Page 319 of Bride of Choice

Wiping the lint that had somehow gotten into my eyes away, I cleared my throat. “Alright. Go on. Git. Get outta here!” I jokingly tossed out, shooing them off.

“No cry, my Jo. We be back,” Gopher promised.

“Odix stay,” Odix rumbled at the last moment. He was a total mush pot for his mate with watery eyes.

“No.” I shook my head firmly. “Dorothy and Rosa and Mal and I all have plans the next few weeks to keep my ass busy. I’ll be fine. I’m just having a moment. Now go. Do your things and come back.” Gesturing off towards Gopher’s parents’ hut, I waved my hand. “You saw how much BapaFuz is improving with all that magical juju the herbs you’re collecting are capable of. This is important and they’ve tasked you with doing it. So,” my hand clapped to Odix’s well rounded booty in a playful swat, “go do the things and get that shit.”

Odix jumped but glanced over his shoulder at me in the sexiest, I’m shy about shit like that but I fucking love it look with a little half smile as he blushed.

Gopher clapped him on the shoulder, said something that made Odix growl at him and slap his hand away, and they were off.

Rosa came over from where she’d just been sending Noyel off. “It’ll be okay. They’ll be back before you know it.”

“Easy for you to say. You’ve still got blue dude at home,” I mumbled dejectedly.

“He is rather good at the art of distraction,” my cousin joked, tossing me a wink when I made a face at her. “See? I can do it, too,” she singsonged.

“I just got Joanie-ed,” I mumbled with a shudder.

Rosa laughed and waved farewell.

“Jo!” Elle called, Chloe and Amee-lee tailing her as she came charging up the path.

“Uh-oh.” I knew that look. “Who is trying to catch who now?” Gopher wasn’t kidding when he said some of his sisters of age had gone boy crazy. Instead of worrying about fending the boys off with a stick, beasts were fending off Gopher’s sisters.

As they grabbed my hands and dragged me along, chatting a mile a minute, a silly smile tipped my lips. I went from zero siblings to a million little sisters in the blink of an eye. It was nerve wracking and crazy at times, but also crazy awesome.

I also had five dads now that acted like it and a very loving, attentive mom. I was theirs, plain and simple. That’s how it was with them.

It was wild to even contemplate.

I had a family, a very large one.

I couldn’t help but think, MINE.

Chapter 41

“I can’t believe he’s still dragging her around to show her off,” Mal muttered as she spied something in the distance as we roamed around the market.

Rosa glanced up and made a face. She couldn’t look away fast enough.

Overhearing them, examining a rather phallic looking drinking mug made from blown glass I was contemplating purchasing doubles of to shock my mates with, because you know, funsies and shit, I looked up and wished I hadn’t.

Rek was with what’s-her-name. Rosa and Mal and I made up random names for her, anything but her real name. I’d decided to call her Clementine and Claribelle, whenever an actual name was needed. It was closer to her name and less obvious than Jezebel. I mean, she’d known he was mated and came with him willingly. It was still even now hard to stomach.

I knew if I wanted to truly get past it, move past him, I’d have to confront him and find some way to put him behind me, really make peace with all this.

I just really didn’t want today to be that day.

Rek was practically shoving her at a male I knew was unmated. Perhaps he was building his family grouping? They’d been together for how long now? Knots formed in my stomach at the thought of them trying for a baby.

We were supposed to have a baby, damn it!

Feeling myself getting worked up, I set the phallic glass mug down and ordered two, each in colors to match the dick statues decorating my hut. It could be a funny little inside joke and fun surprise for when they returned home.

“Have ready in this many,” the merchant, Tikti, he’d introduced himself, told me.

“Two days? Okay. How much?” I inquired with a nod.

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