Page 14 of Bigfoot's Wife

I'm about to agree when the smoke alarm starts blaring. Perfect. Just perfect.

As I'm frantically waving a towel at the alarm, trying to shut it up, there's a knock at the door.

"She's here!" Jac yells, bouncing with excitement.

Panic mode: activated.

"Quick!" I hiss, shoving burnt pots into cabinets. "Act natural!"

I smooth down my fur, take a deep breath, and open the door with what I hope is a suave smile. "Bambi. Welcome to Casa de Olwydd.”

She takes one look at me—fur singed, apron covered in mysterious stains—and bursts out laughing.

"Oh, Olwydd," she wipes tears from her eyes. "What on earth happened in here?"

I glance behind me at the disaster zone that used to be my kitchen. The boys are frozen in various states of “acting natural,” which mostly involves awkward poses and forced smiles.

"Well," I drawl, leaning against the doorframe in what I hope is a casual manner, "I thought I'd try my hand at gourmet cooking. Turns out, I might have overestimated my culinary skills. Just a tad."

Bambi's still giggling as she steps inside. "A tad? It looks like a food bomb went off in here."

I shrug, feeling my cheeks heat up under my fur.

She shakes her head as she stares up at the ceiling. “How did you…never mind.” At least her eyes are twinkling with amusement. "Alright, Gordon Ramsay. How about we order something from Sizzle and I'll help you and the boys clean up this mess?"

"You'd do that?" I ask, touched by her offer.

She nods, rolling up her sleeves. "Of course. But you owe me a rain check on that home made dinner.

My heart does a little somersault. A rain check means another date, right?

As we start tackling the kitchen disaster—scrubbing, scraping, and scouring—my cave is full of laughs and chatter. My heart feels as though it’s too big for my chest as I imagine hermothering our own children. There’s no doubt she’d be the best mom.

Sure, this isn’t the romantic dinner I’d hoped for, but watching Bambi laugh as she helps Jac wipe tomato sauce off his fur, I realize something.

This is better. In fact, it’s absolutely perfect.

And as she catches my eye and gives me a radiant smile, I think maybe, just maybe, she might be starting to soften to my charms.

My soulstone hums contentedly, and for once, I don't try to hide it. I don’t even care that the boys giggle about it behind their covered hands. Because this? This feels like the start of something amazing.

Now, if I can just figure out how to get the burnt veggie mush off the ceiling before it becomes a permanent decoration...

CHAPTER 7

BAMBI

The door clicks shut behind Braith and the boys, leaving Olwydd and me alone in his cave. The sudden quiet is almost deafening after the chaos of cleaning up the kitchen disaster and eating a takeout dinner with three rambunctious Sasquatch kids.

"So..." Olwydd drawls, rocking on his heels.

"So..." I echo, suddenly fascinated by a spot on the floor.

We stand there like two awkward teenagers at a school dance, until Olwydd gestures to the couch. "Wanna sit?"

I nod, grateful for the suggestion. We plop down on opposite ends, the space between us a no-man's land of unspoken words and sudden sexual tension.

"Your sister seems nice," I offer, trying to break the awkward silence as we settle onto his couch.

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