Page 53 of My Orc Contract Husband
Tarkhan’s lips twitched upward right before he sent me a knowing glance, and I resisted the urge to scoff and smack his shoulder, perfectly aware that he could smell my arousal. Instead, when he reached out, I took his hand in both of mine.
His hands were so much bigger, so much stronger than mine. But they were always gentle, and they always touched me with such reverence. I traced his calluses and marveled at how lucky I’d been to meet him.
In the backseat, Aunt Sharon made a little noise of approval.
Shedidn’t think this marriage was fake.
I was beginning to suspect I didn’t either.
When we pulled into the full parking lot, Tarkhan commanded, “Don’t move,” as he climbed out. He hurried around to the other side of the car and openedmy door. “Cairo says he’ll weld a step over here for you,” he explained, lifting me out, “but I haven’t gotten around to dropping the truck off. Your turn, Aunt Sharon.”
And my aunt giggled—actually giggled!—when he offered both of us his arms.
The Lexington Farm looked exactly like what you’d expect from a family operation that had been running for decades—a little rough around the edges but charming in that authentic way that couldn’t be faked. The red barn needed a fresh coat of paint, and the farmhouse porch sagged slightly, but the vegetable gardens were clearly loved, with fat tomatoes hanging heavy and corn stalks rustling in the breeze. The whole place smelled like earth and growing things, with an underlying sweetness from all those sunflowers that made me want to take deeper breaths than usual.
The sunflower maze was honestly more impressive than I’d expected. It was my first time here, and I was surprised to realize that once I stepped inside the maze, the stalks would tower over my head. As we headed toward the entrance, wood chips crunched under my feet, and I could hear the constant hum of what had to be thousands of bees doing their thing. Every now and then, a kid’s voice would echo from somewhere among the sunflowers, making me smile.
The craft booths near the entrance had that slightly chaotic look of Eastshore’s monthly markets—colorful awnings, mismatched tables, and vendors who clearly knew each other well enough to borrow supplies back and forth. I could smell kettle corn popping somewhere, mixing with the scent of those sweetgrass baskets one woman was weaving right there at her table. Mystomach rumbled at the sight of someone grilling corn, and I realized I was already looking forward to snack time.
“There they are,” Tarkhan announced in satisfaction, steering us toward a mixed group of orcs and humans and children. “Let me introduce you.”
Sharon and I already knew Sakkara, Eastshore’s new mayor, but this was our first time meeting his Mate Nikki and daughter Emmy. Emmy was half orc, her skin a pale green and her tusks little more than overgrown teeth. She waved shyly and skipped over to whisper something in another little girl’s ear.
Tarkhan introduced her as Tova, Aswan’s new daughter. Aswan had been one of Tarkhan’s groomsmen at the wedding, but I hadn’t had a chance to chat much with him. His Mate Hannah carried a squirming three-year-old Joshy on her hip, and ten-year-old Ben stood proudly beside Aswan.
And then there was Harper O’Donnell, my lawyer, whom of course I knew. But her Mate Giza—older than all the other males, his hair sprinkled with silver and his skin covered in the intriguingly unique tattoos I recognized from Tarkhan’s back—was new to me. I’ll confess once I realized he carried their sleeping infant daughter Raina in a sling on his chest, I melted into a puddle of goo.
Or maybe that’s just because it was Eastshore in late summer.
“I bought our tickets already. Shall we get into the maze?” asked Sakkara. “Hopefully the shade will mitigate some of this heat.”
Before I could agree that my thighswerebeginning to stick together, Hannah announced, “Oh! Can we take a picture first?”
All of us—the adults at least—agreed. How difficult could taking a picture be?
This is where the more knowledgeable are likely snickering at my naïveté.
“Okay, everyone gather around the big sunflower!” Hannah called out, holding up her phone and pointing to a wooden hand-painted sign that readLexington Farms Sunflower Maze. “Just one nice photo with everyonesmiling, Tova, no faces!”
What followed could only be described as chaos.
Ben immediately positioned himself in the middle of the sign, arms crossed. “I should be in the middle because I’m the tallest.”
“That means you should be on the side, and I should be in the middle!” Tova protested, launching herself toward the same spot and nearly knocking Ben over before she stumbled away.
“Careful!” Aswan warned, but he was grinning as he scooped up a giggling Tova.
Meanwhile, Joshy had discovered that the sunflower stalks were planted just far enough apart for a toddler to squeeze between them. “Mr. BunBun don’t want to!” he announced, disappearing behind a particularly large bloom with his stuffed rabbit clutched to his chest.
“Joshy, come back here!” Hannah called in exasperation. “Emmy, get in there with them, please.”
I smothered my grin as Emmy obediently moved to stand beside Ben, exactly where Hannah had pointed, watching the chaos with wide, amused eyes.
Baby Raina decided to join in at that moment, waking with a whimpering cry.
“Maybe we should just embrace the pandemonium,” Giza suggested, bouncing Raina gently.
“That’s our only hope,” Nikki agreed, just as Tova broke free from Aswan and chased after Joshy into the sunflowers.
