Duncan looked confused, so Trent, Peyton, and Ken quickly filled him in.“Ah,” Duncan said, smiling.“Add that one to my watch list, then.”
“More than one of them,” Ken said.
“After all this BS is handled,” Dewi said.“We’ll enjoy a few weeks of vegetative TV time on the couch as a family.”
“Amen,” Peyton said.“Wait, it looks like they’re coming back.I’ll talk to you later.”He ended the call.
Dewi retrieved her phone.“I have mixed emotions regarding this outcome,” she admitted.“I’m glad he’s dead, obviously, and that he suffered at least a little.I’m not happy we didn’t get answers out of him, though.”
“Join the club,” Trent said.
“Well, the bastard’s finally gone,” Badger said, grunting as he stood to head for the coffeemaker.“Long overdue, fer fuckin’ sure.Don’t know about the rest of ye, but I need to finish packin’.I might as well stay up now.We got a long day ahead of us, and we’ll lose a couple o’ hours on the flight back.”
Everyone left except Badger, who was awaiting his coffee.
Dewi tipped her head back and closed her eyes, rubbing them.“I would ask how much weirder can today get, but I danged sure don’t want the Goddess to say, ‘Challenge accepted,’ and body slam us with something else.”
Badger barked a laugh.“Ye feckin’ crazy?”
Ken kissed her forehead.“Yeah, please don’t.We don’t want the plane crashing or anything.”
That finally made her laugh.“You’re right.I guess trying to go back to sleep would be dumb, huh?”
“Well, I have us mostly packed,” he said.“I want to clean the cabin and empty the fridge before we leave.”
“Don’t worry about that.Gillian hires a packmate to do that,” Badger said as he finished fixing his coffee.
“Oh.Okay.”
Badger headed toward the cabin door.“I’m gonna finish packin’ so I’m ready to go when we leave.If ye need me, shout.”He left.
“Does that mean we can go back to bed?”she asked Ken.
“I don’t know about you, baby, but I’m too eager to go home to go back to sleep.I love it here, but I want to be home.”
She stared up at him.“I’m sorry you’ve been uprooted.”
“Please stop.I don’t need an apology.I need life to… even out.If we’re in the middle of all this stuff, I’d prefer to deal with it from home.Thatis what will help me more than anything right now.”
She sat up and turned, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her cheek against his firm abs.
Really firm.She nosed at him.
He laughed.“Is this a hint?”he asked.
“No.”She finally looked up at him.“Are you working out?”
“What?”
“You’re just feeling like you’re more toned than before.”
“Well, I’ve been doing a lot more walking since we’ve been here, back and forth to the house.And hauling baby stuff around.Plus, I haven’t been snacking.Haven’t had time.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it.”She scowled.
“Um… Thank you?I guess?”
“Sorry.I didn’t mean it like that.”She stood and pecked him on the lips.“I’m even less diplomatic than I usually am, and you know that bar’s usually in hell.You’re right, we’ve got a long day ahead, and I need coffee and a wake-up shower.”
