Page 111 of Home: Posy 5

"Boy," I muttered, "you better hope your mate has enough courage to meetyou."

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Sophia Bishop

I smelled something exquisite over the fragrance of burning wood and froze in place.

"Mate?" I whispered, feeling my heart pick up speed until I thought it would burst.

"Who is it, Fifi?" Bram jumped off of Gamma Reuben's lap and bounced up and down, grinning like a lunatic.

"I don't know," I murmured, looking around for the source of that rich honey scent.

Of all the guests we'd invited, there weren't many who it could possibly be...

"Yola? You, too?" Luna Posy squealed.

I glanced over at Yolanda, and her big black eyes looked as stunned as I felt.

"Oh, my," she breathed, and I followed her line of sight as three figures appeared out of the darkness.

The tallest and broadest of them strode right over to me, and all I could do was stand there in shock with my mouth hanging open, probably looking as attractive as a toad.

I couldn't really help my reaction, though.Mr. Hallwas not at all who I was expecting to be my mate!

Is the Goddess for real? She gave mea teacheras my mate? He's eight years older than me, for the love of the moon!

When I remained silent, Mr. Hall dropped to his knees at my feet, putting us almost eye to eye.

"Sophia, I— I'm probably nothing like the mate you dreamed of." He took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry. I know you're most likely disappointed."

An awful thought occurred to me, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Are you— Are you rejecting me?" I whispered, agony piercing my heart.

"No!" Horror painted his face. "No, no, no! Never! What I'm saying is, I know I'm too old for you and rough around the edges and obsessed with football and— Well, instead of a shining prince, Beauty is stuck with the beast."

Staring into those light hazel eyes, I saw kindness and admiration and such earnestness, it made my heart twist.

And just that quickly, he wasn't Mr. Hall anymore. He wasJared.

MyJared, with his tattooed arms and his loud Harley Davidson and his grease-stained fingers and his working man's hands.

Smiling, I laid my fingers on his thin, red lips.

"Do you know the best part of that fairy tale?" I asked him and moved my hand to stroke his thick beard.

"When the monster transforms into Beauty's ideal prince, I suppose. And I would if I could, Sophia. I'd turn myself into the mate you dream of. Knock off a few years, erase the tattoos, take myself down a few sizes—"

"No, Jared, I don't want any of that. You are perfect just the way you are." I shook my head. "The best part ofBeauty and the Beastis what happens at the end."

"They kill the evil step-sister? No, wait, that's the wrong story." His eyebrows drew together. "Is it the one with the wicked queen who drowns in the river?"

"No!" I giggled, and his eyes lit up as I did.

"Sorry, my beauty. I don't remember how it ends."

"Yes, you do. It ends like all good stories do. They live happily ever after."

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