Page 42 of Obsessed Fox

For the first time since my brother walked away, a small smile broke through.

"Matty was always the troublemaker. My parents used to call him the wild child. Even though we lived off the grid, away from any civilization, he always found a way to get into trouble. He loved pulling pranks more than anything."

"And let me guess, you were the perfect angel?"

I thought back to my childhood and how different of a person I was now compared to then.

"You could say that. I was the yin to his yang. While he was causing trouble, I was doing my best to smooth things over. Matty always thought if they were going to force us to live so far from other people, then we needed to make the most of everything while we could. I just wanted to survive until we got away. I always figured I would live my life after that."

Hendrix continued to draw circles on my stomach. "And now?"

A little of the sadness crept back in. "Now I wish I would've lived life to the fullest back then with him. We always said we would be together forever. I never had any reason to think differently. If I had known we would've been spending all these years apart, I would have caused a ruckus with him back then, rather than being the wet blanket."

Hendrix chuckled against my ear. "I can't picture you as a wet blanket. The tattoos, the piercings, the wardrobe. When I first met you, all I could think was this was a woman who enjoyed life and showing off her personality."

I traced my fingers along his and played with the leather band on his wrist. It was one of the first things that caught my eye when I met him.

"I did all of that after I was forced to go on the run. A little tribute to my brother, I guess. As kids we would talk about all the things we would do once we were old enough. All the things our parents were dead set against. The tattoos and piercings I used to joke about because they were the opposite of the good girl I was. They were the first thing I did as soon as I had money. The clothes came afterwards. I went through several phases before I finally discovered my style."

She laughed humorlessly. “Some of the phases I went through were downright hideous and even I can't believe I thought they were cool.”

"Well, I happen to like the person you've become."

The smile was back, this time just a little bigger. "You're not so bad yourself."

Hendrix laughed again. "We're getting off topic. Tonight is supposed to be about remembering the good times with your brother. So tell me about these pranks he used to pull."

And that was how we spent the rest of the evening. Me telling Hendrix about Matty and what a great brother he was to me and how he provided the comfort and support I needed.

By the time I fell into a peaceful sleep, I was sure that I was no longer falling but irrefutably in love with Hendrix.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Hendrix

"You're not seriously dragging me out to eat this morning, are you?"

I managed to convince Maisie to let Janie open the bakery for one more day so she could relax. I just forgot to mention that relaxing meant going out to breakfast at the Crazy Fox diner. Sure, the place was known for its eccentric club sandwiches but Bee whipped up a mean breakfast as well.

"Of course I am. You need to get out and talk to people more."

"What you really mean is you want people to see us together so everyone knows we're dating?"

"Oh, sweetheart." I yanked her to my side. "We're so much more than just dating, but yes, I want everyone in town to know you're mine."

She tried to push me away but I didn’t let her.

Last night was all about reminiscing and giving her time to let the grief take over for a bit. Today was a new day and I was determined not to let her wallow.

I knew I’d made the right decision when we walked into the diner and caught Bee's attention. If there was anyone who could spread news faster, it was the old woman.

"Well, I'll be damned!" She clapped her wrinkly hands together in excitement and shouted across the space. "I never thought I would see the day you two would take your heads out of your asses."

"It took some convincing, Bee, but I finally got her to give me a chance!" I hollered back as I moved us to an empty table right in the middle of the place.

"You kidnapped me," Maisie huffed. "Twiceto be exact."

No one in the diner seemed the least bit surprised about her confession, but it was Bee's response that took the cake.

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