Thom just held me for a few long moments, resting his cheek against my hair. “Has she seen Neve yet?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.
I didn’t move, just stayed pressed against his chest. A raindrop spattered against the back of my hand. I decided I didn’t care unless it started pouring. “I don’t think so, not unless they saw each other before I met Aoife and Gray.”
“Gray?”
My nose wrinkled. Thom stepped back, trying to hold me at arms’ length. I reluctantly let him, though I put up a small struggle in an effort to prevent it.
“Mar,” he said softly, “who’s Gray?”
“If I were to venture a guess? Her lover.” I smiled weakly. “They all seem to show up with a lover or something, don’t they?”
“Seamus didn’t.”
“Seamus came with a freaking army.”
Thom smiled crookedly. “Point.” He looked away from me as a raindrop splashed against his nose, his gaze drifting up to the sky and the gray clouds above. “Forge or back to the fire?”
“I think I’d rather stay up here for a little while,” I admitted. “I’m not sure if they were going to argue or not, but either way, I think I’d rather steer clear of it for a little bit. I’ve never seen them actually fight and I’m not sure I have the fortitude for it right now.”
His eyes crinkled at the edges, expression a mix of fondness and concern. “Because you’re tired?”
It was as good of a way to put it as any. I nodded slightly. “Something like that, anyway.”
Thom looked like he might have wanted to press, but he mercifully let the comment pass. “Let’s get inside before it starts pouring.”
“Good idea.”
He tucked me under his arm and we headed back up to the forge. I could hear my brother’s voice mingling with J.T.’s and Cameron’s as we got close, though the words were muffled by the walls and the sound of my brother’s hammer against the anvil within. Thom let go of me as we reached the door and ducked in first, leaving me to follow. As I slipped under cover, I caught a glimpse of Thom picking up his sketchbook and flipping it to a clean page.
I smiled wryly at that. There had been a couple of sketchbooks that had been off-limits for the past few months and I suspected I knew the reason why.
I’d rather let him surprise me with something good rather than something bad, though. Let him keep his secrets—at least, these secrets.
Matt looked up from the anvil, his face smeared with soot but his expression cheerful. “Hey Mar. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just newcomers,” I said as I sat down next to Thom. He tucked his sketchbook behind us and motioned for J.T.to hand him one of the swords that needed honing.
“Newcomers?” Cameron echoed. He was tucked into a corner, one arm wrapped around his midsection as he slowly pulled the bellows with his other hand, looking pale even in the forge’s glow.
“Newcomers,” I repeated, brows knitting as I peered at him. “You look like you should be in bed.”
“I needed to get up,” he said. “I’m sore, not dying. Kind of like your husband.”
Thom made a face as he started honing the blade J.T. had given him. “You took the worst of that exchange.”
J.T. just looked at me. “You had to say it.”
“Someone had to,” I said, giving him a level look.
He snorted and shook his head. “Whatever. Cameron’s got about another forty-five minutes before I send him back to bed. Less if Neve shows up to worry with you.”
“I’m not worried,” I said, leaning back. Next to me, Thom snorted. I sighed. “Okay, maybe a little.”
Thom kissed the corner of my mouth. “It wouldn’t be you if there wasn’t a touch of worrying going on. It’s part of who you are.”
I smiled crookedly. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
I must say, I like them being able to have a bit of time with no crisis actually happening. You, being you, I know it won’t last. 🙂
They need to have some downtime if they will ever be able to grow the community (my favorite part). What can I say, one of my favorite books growing up was My Side of the Mountain.