She nodded. "If I'm not in the cabin, I'll be right outside the door painting. Promise."
"Okay." He nuzzled her cheek tenderly, then kissed her. "I'll see you in a few hours."
Sunshine tucked him into the bed, got dressed, turned out the lights, and quietly went outside to paint.
As the afternoon went by while she sat on the porch, she realized that Talon had lived out here for centuries and in all that time he had never once seen the beauty of the swamp during the light of day.
He'd never seen sunlight dappling the water. Never seen the vibrant green of the moss on the stump by his dock. At night the edge was taken off the colors.
It was such a shame that he had to live like that. Alone in a world without...
She cringed as the word sunshine popped into her head.
"Jeez," she muttered. "How cheesy is that?"
Still, it didn't stop her heart from aching for him.
He was loneliness.
Because of Camulus, Talon didn't dare let anyone close to him. How terrible it must be.
At dusk, she packed up her art supplies and headed inside with Beth eyeballing her from the dock. Sunshine wrinkled her nose at the bossy gator and tossed her the remains of her crackers.
Physically, Sunshine felt a lot better, but mentally she ached.
She watched Talon as he slept. He was a creature of the night. Literally. She couldn't change him. Ever.
He was immortal.
She was human.
There was no hope for them.
The thought made her want to cry.
"They do have an out clause."
But Talon would have to agree to it, and then what? Would she have to be his wife? Would he expect her to be as Nynia was?
She shivered at the thought. No offense, but as Nynia she had been a ninny.
Not that it was wrong to live to please your husband, but as Nynia she'd taken that to a whole new level. Nynia had never questioned him, never said anything back to him.
He said jump, she'd jumped and not even bothered to ask how high. Whatever he'd wanted, she'd done, regardless of her own thoughts or wants.
She had been a Stepford wife. Ew!
Sunshine didn't think she could behave that way if she had to. She was outspoken and stubborn. At times, she was even a little selfish.
She wanted a mutual partnership with a man. Someone who could handle her needs as an artist. Someone who could appreciate her while she appreciated him, faults and all.
She liked herself. Liked her life.
With Talon, she would never be quite sure if he loved her for being Sunshine or if he tolerated her because of Nynia.
How would she ever know the truth?
Talon woke up to the softness of a hand brushing through his hair. He didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was who touched him. He could feel her all the way to his heart.