Page 129 of At The End Of The Day

His head bobbed once and he retreated just a bit. “Good answer, bitch. They all been through enough for a lifetime. Let things settled down for a while.”

“Exactly. We ain’t even gonna discuss it until the house is done and we move back to Tennessee.”

He scowled and then pouted. “You dead set on Tennessee, huh?”

I chuckled and took another drag. “Where else am I gonna go? It’s home and that’s where all my animals are.”

“There’s land here, too, you know.”

Taking one last drag, I twisted my waist, turned on the water, and wet the cherry. “What are you talking about?”

“Dash has been doing some searching and he thinks he mighta found you a place here you might be happy with.”

Bit by bit turning around to face him once more, I was mildly amused. “Really, now?”

“Uh huh. I can drive you out there, if you wanna take a look.”

Crossing my arms, I tipped my head and smirked. “Y’all really don’t want us going back to Tennessee, huh?”

“Well, it’s my sister and niece and nephew, of course, not. Besides, she’s a Serpent, we kinda like all our people nearby.”

I nodded with a forced laugh. “Yeah, don’t worry, Vin. I ain’t dumb enough to think y’all did all that for me.”

“Not necessarily true,” he grumbled quietly, casting a timid glance my way.

My stomach sank and I gawked.

“Gotta have someone in my corner, right?”

My insides softening, a smile curled my mouth. “I reckon you do.”

We stared at one another for a long moment, neither of us saying anything.

Clearing my throat, I pushed off the sink and motioned for the door. “How about we take that ride and lemme check out my possible new home.”

He blanched and bristled. “No shit?”

“Like you said, she’s a Serpent. Her place is here.”

Slowly shaking his head with a sense of disbelief, he patted the side of my bicep. “You ain’t so bad, you know that, bitch?”

“Neither are you, man. Let’s go.”

“Hey, uh. Ahem.” Antsy, he was only meeting my gaze briefly before looking away. “Y-You…You’re basically Serpent, too, now.”

Ice hit my veins with astonishment.

“I mean, unofficial, and all.” Snickering, trying to lighten the sudden tension, he waved a hand along my figure. “I guess you done been through enough. Don’t really think you’re body can handle a proper initiation,”

A knot in my throat, I tried to shake my head. “Unofficial is just fine with me.” And it was! After all these years of first fearing then resenting the Serpents, it was almost an honor to be considered part of their world. That meant I was trusted, and that was something I would never take lightly.

Beaming ear to ear, he tossed the beer into the sink and rushed over to the wall to snatch his keys off the hook. Swinging open the door, he hurried outside to tell Dash where we were going.

I finished off my juice box and set it on the counter, eyeing the partially empty beer. My lips pursing, a voice in my ear whispered no one would know if I took just one little sip.

My head tilting, I chewed the inside of my cheek, my focus flitting out the window at my family. Slowly, a grin spread across my face, and I put that voice in its place, locked away. Nope, not a single desire to touch it. My days of addiction were over. From here on out, I would be addicted to my future wife and kids.

Taking my time, I followed, my hands in my pockets. Tennessee was a good place to live, but my home was here, in Mobile, Alabama. I was always meant to come home.