Page 73 of Accidental Fiancé

Mom added, “You know you can tell us anything, honey.”

But there were too many layers, and I didn't want to get into it. “I've known Maggie since high school, which means there’s years of stuff to deal with, you know? Sometimes, some of it comes out of nowhere, and I’m unprepared to deal with it right away.”

“Does this have anything to do with that Chloe girl?” Yaya asked.

Why does she have to be so damn insightful?“It’s honestly just stupid kid stuff. It'll pass.”

“Whatever it is, Maggie is a lucky girl to have you,” Mom said.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Whatever it is, he better get it under control before my official party in two days,” Yaya teased. “There will be cake and no fighting. A real American birthday party, not a Greek one.”

I chuckled despite myself. “No worries, Yaya. I've got it all under control.”

Only I didn't have it under control. Not when I tucked Piper in and almost cried when she asked where Maggie was. Not when I found Maggie in our room, and I sent her to tuck Piper in. She looked up at me with so muchsomethingin her eyes. “She wants me to come and say goodnight, too?”

I gulped. “Yeah. I think she was a little disappointed that you hadn't come to tuck her in.”

Maggie scurried to get dressed and left without another word. By the time she returned for bed, I was half asleep. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

“What time is it?”

“Just after eleven.”

“Piper kept you this long?”

She smiled and shook her head, taking off her robe. Her satin and lace pajamas accentuated her curves, the sight stirring me awake. “No. After I tucked her in and got her to sleep, I ran into Yaya in the hallway. She started telling me about Greece, and we ended up talking for a long time. That woman has lived a life.”

I smiled as she crawled into bed next to me and turned out the light. “Yes, she has.”

“Was she really a lion tamer?”

“She worked for a circus, believe it or not. Whether she was actually a lion tamer is up for debate. But she does have an extensive picture collection showing her in a variety of circus jobs, including one where she’s standing next to a lion with a whip in her hand. Mom swears she never did any of that. That she went to one of those photo shops where they can superimpose you into already existing photos. But she looks veryactive and involved in the pictures, so I don’t argue with either of them on it.”

Maggie yawned. “I prefer to believe she actually did it.”

“Same here.”

She cradled onto my shoulder, and it felt right. “Okay if I sleep here?”

My voice went hoarse. “Yeah.” I laid an arm on her back, and neither of us spoke for a long time. I knew I shouldn't have left so abruptly. I should have stayed to make sure she was okay, that she wasn’t blaming herself for what I’d done to defend her. Yet another mistake. I laid there beating myself up over it most of the night. But at least I got to listen to her breathe as she slept. She was so peaceful in my arms.

I must have dozed off because when my stupid ass cousins banged on my bedroom door and threw it open, I jerked awake. “The fuck?”

“You know the drill, lover boy. Time for the hunt,” Marcus said.

“Get the fuck out.”

“You’ve got two minutes,” Apollo chimed in, shutting the door while they waited in the hallway.

A groggy Maggie asked, “The hunt?”

“It's the counter to the lady’s spa day. Guys only,” I explained as I dressed. “We don't ever actually kill anything. It's more like a hike with guns.”

“You're not even fully awake, and you're going to be handling firearms?”

“Family tradition.” I pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee with a flannel and boots. “I'll be back in a few hours. This usually takes us to about noon.”

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