His grin widened as he shook his head. “No. My mother is rich. She actually has a pet panther. On the animal sanctuary she runs. The truth is, my mother blames Luke for enticing me away. She’s not happy. She prefers her children stay close. The fact that I’ve ruined her plans isn’t sitting well.”
“So, you really are protecting him.” I nodded. “I’m sorry. I just assumed ... well ... you know what I assumed.”
His smile was friendly. “It’s okay,” he reassured me, slinging his arm around my shoulders and tugging me to rest his cheek against my forehead. “My mother will calm down. When she does, she can meet Luke. This is not about him, it’s about her.”
I smiled. “Tough love for both of them.”
“Exactly.” Cole pressed a kiss to my forehead and released me. “It seems to be my lot in life to be surrounded by difficult people. The best way to deal with difficult people is to set boundaries and stick to them. Luke may be upset, but he’ll get over himself. We both know that.”
The more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. “You know he’s going to be a bear until he gets to that place mentally, right?”
He winked at me. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
“I LOVE THE SMELL OF THE OCEAN.”
Kade’s fingers were linked with mine as we strolled the beach, away from the fairgrounds and toward the twinkling lights in the distance. This stretch of the beach was sparsely populated, which I appreciated. Kade was even more worked up. He was practically giddy.
“I never would’ve noticed,” I teased as I enthusiastically swung our joined hands. The sun had almost completely set. We’d already erected the dreamcatcher without fear of anyone seeing us.
“I don’t know what it is,” he admitted, his eyes sparkling as he turned to me. “I just ... absolutely love the smell of the ocean.”
I’d never seen him like this. He seemed lighter somehow, freer. My earlier conversation with Cole came roaring back. “Just out of curiosity, do you want to settle by the ocean long-term down the line?”
He hesitated before shrugging. “I didn’t think we were at a point where we were talking about our future. I’m pretty happy with the way things are now.”
“That makes two of us,” I reassured him quickly. “It’s just ... well ... at a certain point things will have to change.”
“Why?” He was earnest as he turned to face me. “I’m not being combative or anything. I genuinely want to know why they have to change.”
“Well, for starters, I’m assuming that we’re going to, um, get married … in the future.” I quickly averted my eyes as a wave of embarrassment washed over me.
Apparently my reaction amused him, because he chuckled. “I would consider that a given.”
Relief helped loosen the invisible fist that had wrapped around my heart. “Um ... so that’s good.” I briskly moved to the next subject. “That might mean kids at a certain point. You can’t really take kids on the road year-round.”
He rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “I hadn’t really considered that, but you’re right.”
“Unless you don’t want kids.”
“I wouldn’t mind a kid or two.” His eyes were soft. “I don’t want a bushel of them or anything, but one or two sounds nice. You’re right about traveling with them. We won’t be able to do that once they need to go to school.”
I was relieved he saw things the same way. “We don’t have to make any decisions now, but you absolutely love the ocean, so we should consider putting roots down somewhere with easy access.”
“What do you love?”
That was a good question. “I guess ‘you’ isn’t the answer you’re looking for.”
“I’m always looking for that answer,” he reassured me. “I want to know where you want to live.”
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. “Before you, I thought I might travel forever. That’s no longer my reality.”
“No, it’s not,” he agreed, brushing my hair off my shoulders. “We’re not settling someplace you won’t be happy. We should make a game out of it, while we still have plenty of time.”
“A game?”
“Maybe we can each give it some thought, write down our three top choices, and then compare them. Like you said, there’s nothing pressing right now. We should be prepared for the future, though, if only because we both like to dream.”
His answer was exactly what I wanted to hear. “Sounds like fun.” I slid my arms around his waist and rested my chin on his chest. “I really do love you.”
“I love you too.” He gave me a soft kiss. “I don’t want you worrying about stuff like this,” he said as we separated. “We’re going to be together forever. I have no doubt about that.”
“Do you want to hear the gossip I got from Cole?” I asked, changing the subject. “It involves torturing Luke into submission.”
That garnered a huge grin. “Always.”
3
Three
Romance was on the menu, which meant we fell asleep wrapped around one another. We were close enough to the ocean that the waves lulled us into a deep sleep.
Sometime after midnight, the dreamcatcher sounded.
“What the ... ?” Kade rubbed his cheek, his voice muffled.
I was already out of bed. “Something’s here,” I hissed, rooting around the floor for the clothes I’d discarded the night before. I found my shirt on top of the dresser and tugged it on, not bothering with a bra.
“We’re under attack?” Kade’s eyes widened as he tumbled out of bed and started searching for his pants. “What is it?”
I was irritable upon waking under the best of circumstances. “How should I know?”
We finished dressing in silence and reached the common area in front of trailer row sixty seconds later. The others were already amassed outside, grim and ready for battle. Nelson “Nellie” Adler, our bearded lady who was really a dwarf from another plane of existence, wore a slinky negligee that covered absolutely nothing, including his broad shoulders and hairy chest. He clutched his axe.
“What is it?” I asked, taking control as I strode to the center of the circle.
Raven DeMarco, our silver-haired lamia, shot me a withering look. She wore a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra, her long hair standing up in a variety of directions, making me suspect that she’d been sound asleep when the alert sounded. “We know what you know.”
“There are multiple breaches,” Naida offered, sliding between two tents to join us. She was a pixie, along with her sister Nixie, and could control aspects of the weather and water. She looked downright furious. “They came from the water side. I think ... .” She hesitated and cocked her head, her eyes drifting in the direction of the ocean.
“What?” Raven barked, her temper on full display. “What do you suspect?”
Naida’s glare was dark. “Don’t take that tone with me,” she hissed. “I’m not in the mood.”