Page 90 of All's Fair in Love and Magic

“Now, we just need to get you there too,” Liam said.

I flashed him a look of surprise. “What do you mean? I’m totally thriving. Have you seen my wards? They’re fucking gorgeous, Liam. And I’m finally making plans for the first secondary set, so?—”

“We don’t need secondary wards right this second, Clove. You need to relax.”

“Did I just hear our resident workaholic tell you to relax?” Bailey called out. We stopped to wait for them, and she and Harv caught up to us easily. Their legs were longer than mine.

They were holding hands, and had been inseparable since sealing their mate bond. I didn’t blame them. They had hidden their connection for way too long, and had lost time to make up on.

“You did,” I said. “He’s going crazy, right?”

“Yes, I’m out of my mind for wanting my mate to slow down and enjoy life a little more,” Liam drawled.

Bailey blinked.

Harv did too.

I just rolled my eyes at him. “I enjoy life plenty.”

“Did he just tell a joke?” Bailey asked.

“I think he just used sarcasm,” Harv said. “Pinch me.”

She did.

Then she looked at me. “Since when does Liam joke?”

I shrugged. “Since me.”

Bailey blinked again. “Damn.”

“If you didn’t believe in fate before…” Harv trailed off, nudging his mate’s arm.

“No kidding,” she agreed.

“We’re going surfing,” Liam said. “Whether she likes it or not.”

With that, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me down the beach.

“I’m terrible at surfing!” I protested.

“You were making progress during our lesson before the wards came down.”

“Barely.”

“I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun.”

“Promise?” I checked.

“Yes, Clove.” He squeezed my ass. “After you’ve spent a few weeks getting damn good at surfing, I’ll let you think about the secondary wards again.”

“You’llletme?” I tossed back.

“Yup.” He didn’t bother pretending he wasn’t being bossy.

And I didn’t bother pretending I didn’t like it.

We both knew I didn’t have a problem with him taking charge.

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