Page 309 of Bride of Choice

“Jes,” he muttered shortly. He either chose to ignore the humor lacing my tone or just didn’t give a crap. He was bringing his Rothy her Jo. Apparently I was Rothy’s now.

My mouth kicked up a little more at that. Then my gaze fell to his hand on my arm. I reached over and slapped at it. He promptly released me with a respectful nod. I’d swear his lips quirked up at the corners as I slapped him with some sass but he only ever smiled with his Rothy.

As soon as we started to climb the steps and he shouted, “My Rothy! Come see your Lukar bring for you!” I totally understood what the quirky lip thing was for now.

“Brownie points with the wife. Smart.” I had to give credit where credit was due.

A grin broke free on Lukar’s face as he set his healer’s bag by the door and Dorothy came storming into the room. “I’ve got a pot of tea about to shout at me! Now, what is this you’re shouting abou- Joanie!” Tossing the cloth she was wiping her hands off on towards the table, she made a beeline for me, completely bypassing her grinning mate.

Lukar instantly made a face when she threw her arms around me instead of him and hugged me half to death.

“Oh, hun, we were so worried about you,” she was saying, while Lukar grumbled something at our side. Dorothy released me to turn to him. “You hush. He had his reasons, and he was right! See? Look! She came around!” she told him. Picking up the cloth she’d flung, she returned to us to playfully swat at him with it until he just snapped and snatched her up.

“Kisses,” he rumbled, puckering his lips playfully to plant loud, smacking kisses to her neck until she laughingly complied.

“You two are adorable. It’s almost as nauseating to watch as smelling this nasty pie is,” I muttered, then sighed softly.

“Make pie for Odix. He not home. Lukar find Jo. Give my Rothy food. Eat foods. Set pie outside, keep beasts away,” Lukar told her.

Dorothy paused as she chuckled at him, growing thoughtful. “Do you think that might actually work?” she wondered aloud.

“Mama! We here!” Doogie announced. The sound of him stomping through the back door and into the house had my gaze darting towards the long hall, hoping this we meant him and the male he usually hung out with in his free time, a stinky pie loving fiend I was in need of.

When Doogie and Bia came down the hall, I had to force a smile past my disappointment.

“Don’t be dragging mud through my clean house!” Dorothy called back.

“We didn’t,” Bia assured her.

“Butt-kiss,” Doogie muttered, making a face at Bia he probably learned from hanging with me too much.

“Jo,” Bia greeted. “Mina and the kids miss you,” he told me with a smile. “It’s nice to see you around.”

It was nice to hear all the warm wishes from everyone but the wording was making me feel like I was a recovered mole person. I suppose, in a way, I kinda was.

“Thanks, but don’t inhale too deeply. I made stink berry pie.”

My warning was met with Bia quickly plugging his nose. “Ugh. I don’t know how Od can eat that,” he grumbled.

“Him weird,” Doogie offered with a shrug. “Odix likes Jo, no?”

“Shots fired,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“Forget she has pie in hand,” Lukar reminded him.

Doogie grabbed Bia and shoved him in front of him. “Here! Go!”

“What do you mean, go?! I don’t wanna wear it! Mina hates that shhhh- stuff! She calls it skunk pie! Are you crazy? One whiff and she’ll puke! I’ll end up sleeping on the other side of the room!”

“You can share a bed with brother-dear, I’m sure, right Kunkle Doodie?” I taunted Doogie.

“Doogie not want share bed with Bia stink-face,” Doogie muttered, shoving his brother aside. Twisting, he called something over his shoulder in Lo denaii.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, I handed the basket over to Dorothy with a hug. “I just wanted to drop this off. Enjoy your dinner, on me.”

Squeezing in behind Lukar, I slipped out the front door.

I was almost to the path when Dorothy’s front door slammed open and a garbled bellow issued into the night.

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