Page 36 of The Impossible

“I can cook. Now go wash your day off. Dinner will be finished when you return.”

“You ’ont wanna join me?” I asked, eyes locked on her.

“Do you wanna eat?” She turned around, putting her hand on her hip.

“I mean I’ma eat regardless.”

“Hondo, go get in the shower.”

I laughed, turning to leave the kitchen and do as she asked. I wasn’t giving her too much lip, because on my mama, tonight would be more than just that meal.

A thirty-minute shower later I walked back into the kitchen where she was now plating food.

“Is this something I can expect every day?” I took a seat at the massive white marble island.

“Depends. Can I expect you to be in by six-thirty every night or will I be eating dinner with Alysia?”

“You’ll see me when you want to see me, beautiful. Some nights might be late, but I won’t make it a habit.”

She looked up from what she plated and nodded. “I’ll hold you to that.” Then she placed the plate in front of me. “Rasta pasta. Do you want parmesan cheese?”

I nodded.

She grabbed a block of cheese and grated it while hovering over my plate. “Tell me when to stop.”

I took in everything in this moment, watching her as she grated the cheese before I nodded for her to stop. “There.”

She stopped at the fridge for water, then rounded the counter, joining me.

“Try it; so you can see I can cook.”

I chuckled because it really bothered her that she thought I thought she couldn’t cook.

I gave her a funny look just to fuck with her, then forked some of the pasta into my mouth. I didn’t know what I expected, but it tasted so good. I was thoroughly impressed.

She smiled, pleased, before digging into her own food.

“Now tell me about this tiger.”

“What about him?” she asked, eyes on me again.

“You go see him every chance you get, even when you’re not on the clock. Tell me about him.”

Her face lit up, a contentment and happiness I one day wanted to be the reason for filling it. He wasn’t the only reason she loved her job, but he was a big part. She loved those animals and the work she did, so the thought of someone toying with her through that didn’t sit well with me.

CHAPTER 9

Patience

I never thought I’d like being married. Honestly, I never foresaw marriage ever being a space I was comfortable with, then these last few days of being married to Hondo came easy to me in a way I didn’t expect. Maybe this was the honeymoon phase, getting me all used to him only to remind me who I married and all that he was capable of. I could never forget that Hondo was the head of a crime organization and had just barely skirted jail. I couldn’t forget how dangerous he was and how dangerous his life was, but I desperately wanted to ignore it. I wanted to see him for who he showed me he was and not what the world and various news outlets reported. That was much easier said than done, given our wedding pictures somehow made the front page of the BSS, better known as the Briar South Social. It was our local newspaper and apparently it was their business that an O’Leary had married a Carter. Even unknown, my former last name held its own tales. Either way, it was a bit harder to start anew as Patience Carter, given my husband’s noted status and reputation. Regardless of any of that, the last few days with my husband had been blissful, so much that I didn’t even harp over the fact that somebody had tried to kill me on our wedding day.

This morning started like the last few, except I had a busy day ahead, so I wouldn’t wind up stir crazy when Hondo came home. I planned to spend four hours reorganizing my closet, then around eleven I’d start getting dressed as Amethyst and Mama Carter would be here to pick me up so we could shop for the house. I knew absolutely nothing about decorating a space of this magnitude, so I was grateful for both of them.

“You were just fussing about having to go through your closet and you went quiet. Are you okay?” Paige reminded me I was on the phone with her.

“Yeah., I’m just thinking.”

“About what, Pat? I bet you’re overthinking.”