A giddy thrill made her clap her hands. “I wonder what it will be! Hopefully, it gets along with Charlie.”
Rennick chuckled. “Something tells me that won’t be an issue. You’ll find out tomorrow.”
They’d agreed to wed the next day in a private ceremony with just their families and closest friends.
She shifted slightly, still adjusting to the bigger plug he’d placed inside her earlier. He’d do a bigger one tonight and then again tomorrow morning to prepare her for their wedding night. The thought both scared and excited her.
Once they finished bundling up, she and Rennick grabbed their gear and headed toward Amelia’s worst nightmare.
31
Rennick tied their horses to a tree and glamoured them to be invisible in case a beast ventured to the tree line. They normally didn’t, but he could never be too safe.
“We’re walking into the woods?” Amelia asked, eyeing the forest skeptically. “Horses are faster if we need to escape.”
He smirked. “The beasts can’t see us.”
Gulping, she moved closer to him. “Right.”
As they walked, they talked about their upbringings as far back as they could remember. It pleased him to know the orphanage had always treated her well, but he could hear the loneliness in her voice when she spoke of her past.
The hurt she experienced from Amos’s news made more sense because wanting nothing more than a family, wondering why they left you or if they’d come back, only to discover they knew where you were all along, must have been hard. She understood, of course, but that didn’t make the feelings go away.
Everything she knew about herself turned on its head yesterday, and Rennick would give her all the time she needed to adjust.
“What toys did you play with as a child?” Amelia tapped herchin playfully. “You seem like the type to come out of the womb making battle plans.”
Chuckling, Rennick told her about the fuzzy stuffed lynx toy he’d carried everywhere. His mother would try to trade it for a new one, but he always knew and threw a fit until she gave it back. He didn’t admit it, but he still had it packed away in a trunk under their bed.
Her eyes lit up. “You had a Charlie!”
“Did the orphanage provide you with toys?” Gods, he hoped so, otherwise he would send cart loads there tomorrow. “Dolls at least?” He would send a cart load, anyway.
She grimaced. “I have a confession.”
“You still play with them?” he teased, but his smile dropped abruptly when she shuddered.
“I hate dolls. They’re terrifying.”
“You kept the doll I gave you.” Unease stirred in his chest. “They must not scare you that much.”
“I have another confession.”
He stopped, the unease growing stronger. “You hated the doll.”
She pulled at a string on her scarf, refusing to look him in the eye. “I wouldn’t sayhate.” He stayed silent, waiting for her to tell the truth, and she threw her hands up. “Fine, it was awful. I screamed and threw it when I opened the box.” The distraught look on her face was adorable, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Her eyes turned to slits. “It’s not that funny.”
He covered his mouth to stave off his laughter, to no avail, and she picked up a handful of snow to throw at him. “You’re the worst, you know that?”
Still laughing, he dodged the assault easily. “I wish I could have seen your face. That’s why I roped Ora into helping me.” He grimaced and added, “I wouldn’t have had I known she thought she and I were mates.” Amelia hesitated long enough for him to realize something else was amiss. “What is it?” Herteeth dug into her bottom lip, and he took a step forward. “Amelia.”
“Before I say this, I need you to know that the thought behind your gifts made me love them, and I wouldn’t get rid of them for anything.”
A sinking feeling settled in his stomach. All these years he’d thought she’d loved everything he sent, but her words from the boarding house came back.Ora and I have different tastes.
“Everything Ora picked out was terrible. I think she purposefully sabotaged my gifts.” She lifted the hem of her dress to show her green boots. “I don’t even know where they’d sell these.”
“I had them custom made.” The pieces fell into place. “Ora said the color was popular, and that they had sold out in town.”
