“Sweet child, she is.So very sweet,” Mary muttered toherself, but did it gazing atSatrine.She turnedthat gaze to Ansley.“A miracle, my good man.”
“Agreed,” Ansley replied.
Satrineducked her head, likely tohide as she controlled her tears.
Loren stretched his leg to rest his boot beside her foot.
When she felt it, she pressed that foot closer.
And then Loren resumed eating.
ChapterEighteen
Choice
Satrine
Loren and I sat in the carriage, practically fused toeach other’s sides, and I was as enthralled as he in how he was fiddling withmy fingers.
“I daresay…”
I blinked and my head came up to see Aunt Mary sittingacross from us.
I was so into my guy, I totally forgot she was there.
Then again, my guy waslife.All broody,needing-me, hot-AF-in-bed, romantic, dashing, with a healthy dose of kickassvigilante thrown in, who could blame me?
Mary had her own carriage but demanded to ride with us whenLoren escorted me the short distance home, completely oblivious (or not?) tothe fact that we might want some privacy while that happened considering Iactually didn’t need an escort at all.
Fortunately, this had given me the opportunity to run someinterference.This interference took the form of me writing a heavily nuancednote to Mom about the fact Aunt Mary was in town and she was to stay with us,and then we sent her carriage ahead of us.
I just hoped Mom was preparing, and not freaking.
But considering how I felt when I first laid eyes on Dad’saunt, I had a feeling she was.
Aunt Mary, a woman who was born closer to Dad’s age then mygranddad’s, so she was more like an aunt/sister to him.A woman who was totallyOTT, but in a hilarious way.A woman who was sharp as a tack, and therefore hadDad’s number (to the point she tried to warn Mom off in the beginning, alas,Mom was in love with a charming snake, so it didn’t work).
A woman we got after the divorce because she loved us, weloved her, and we all shared something huge: We all kept hoping Dad would be agood guy when he just wasn’t.
This world’s Aunt Mary, one could say the drama was at feverpitch.
But she was a scream, and more, it seemed so far so goodwith Mom and me not getting found out.
“…you two owe me a debt of gratitude,” she went on.“Forobviously, you aremostenamored with each other.And equallyobviously, it ismewho had the foresight, indeed, it could almost bedescribed as beneficentclairvoyance, to arrange your marriage.”
Loren did not make note that the woman had no idea I existedtherefore she couldn’t possibly have done that.
He said, “Lady Mary, rest assured, you have my undyinggratitude.”
Aww!
“As it should be,” she snipped.
I swallowed back laughter.
Loren’s fingers closed around mine and he tucked my handclose to his chest.
I looked up at his profile, his strong jaw, his long lashes,and my heart squeezed knowing Mom and me…
