The Belle and the Beard by Kate Canterbary (carter reed TXT) 📗

very impressed if you think I need you getting me out of anything." I covered his hand with mine. "No need to worry. I'll be quite all right with your sister and Zelda."

"I don't doubt it," he murmured. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should though. There's nothing wrong with letting me handle things."

There was much wrong with letting him handle things but that wasn't an argument I'd win while whispering at his mother's table. I nodded, saying, "It's nice of you to think that."

"Right now, I'm thinking about getting us the fuck out of here. Want to fake a headache?"

I shook my head. "Not on your life."

He breathed a soft growl against my jaw. "You're such a tough cookie."

"Then it's a good thing you love eating cookies as much as you do."

His grip on my thigh tightened. "Mmm. It is."

"If we can't talk about Linden's cult celebrity girlfriend," Magnolia said, "we should at least talk about baseball."

"I can agree to that," Ash said.

With a slight groan, Linden shifted away from me. "Right. We'll be so much more civilized talking baseball than we were politics. Makes sense."

Magnolia brushed several pieces of rice into her hand from where they had dropped to her belly, saying, "The next game is at home. Thursday. First pitch at five o'clock."

"Honey. Sweetheart. Love. Do you really think this is a good time to go to Fenway?" Rob asked her.

"It's the playoffs, Rob. I'm required to go," she replied.

"You're not. You're not required at all." He glanced to Ash and Linden for support but found none. It was awkward as hell to watch a couple nice-fight but at least I wasn't the center of attention anymore. I could enjoy Diana's delicious fish and rice, and drink my wine, and enjoy the bear paw resting an inch from my panties. "Would that even be comfortable for you?"

"Probably not," she said.

"It's a lot of walking," he continued. "And those seats."

"But it's the playoffs. The three of us haven't missed a playoff game at home in twenty years. We're not starting now just because I'm pregnant."

"You're in your third trimester with very energetic twins," he said. "Pregnant is an understatement, my love."

"Magnolia, listen to your husband," Diana said.

She stared down the table at her mother. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm just saying, your husband knows what's best for you."

"Shall I go rip the Equal Rights Amendment Now sticker off your car? Or would you rather I wait until my husband gives me permission?" Magnolia asked. "What about the 'well-behaved women never make history' one? Should I grab that too?"

I took a sip of wine because I needed something to do with my mouth that wasn't laughing out loud. This family was hilarious. They were incredible. I didn't even know family could be like this. I didn't know people could belong to each other with so much love and humor and snark. I didn't know that was what family meant to some people.

I didn't know what I'd been missing.

Carlo blinked at his wife. "How many gummies have you had tonight?"

"Not nearly enough," Diana replied.

Rob blew out a breath and stared at Ash with can you believe this? eyes. Ash gave him the I can't help you here, man shrug. Linden smirked at both of them as he rubbed my inner thigh.

"So, Thursday it is," Magnolia said. "Does that work for everyone?"

Linden turned to me, asking, "Are you good with me going to a game on Thursday night? I'll be back late. Probably ten or eleven."

There was another beat of silence, similar to the first but without the same gravity. This one was curious and the proof of that lived in the six pairs of eyes trained on Linden right now.

"This is blowing my mind," Ash said under his breath.

"Same," Magnolia said.

"Ignore them," Linden said with an impatient shake of his head.

"Go to the game," I said. "I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"Yes, I do," he mouthed.

The meal continued in much the same way—the triplets snapping back and forth with each other, Diana and Carlo peppering in wildly amusing and slightly odd commentary, food appearing on my plate even when I insisted I'd eaten more than enough—and I couldn't shake the sense this was how it was supposed to be. This was what I'd been missing, the place and the people and the connection I'd longed to find in my life, and now it was here, all around me, and I didn't trust myself with it.

I didn't know how to wrap my arms around all of this—the burly bear of a man, the family that didn't make sense but that was what made sense about them, this quiet corner of New England—without reminding myself I couldn't keep any of it.

17

Linden

I learned three things about Jasper tonight.

One—she didn't like being called beautiful. I wanted to understand but I didn't want her shutting down on me like she did in the woods this morning. I'd figure it out eventually.

Two—I'd always known she was capable of crushing people but I had no idea she could do it without them knowing they were being crushed. She crushed my entire family this evening and it was the greatest thing I'd ever witnessed.

Three—it shocked her every time I remembered boring little things like the wine she preferred. This was the second time I'd watched that reaction whip through her and I was certain it was one of shock. I didn't see how something as simple as grabbing the bottle she favored was worthy of shock but I wasn't to make an issue of it. Not yet.

And one last thing—I was a bit more attached than I cared to admit. Only a bit. Not very attached, not reorganizing my life to fit Jasper attached. Not imagining a future. Nothing like that. No, I wasn't that attached.

I wasn't.

But I was beginning to think she'd crushed me too.

18

Jasper

I had a complicated relationship with my body.

Things were better now but I'd struggled