and I, for one, am eager to try it,” he said. “Shall we?”
The pot of stewed apples warmed my palms while I ferried it to the table and set it in the open space in the center of the ring of plates and cups.
Thoma and Reimond took their seats, and I found myself watching them intently.
They moved almost in unison, connected by a bond that must have been forged over years.
They were young men, around my age, and I wondered about their love story.
Were they childhood sweethearts? Sworn to each other from their first blush of maturity?
Or were they old souls who knew each other from a former life, joyfully reunited?
It was all terribly romantic and distracting enough that I didn’t realize how long I’d simply stood behind my chair and that everyone was staring at me again.
Kit brushed by with a soft touch on my shoulder. “If you’ll put the coffee on, I’ll carve the ham.”
I looked down at his fingers resting on me. Two days had certainly changed things. Sometimes I wondered if it wasn’t a lengthy dream.
Bobbing my head, I went for the kettle and coffee grounds while Kit retrieved the loaf of bread from the windowsill. He took it to the table, then returned to the kitchen counter to cut the meat into hearty slices.
At the table, Reimond shifted in his seat. “You have a lovely home. ”
“It’s Kit’s,” I replied over the rush of the faucet filling the kettle. “He grew up here.”
“And it was no kind of home then,” Kit added. “Penny put his touch on things. I didn’t think it worth the effort, but I’ve learned not to argue with him.”
I grinned and glanced down the counter to find Kit smiling back.
“Could be he sees the potential in things,” Thoma chimed. “It takes a certain eye.”
Kit held my gaze as he answered. “That must be it.”
With the coffee set to steep and the ham carved, Kit and I joined the other two men at the table.
I settled into my chair while Kit nestled the platter of ham slices into the center of the spread.
At the sight of the near feast, pride swelled inside me.
Reimond and Thoma looked appropriately impressed, but I cared more about Kit’s reaction.
He wore the same expression of ease he’d had all night. Quietly content, like this was the most natural thing in the world. When he sat beside me and rested his hand on my knee, a similar sense of satisfaction filled me, too.
Reimond practically dove for the first slice of ham, and Thoma swatted his hand, making Kit chuckle.
“By all means, guests first,” Kit said.
While they filled their plates, I relished the warm press of Kit’s palm on my leg. After a few seconds, I laid my fingers atop his and clasped them tightly together.
“So, Reimond, Thoma,” Kit began, “I’m not sure I’ve heard how you two met.”
The men exchanged a glance before Reimond stuffed a bite of ham into his mouth, then motioned for Thoma to answer.
Thoma sighed and shook his head. “Fine, I’ll tell it this time.
” He set his fork down and took a deep breath.
“I came to Ashpoint after my family died. There was a terrible sickness in the town I’m from.
Most didn’t survive it, and I was one of a fortunate few.
But it no longer felt like home to me with so many missing. ”
I hummed a sympathetic sound while Kit looked stricken at having asked what turned out to be a loaded question.
“Eeus offers community,” Thoma continued, “and I was desperate for that. When I arrived, Reimond took it upon himself to show me around, and I followed him everywhere. Rather like a lost puppy, I think.”
“I adopted you.” Reimond chuckled. “Fed you a few times, then couldn’t get rid of you. Since then, I’ve shared the best years of my life with you.”
Thoma’s forlorn expression took on a shine of such devotion it made my heart leap.
“Do you plan to marry?” I blurted.
The other three turned toward me in unison, wearing varying shades of shock and amusement.
“I’m sorry,” I said, suddenly bumbling. “It’s just you seem so happy together…”
“I plan to marry him,” Reimond replied. “After I complete my Oaths.”
“Reimond!” Thoma’s face flushed scarlet. “You hadn’t told me that.”
Reimond took another bite of ham and spoke with his mouth full. “Ruined the surprise, have I?”
Thoma’s brown eyes were so wide I thought they might bulge out of their sockets. “I should think so!”
Reimond reached for the bread knife and cut off a hunk.
If he meant to appear nonchalant, the pained pinch of his brow betrayed him.
“Try to forget it, then. I’m shit at secrets, and that one’s been gnawing at me for weeks.
Plus, Father would tan my hide if he knew I’d spoiled it.
They all wanted to be there when I asked. ”
I couldn’t help but beam as I glanced back and forth between them. Kit was right in that we did get along, but more than that, Reimond and Thoma had restored a dying hope. If they could have what I wanted, perhaps I could too.
Thoma scooted his chair back enough to make room to cross his arms over his chest. “Well, when you actually ask me, they can be there.”
Reimond set the bread on his plate and dusted his hands. “And you’ll pretend to be surprised?”
Thoma chuckled. “Stunned.” Reimond breathed audible relief before Thoma added, “I might even cry.”
A horrified expression took over Reimond’s features. “Gods, don’t do that!”
Thoma burst into laughter. “Happy tears, love.” He unfolded his arms and wrapped one around Reimond to pull him in for a kiss.
I realized then that my own eyes were watering, so overwhelmed with emotions I couldn’t untangle them. Sniffling, I wiped my arm across my face and blinked to clear the resulting blur.
Under the table, Kit rolled his hand over, laced his fingers with mine, and gave a reassuring squeeze. I didn’t want to look at him while I was fighting back tears and feeling the nagging itch in my throat that wouldn’t relent no matter how many times I swallowed or how much water I drank.
“Kit,” Reimond said, clearly eager to direct attention away from himself. “Have you been married before? I would imagine that a man of your…” he squinted across the table at Kit, “ maturity would have found at least one wife before now. Or husband.”
“Reimond!” Thoma shouted for the second time in as many minutes. “Could you try to have a bit of tact? He’s not an old man!”
I glanced at Kit then, realizing our guests had stumbled onto a question I never thought to ask. How had I not? I’d been fawning over Kit for months; it felt like important information to have.
“And he told us this was new to him,” Thoma added. “Don’t you remember?”
“What’s new?” I asked.
Reimond waved his fork dismissively. “That doesn’t mean anything. I know plenty of unhappily married folk. He could have just meant he just hasn’t liked anyone as well as Penny.”
My stomach fluttered, and my inquisitive look turned into an expectant one as Kit took far longer than necessary to chew his last bite of ham.
“Reimond.” This time when Thoma said the name, it carried an edge of scolding. “I think you should finish your meal and leave our host alone. He may not want his business aired.”
“It’s no trouble,” Kit told Thoma, then continued to Reimond, “and no, I haven’t been married.”
“Why not?” I cut in, fully invested in this line of discussion.
“I suppose Reimond said it well enough,” Kit mused. “I haven’t liked anyone as well as you.”
I was grateful to have not eaten yet because that statement might have been more than my uneasy stomach could take. I gulped, aggravating the tickle in my throat and sparking a bout of dry coughs.
When I’d settled, I found all eyes on me yet again. After squirming under the weight of their stares, I rose from my seat and declared, “Coffee’s ready.”
Moving to the stove, I found the potatoes nearly boiled dry, forgotten in the commotion. I rescued them from the burner and cursed under my breath while conversation resumed at the table a few feet away.
“You didn’t tell them how you came here, Reimond,” Thoma encouraged.
“Not much to tell,” the other man replied. “I was born and raised here. It’s always been home.”
“What made you decide to undertake the Oaths?” Kit asked.
Reimond had only one bite of ham left, and he took his time chewing while considering.
“It’s a funny thing. I spent most of my younger years insisting I’d never attempt it.
I was happy to be a layperson, forever tending sheep.
But I decided I should be more.” His eyes slid aside, almost abashed as they fixed on his partner.
“For Thoma. He’s not easy to impress, but I figured it was worth a try. ”
Thoma’s lips pursed. He tried to appear disdainful, but it was clear he was flattered. “You hardly need to risk your life to impress me.”
Reimond swallowed the ham and set his fork on his empty plate. “But it is impressive, isn’t it?” He cast a glance around the room, earning nods of agreement, though I could tell Kit’s was reluctant.
“Or it will be,” Reimond added. “When I finish.”
Thoma slid his chair close to Reimond’s and draped his arm across the taller man’s shoulders. “What’s impressive is how you tolerate Anders for days on end. I think that will make me happiest when it’s over; I won’t have to keep company with that oaf another minute.”
I smiled as I returned to the table with the coffee kettle in hand. After filling everyone’s cups, I set the kettle on the stovetop and slid into my seat. I’d barely settled before Kit’s hand found my knee again.
My meal had gone cold, but I didn’t mind. I made a dinner of bread and potatoes and avoided the ham. Kit indulged more than usual, and I hoped he wouldn’t get sick later when we drank the poison.
The chatter continued long into the night. Kit never let go of me and, when our guests stood to go, we walked them to the door hand in hand. After they’d gone, Kit filled our cups with the last of the coffee and a few drops of poison. Even that managed to taste sweeter after the evening we’d had.
I’d come to Ashpoint hoping to prove myself after a lifetime of shortcomings. I’d failed at recovering my father’s bones, but I’d found Kit, a man who liked me more than anyone else. That might have been the greatest success I could have hoped for.