Redeeming the Darkness

Chapter Nine - Zane

This was the most excitement I'd had since my exit from fame. I was in the kitchen watching my little wife shoveling food into her mouth. I'd never witnessed anything like it.

"I wish you would stop looking at me like that," she said through a mouthful of rice. I cringed.

"I wish you wouldn't talk with your mouth full," I said. She finished chewing what was in her mouth and took a long drink of soda.

"You know your mouth was hanging open? It was disgusting for me, too."

"I can assure you it was out of pure shock, not lack of manners."

She glanced up at me from her plate and said, "I was hungry, dude. How about we chill out on the insults for a while?"

I went back to paying attention to my food, and she started talking again.

"So, tell me about yourself."

"Just eat your food," I huffed.

"Why are you so grumpy?"

I made an annoyed noise, and she stopped mid-chew. "Did you just growl at me? That has to be the second or third time that's happened since we met."

"What can I say? You bring out my inner beast."

"Come on, Hubby. We've gotta learn about each other sooner or later. I'd rather it not be when magazines are publishing articles about us." I stared at her as I ate my egg roll. I'd hoped she'd take it as a sign that I didn't want to talk. She didn't. "Fine, I'll go first. My name is Ivy Murphy, I'm twenty-one years old, and I lived in Taylorsville from the time I turned eighteen until a couple of days ago."

"Landis," I said.

"Huh?"

"Your name is Ivy Landis."

"Right. Well, my mom and dad met in Taylorsville. My dad was an undercover cop posing as a homeless guy and Mom thought he was a pitiful mess, so she took him in. They fell in love and then got married. I'm one of seven kids."

"Are you the youngest?" It was hard for me to believe her parents had willingly had more children after her.

"No. I'm kid number two. Jake is the oldest by a year, and then Parker is a year younger than me. Kelly is eighteen, and then you have the twins who are thirteen and the baby, Duke, just turned twelve."

"Sounds like a circus."

"It was, but it was fun, too. I was never alone." She paused and glanced at me. "Do you have any siblings?"

"I have a younger sister named Emma. She's eighteen but still a senior in high school."

"Does she live around here?"

"They live ten minutes away."

"Who are 'they?'" she asked.

"My family."

We heard Rayna and Sandro finally coming back down the stairs.

"They were up there forever!" Ivy said under her breath.

"I'm leaving for the day Mister Zane," Rayna said from the hall as Sandro entered the kitchen. I gave her a nod, and she quickly left.

"So, Sandy, do you like Chinese food?" Ivy asked. He quirked his lips in a half smile.

"I love Chinese food, ma'am."

Ivy scrunched her nose. "Please, call me Ivy."

"Do you think you're too young for that?" he asked.