Ghost Writer - Pandora Pine Page 0,45

were okay with a vengeful man in our house.” Jude pointed a finger at himself.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Cope’s nostrils flared. “Don’t throw that at me.”

Jude sat down on the side of the bed. The mattress dipped with his weight. “It’s true. When we met, I was a mass of simmering witch hate. Remember?”

“I’m hardly likely to forget.” Cope sighed. He slumped into the chair near the foot of the bed.

“It was your love that helped turn me around. Ronan and Ten showed me I’d found my place in this world, but you made Salem home for me.” Jude wasn’t a stupid man. He knew Cope was a sap for his wide-open heart.

“What does me loving you have to do with the fact that we have a vengeful spirit in our house?” Cope sounded more tired than angry.

Cope made a good point. “Brooks gave us his word he wouldn’t hurt Wolf. The typewriter has been in the house for days and there’s been no ill effects on any of us.”

“Wolf was a bit cranky tonight.” Cope was quick to shoot back.

“You were a bit cranky tonight,” Jude shot back.

“Oh, and you had the manners of the Queen.” Cope rolled his eyes.

“Revenge is a very personal thing. Take it from someone who knows.” Jude hated talking about his feelings. He’d rather clean up one of Wolf’s diaper explosions than sit here and dissect emotions. “Not everyone handles revenge like Deacon Boudreaux.”

The look on Cope’s face softened. “That’s my point exactly, Jude! Deacon’s revenge was unjustified. I broke up with him and he gave himself the right to blow up my entire life. When his plan failed the first time, he devised a second, more diabolical plan. In case you forgot, it succeeded.”

Jude would never forget seeing Cope on the floor bleeding to death. “I haven’t forgotten. But I do have a question.”

Cope’s head popped up. He stared at Jude. “What question?”

“While you were living in exile, did getting revenge on Deacon ever cross your mind?” After Deacon’s first attempt on Cope’s life, Cope fled New Orleans for Galveston, Texas. He’d spent nearly two years living alone and jumping at every shadow.

“I…” Cope’s mouth snapped shut.

That one word said it all for Jude. “That’s my point. You thought about it. I’m willing to bet you even formulated a plan.”

“I never would have gone through with it.” Cope gave his head a shake. “It was just a fantasy, something to help keep my rage in check.”

“I hear you. I really do. You were in your self-imposed exile for two years. Then you were here in Salem for another year before Deacon tried again. Three years…” Jude trailed off. “We know whatever is going on with Brooks happened at least thirty years ago. Can you imagine the weight of that?”

“Not to mention that, for whatever reason, he can’t cross over.” All the anger was gone from Cope’s face.

“Exactly.” Jude was off the bed and kneeling beside Cope. “I’m not saying we ask him to be our roommate. I just think he deserves a chance to tell his story. We can make a better decision from that point. Don’t you think?”

Cope was silent. He combed his fingers through Jude’s silky dark hair. “What about Wolf?”

Jude knew their son’s safety lay at the heart of the matter. “Do you want to move him in here with us like when we first brought him home?” Wolf was nearly three months old when they’d brought him home from Arizona. For the first three weeks, he’d slept in a portable crib at the foot of their bed instead of in his own crib in his room. Cope hadn’t wanted the baby to feel abandoned in his own room.

“He’s adapted so well to sleeping in his bed.” Cope sighed.

“If there was something wrong with him, he’d tell us.” Jude snorted. “Remember when he got his first tooth?”

Cope cracked a smile. “We thought he was being ripped apart from the inside, like in that movie where the little alien pops out of the guy’s chest.”

Jude laughed harder. “God, he was miserable. Then there was Aurora, getting her two bottom teeth at the same time and barely making a peep.”

“Yeah, but she drooled like a Saint Bernard.” Cope laughed. “You always felt like you’d had a second shower after handing her back to Fitzgibbon.”

Jude sat up on his knees and pressed a kiss to Cope’s grumpy lips. “If there’s something upsetting Wolf, he’ll let us know.”

Cope nodded, conceding his defeat. “It’s odd