“You should be mad, Willow. I embarrassed you.”
“I couldn’t be mad at you. I couldn’t be embarrassed by you, Eddie. You are the only person here who stuck up for me. You didn’t hesitate. You didn’t care who was watching. You stood up for me. How could I possibly be mad at you?”
He takes a deep breath in and out. A breath that calms him and me.
“If anything, I’m the one that’s sorry,” I say, and there’s an undeniable smile on my face that I can’t get rid of. He’s not mad at me.
“Willow, say you’re sorry again, and I’m gonna have to fill your mouth with something else.” He chuckles, and I see the Eddie I recognize is coming back to me.
“Will I like that something else?” I laugh between the kisses as I trail down his neck and chest. I can’t get the words to come out about how turned on I am by him fighting for me, but maybe words aren’t the only way to let him know.
“You wanna find out?”
“I do, I really do,” I say, getting to the waistband of his shorts. I know he has nothing on underneath, and that gets me wetter than I already am.
Suddenly, a phone ringing ruins the moment. I rest my forehead on his stomach as he lets a strained laugh out. He mutters a curse as I sit up and reach for the phone. My father’s name comes up on the screen. I let out a huff and move to answer the darn thing. I remain on top of Eddie, and his grip on my hips doesn’t give me much room to move.
“Dad?”
“Willow, are you okay?” My eyebrows scrunch, and the skin around my cheeks get tight. He’s wondering if I’m okay? Was this his gateway into a lecture on how I should have seen this coming and done more to prevent it?
“Yes, Dad. Areyouokay?” I ask, barely holding the surprise in my voice back. I always feel as if I am a little girl with her hand stuck in the cookie jar when it came to my dad. With my mom, we were always on the opposite ends of a battlefield, but with Dad, I constantly strived to be his little girl and had never earned the title. Not at five and not at twenty-five.
“Oh, pumpkin, I’m fine. Harper and your mother are losing their minds, yelling at the Barrows, but we both know those two were itching for a fight.” He laughs as a cough comes through the line. “Two peas in a pod, those two are.”
“Yeah, two peas in a pod,” I mumble. It’s one thing to be on the phone with my dad, and another to do so while straddling Eddie’s legs. His hand settle on my hips, his thumb rubbing back and forth on my hip comfortably. It’s not sexually charged anymore, but it still is off. I move up higher on his stomach, just in case. “We’re fine, both us of are okay,” I say, only for a lack of things to say. How did one conversate with their dad after so many years?
“Make sure Eddie shifts a few times. Mr. Barrow is old but he got a few licks on him. No need for pride to get in the way of having smooth skin. Trust me.”
“I will,” I say, my eyes landing on the shifter under me. He smiles, as I’m sure he can hear both sides of this conversation. My dad says goodbye and hangs up as I toss my phone on the chair next to the bed.
“You have orders from the old and mighty Mr. Buttercup, young man, and I happen to agree with the man I call a father, so you, my kind sir, need to shift and heal.”
“I do?” he says, leaning up on his elbows. His face is carrying the same smile I thought I lost, and, gosh, it’s good to have him back.
“Yes, you do. Let’s go. I’m sure my parents won’t mind you shifting on their land.”
“Do you want to visit your parent’s house now? Are you sure you want to face the angry bears of the Buttercup household?”
“Good question, but if it means you’ll heal, then I’m ready to do anything.” It’s an easy question, and one I didn’t need to pause and think about. For Eddie Enchanted, I’m ready to do anything.
“Hold on, someone’s calling me.” He grabs his phone from his pocket, which is silently vibrating. If another phone rings today, I think I’m going to lose my ever-loving mind. Eddie answers, and his face sets into an immediate frown. Dread bubbles in my gut, and suddenly, my head gets light, and my body gets shaky. He pulls the phone from his ear before putting it on speaker.
“Willow, can you hear me?” Felix’s voice comes through, and I’m not sure if it’s me or the phone, but my instincts know this isn’t going to be good. I answer with a low confirmation, and my eyes stay glued to the phone as if all my answers will come shooting out of it.
“Layla’s missing.”
Layla’s missing?
Layla’s missing.
My brows furrow so hard a headache is building, and I can’t stop shaking. Am I about to shift? I can’t. I know I can’t, I won’t have any control, and my bear is too emotional to let me see or hear anything. I’ll lose precious hours in finding Layla. I grasp my elbows and squeeze in an attempt for control. “Where is Dylan?” I ask. If anyone can find someone, it’s him.
“He had an impromptu assignment, but he’s on his way. Even then, we can’t wait for him,” Felix answers.
“How long has she been missing?” Eddie asks as I slide off him, and he moves around the room. He’s packing our bags, and I sit, watching him. I can’t move. Not yet. My steady control is lost, and I know that Layla missing is probably my fault. I shouldn’t have come to this darn wedding. Not with Milo somewhere out there. Was it him? I should have forced her to come. I should have... I don’t know. Would they have taken me instead? Was it James? Did he trick us? My eyes shoot up to Eddie’s.
“Where is James?” I ask on a whimper.
