Page 107 of Meet Dare

“I’m ready,” I announce when they reach the clearing I consider my front yard.

“Ready for what?” Beckett asks.

“The male bonding ritual to indicate you accept me in Cassandra’s life.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “How do you know the reason why we’re here?”

I cock an eyebrow. “You’re not here for the bonding ritual?”

“Maybe I don’t accept you in Cassandra’s life.”

I chuckle. “You here to try and beat me up again?”

He growls. “There will be no trying.”

“Didn’t you promise Cassie you wouldn’t return here to give me a lesson with your fists?”

Before Beckett can answer, Phoenix speaks up, “Can we get on with this? Some of us have busy lives to get back to.”

River throws an arm around his brother’s shoulders before rubbing his knuckles over his hair to give him a noogie. “Little brother’s missing his goats.”

Phoenix shoves him away. “I’ll show you goats.”

Rowan sighs before stepping between the brothers. “We agreed on no fighting today.”

“Unless Cedar proves himself unworthy,” Beckett adds.

“I seriously don’t understand how Lilac puts up with you,” I tell him.

He grins. “She loves me.”

“Can we get on with this now?” Rowan asks the group before addressing me, “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready for the past hour.”

“Let me guess. My wife messaged you.”

“She’s been blowing up my phone for the past hour.” I wiggle my phone at him. “You really should give her the red velvet pancake recipe before she gets herself into trouble.”

He smirks. “But it’s fun to punish her when she’s being bad.”

I gag. “You’re talking about my sister.”

“But she’s not my sister.” He winks.

I shut and lock my door behind me. “Come on. Let’s go.”

Beckett frowns. “How do you know where we’re going?”

I roll my eyes. “Just because I haven’t lived in Winter Falls for the past decade doesn’t mean I don’t know all about the rituals.”

We begin hiking through the woods toward the falls.

“You’re lucky it’s May. Some of us weren’t this lucky,” Phoenix grumbles. “The falls aren’t very warm in November.”

“The falls are never warm. There’s a reason the town is named Winter Falls after all,” I point out.

“We’re not done interrogating Cedar, are we?” Beckett asks.

---