Page 80 of Bride of Choice

“I don’t know… I don’t think so,” Bia replied with a frown and a shrug. “If I asked her not to first, then surely she wouldn’t repeat it.”

“Are you going to tell her the whole of it, or that there are Krampus hanging around?” From our brief interactions, I dunno, he struck me as the trustworthy sort.

“There’s more?!” he blurted, looking alarmed, making me wish I’d quit putting my fat foot in my mouth.

“Huh?” I mumbled, staring up at him innocently.

“You said there’s more,” he persisted.

“Did I?” A fake frown pulled at my brow.

“Look, if you don’t tell me, I’ll just-” He was starting to look worried, almost panicked, and forgot all about controlling the volume of his damn voice.

“Jesus, keep your voice down! You want the whole neighborhood to hear?!” With a dirty look aimed his way and an extracted promise from him not to tell Mina the details I was about to divulge, I spilled the beans on the Krampus watching my hut, the whole damn enchilada.

“Everything okay out there?” Rosa called out to us.

“Be right there!” I called back.

Turning back to Bia, I gave him a warning look. “You heard about how I beat Rek’s ass up, yes? All the crazy I’m capable of?”

Bia looked like he was about to laugh over the idea but the longer he met my gaze, the quicker the smirk tipping his lips fell. My eyes narrowed as I patted my purse. Many, too many, assumed I was still packing. It had been a note of contention with Berkr until I’d proven I didn’t have my gun on me or in my hut anymore. “Well, yes, but- I just thought-”

“Believe it,” I snapped quietly, quickly.

Bia gulped, throat working, and nodded.

“I don’t want this shit getting back to Rosa. She’s happy and enjoying all the things new mommies should. You feel me?”

“I understand,” he said simply. The disconcerted scowl on his mug smoothed out at the mention of Rosa.

“I’m trusting you,” I reminded him.

“You have my word,” he assured him. His lips tipped up into a sweet little smile. Okay, so maybe I could kinda see what Mina saw in him. The whole hybrid next door sweetness bit.

Not for me, that was for sure, but I could see how he could balance out hot headed Mina. Like Gopher had once been for me, B was her chill pill.

We spoke quietly and quickly for a few tense moments longer before we both went our separate ways.

As he hit the top of a small hill, he called out, “For what it’s worth, I know Goph, and that?” He jerked his chin towards my raised hand as I waved him off. “That was never just a best friends bracelet.”

Glancing down at the trinket dangling off my wrist as I dropped it to curl it to my chest, my fingers smoothed over the stones and a small smile tipped my lips.

Once more, my heart smiled.

Chapter 13

“You’re sure everything’s fine?” Rosa pressed as I readied to leave after some much needed cousin time and my fill of hanging with the littles.

“On both these big ol’ butt cheeks,” I promised, sure the kiddos weren’t within earshot of my dirty mouth. Holding up my hand, pinky out and waggling, I proclaimed, “May they both just fall right off and land in a wriggly puddle on the ground if I’m full of scat.”

Zhuii, close enough to hear, far enough away to act like he wasn’t shamelessly eavesdropping, made a distressed noise and visibly shuddered.

Grinning, I laughed as Rosa snorted and shook her head. Her hand lifted and she swatted my pinky waving away. “Your place is so much fun,” I informed her.

“You just love that Zhu is so easy to get under his skin,” Rosa chided, but she was still smiling. Her eyebrows shot up as my grin widened. “Don’t you go picking on my mate. Cousin or not, if I can’t beat your buns, I can at least tackle you and hold you down until someone comes along that can,” she quipped.

“You would too,” I said on a laugh. Wrapping my arm around her in a half hug, I gave her a squeeze. “I love all the fire in you, cous’. Tiger lady looks good on you.”

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