Page 223 of Bride of Choice

Yes. A pop of red. Or maybe grey? Blue? I believed I still had scraps left from when I made Boog’s flying monkey outfit…

Mm-hm. I could see it. This was all starting to come together rather nicely.

???

Project fix Odix’s pad was an undertaking. I lost most of my nails trying to keep up with the boys. So much so, I gave up trying to fix them and filed them down for now. I could fix them later.

We finished our hut renovation project just in time for the fellas to get back.

“You not go on hunt,” Doogie grunted out, jerking his chin at Rek as he walked in and took a seat at my kitchen table for a meal on me for a job well done. “Why?”

I’d tried my best to copy Kooky’s fried dumpling soup recipe, but my little fried meat pockets were a wee bit too crispy and my creamy soup was more lumpy than, erm, truly creamy.

If Doogie or Rek found fault in any of it, neither said a word about it.

“Rek choose stay. Want be with Joanie. No like she ‘lone, all her males go. Rek no like.” Rek scooped up a big ol’ spoonful of soup and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing happily like it was the best thing ever.

Maneuvering around the odd lumps in his bowl with ease, Doogie nodded at Rek. “Jo not ‘lone. Her Kooky ask Doogie look out for Jo. Him worries.”

He did? That was news to me.

“Rek keep Jojo safe,” Rek grunted out.

Doogie made a coughing sound. “Him also ask Doogie keep eye on Rek, make sure he not make Jo cry no mores.”

Rek paused with another heaping spoonful almost to his mouth. “Rek be good male. No want make Jojoknee sad. Rek not happy without Joanie. Rek want Joanie happy with Rek. Want Jojomine want Rek babies, not make big monster babies with Bum-bum and hurt Jojoknee pushing them out.”

Doogie choked on his food a little. Eyes watering, he turned to me. “Jo wants make monster babies with Bum-bum?”

“No!” I vehemently denied, though it was hard not to laugh at Rek’s version of things.

“Want make babies Kooky?” Doogie leaned in to ask.

“Why dummy not ask she want make babies Rek?” Rek grumble-muttered.

“Rek ugly. Kooky look like Doogie family. Kooky and Jo babies cute. Rek babies look like head rubbed on pillow and bites all the things. Mean. Grumpy. Can’t take jokes. Growl and yell. Hope Rek babies look like Jo.”

Doogie would have gone on and on, if only to tease Rek into a reaction. I’d think he was taunting him all day today, egging on an outburst, yet Rek didn’t break.

Rek grumbled and bared his teeth, but none of the wild hostility of before.

“Not funny,” Rek muttered. “Rek and Joanie babies look like Jojoknee. Look like they mama, not Rek.”

“Rek no know that.” Doogie rolled his eyes. “Might come out big, fat heads like Odix, skinny bones like Gofur.”

Both males snorted at that.

“Hey, these are my imaginary babies you’re bashin’ here,” I cautioned them. “I don’t care if they come out purple with polka dots, tailed and horned, winged, whatever, as long as they’re healthy that’s all that matters.”

“Who have wings?” Doogie tapped his lip thoughtfully, his gaze falling on Rek.

“He’s more likely to have horns,” I snarked.

“Bum-bum other side have horns. Tail. Rek just Lo denaii.” If he rolled his eyes any harder they were going to get stuck like that. “Jojo know,” Rek muttered, before going back to polishing off his food.

“What do you mean, I know? Pfft. No, I don’t. He won’t let me see him in his shifted form.” Cupping my chin in my hand, I glanced between the two. “Both of you have had better peeks at him than I ever have.”

Doogie frowned and set his spoon down. “Jo see Bum-bum form.”

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