Chapter 31 #3
He let go and pulled back. “Is that right? Give me a call. We’ll hang out at that little diner you like. Remember? We used to eat pie there on Saturday nights.”
“I remember.”
To my surprise, Scott pulled Salem into a hug and patted his back. “Thanks for saving her life. Take care of our girl.”
“I will.”
When Scott drew back, he still clutched Salem’s arm with one hand and then smiled. “Yeah, I know you will. I can tell.”
“What about the favor?” I asked.
Scott scratched his cheek. “The only thing I want you to do for me is to visit sometimes. Don’t forget about me.”
“How could I forget a man who irons his underwear?”
He winked at me before swaggering back to the car and tapping the hood.
I put my arm around Salem and watched Scott back up, give one last wave out the window, and drive off.
It felt good to have my friend back and finally have a resolution.
If it weren’t for him bailing me out of jail and going the extra mile, I wouldn’t have found Salem.
I owed him, and even though he didn’t want the favor anymore, I planned to honor it whenever the time came and he needed help.
Salem put his arm around my shoulders. “I thought you were going to bring your cane up here and sell it?”
I thought about the beautiful mosaic piece. “It’s too sentimental to sell. I want to keep it as a reminder.”
“Of being sick?”
I glanced up. “No, of the man who saved my life and the people who supported me in my darkest hour. Besides, it’s handy for thumping people over the head. Someday I’ll be an old lady and will need a cane to hobble around on.”
He chuckled softly and pulled me into his arms, warming me with his expressive gaze and gentle smile. “I’m counting on it.”
“On my needing a cane?”
“No, of you getting old. And I’ll be there to remind you what day it is and who I am.”
I tilted my head to the side and smiled at him. “I might not remember where I am, but I’ll always know who you are, my love.”
We fell into a kiss, his arms wrapping me tight, his lips as soft and loving as his emotions. His tongue teased me as a reminder of what might be in store later tonight when we were tangled between the sheets.
“Virgil!” Melody shouted. “Stop!”
We both turned to look at Virgil’s wolf racing all around the store with Melody chasing after him.
Salem opened the door. “What’s going on?”
Virgil shot out the front door and barked at one of the visitors waiting by their car.
Melody tied her pink hair back, and while looping the band around, she kept her eyes locked on Virgil, who circled the vehicle after the two people jumped onto the hood.
“I swear to the fates, he’s hell-bent on stirring up drama today.
” She chased after him, the rhinestones on her sneakers glittering like a disco ball.
Krys flew outside and assessed the situation. “Fucking hell.” He twirled his key around his finger. “Guess who got into the bratwursts when Bear opened the fridge? I need to make an emergency run to the store.”
After starting up his bike, Krys tore out of the parking lot with Virgil chasing behind him.
“I love this family so much,” I remarked.
I thought about every gathering, the games and laughter, the way everyone pulled together in difficult times, and even the buffoonery. And most of all, I loved the man who would randomly wrap his arms around my waist so he could let me feel his love.
Salem opened the door for me. “After you.”
When I stepped into the shop, he caught me about the waist and spun me around to face him. A butterfly flitted between us before landing on a pair of shoes. We both watched it fan its colorful wings.
“Where did he come from?” I asked. “It’s still winter.”
“I guess he heard about the grand opening.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck where they belonged and fell into his rapturous gaze. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
“You could’ve done better,” he quipped.
In my heart, I knew that was impossible. “Do you remember that conversation we had the other night? You said I was like the paint and you were the blank canvas. You got that all wrong.”
“In what way?”
“Because I don’t create the magic that’s Salem Lockwood. You’re not the canvas; you’re the tools. The brushes and the palette knives. Together we make the art. The canvas is our future—the life we’re gonna build together. And I owe that all to you. Your love saved me. Literally.”
He pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “And you saved me.”
We drifted into a slow, romantic rhythm, swaying in time to the music that played in our hearts.