Page 172 of Bride of Choice

“We go,” Odix rumbled out with a nod, though he looked like he’d much rather not.

“You’ll- You don’t think he’ll be too mad when he wakes up, do you?” My hand lifted and I reached out towards them, but quickly let it drop as he turned towards me.

“Go’ be fine,” he promised. Stepping out, he hesitated with his hand on the doorframe.

“Needs smell like mates. Be back this many. Do ‘gain, Rek believe.” Holding up his hands, he showed me if we wanted this to work it needed to be a biweekly thing.

My day went on surprisingly uneventfully after that.

Mal was beating herself up inside about Boog, it was as plain as the nose on her face, planning for the hunts coming up continued, everyone abuzz with news of the big hunt coming up, and I returned to my empty hut afterward, as usual.

Rek must have listened to Kirch for once because he didn’t make another appearance.

When the time came for Doogie’s proposed dinner date with Daisy, I was feeling awfully odd, on edge.

Everything was so topsy turvy, unfinished, yet so boringly mundane during the day, no sign of Rek ready to throw a monster tantrum in the works, no sign of his mangy hide anywhere, my ass was feeling twitchy from it all.

Yet to hear a peep from Kooky, that was the cherry on top of the cake.

“Best behavior,” I reminded Doogie, doing a quick fuzz check on his person. “Breath?”

He breathed into his hand and nodded. “Goot.”

“Teeth?”

“Goot.”

Offering him a quick rundown, I reminded, “She likes manners. Please and thank you are huge. Don’t talk with your mouth full and-”

“Yes, mother,” he grunted out at me, dodging me when I went to whack him one for that.

“You're welcome.” A harrumph left me. Shaking a claw at him, I tsked, “And your mama too, because she knows you, fool, and she’s onto you.”

“Put finger ‘way. No aim at me,” Doogie laughingly grumbled as he batted my hand away.

Noting as we drew closer that Daisy had opted for an outdoor event, I mumbled through the side of my mouth, “She say how many peeps she invited to this shindig, dear, best behaved brother of my heart?” The table she’d set up was looking longer than their intimate group required.

“No.” He let out a grunt. “Say, Doogie and Joanie comes to her home, this day, this time.”

My face scrunched up. That sounded oddly like she was inviting us as if we were a couple. EW.

Debating on whether I should inform Doogie of my suspicions or not, the choice was taken from me as a gang of tiny demons bellowed at the sound of my voice, “Mojo Jojo!!”

Doogie winced at all the squeals and took a step back away from me as Daisy’s brood converged on me.

Greeting each and hugging the non sticky ones, I allowed myself to be captured and dragged towards the table.

“Do you think she’ll let me sit at the kiddie table?” I joked, getting a round of cheers and happy little giggles.

Doogie frowned, his gaze darting from the kids to me. Genuinely stupefied, he muttered, “Why want sit at tiny table? That for babies.”

I’d have stayed at that damn table, too, if Daisy hadn’t spied me hunching down, much to the munchkin’s giving me away’s delight, collecting me to reunite me with the adult folks.

The long table was full, Daisy holding court like a queen at the head. Doogie was seated opposite me, smack dab in the middle of the long table, which seemed to confuse the poor male. A part of me hoped he figured it out, but not before he got over his crush on Daisy first. Whatever her intentions were in inviting us here, they weren’t because she was interested in Doogie for herself.

The small, apologetic smile I sent him at the crestfallen look on his mug made me want to offer him a hug, even if just so he could distract himself by telling me how icky he’d find it.

A deep voice rumbling softly from the macho dudes gathering to gab about the hunt end of the table, the table notably opposite where Daisy was seated, caught my attention.

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