Page 98 of Just A Little Magic

Bear leaned down and brushed a soft kiss on my lips. He came back for a deeper taste when I slightly parted my lips.

“Gentlemen, there’s plenty of time for that later,” Nico called from near the reception area. “I think I have what Gabe needs to get started on the plans. Tye? You good?”

“Yeah, I should be, but if Quinn or I have any questions, I’ll email Ga—I mean, I’ll email you.”

Nico beamed, and Tye rolled his eyes. With a wave, Tye headed straight out the door and wasted no time getting into his truck.

“Are you headed back today too?” Nico asked as he slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and gave the room a once-over for any forgotten materials.

“No, we’re spending the night and heading back tomorrow. Are you going to Gabe and Rory’s for the Christmas party?”

“Yeah, I was planning on stopping by. You’ll be there, right?”

“Yeah, we’ll be there. Assuming Rory doesn’t mind, I’m dragging a friend along. He needs to get out of the house more.”

After one final, final look around, Nico headed out the door and we were left alone in the lodge with Elizabeth.

Barrett collapsed on the sofa beside me and hauled me to his side. Elizabeth crawled out from under my sweater and settled back against my neck. There were still plenty of tasks on our to-do list while we were up here.

We needed to catalog the furniture for the disposal company, discuss what level of interior renovation was needed, and figure out if any of the junk in the building was salvageable, but none of that motivated either of us. Instead, we sat on the hideous pink sofa and enjoyed the quiet. Barrett finally broke the silence.

“While I was outside, I got a phone call from my dad.”

“Yeah, what did he have to say?” I craned my head to lookat Barrett’s face after hearing his perplexed tone. “Everything okay?”

“He said he and Mom have decided to take a trip together and are going on a cruise.” He paused to pet Elizabeth before continuing, “That wasn’t even the strange part.”

“Really? ’Cause that seems odd to me?”

Barrett tightened his embrace, and I sighed because I loved a firm hug.

“He asked how we were doing, but then said to tell you his plan worked out exactly as he hoped. When I asked for an explanation, he said to ask you. Do you know what he’s talking about?” Barrett’s tone remained even and calm, reminding me why I loved him.

“Oh lordy, I do.” I attempted to straighten so I could look directly at Bear but he lifted me up and deposited me on his lap. I kept a tight hold of Elizabeth so she wouldn’t get lost in the shuffle. “Oof. Okay, I guess I’ll talk from here.”

Barrett grinned while he wrapped his arms around my waist. “Spill it, Babe.”

“A few months ago, your dad came to see me at the office.”

I rubbed Bear’s chest when I saw his expression darken.

“Stop, don’t get mad at him. I don’t remember the exact wording, but the gist was that I needed to either pick you or let you go.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, and it was the push I needed. He was right, and I’m sure that’s what that whole marriage thing out of the blue was.”

Bear still looked annoyed.

“His heart was in the right place, and I’m kinda sorta happy with how it turned out.”

Since I was so close, I leaned forward and ran my nose along his neck and under his jawline.

“Hmmm, you smell good.” My lips replaced my nose, and I dropped a line of kisses. “You taste good too.”

I intended to keep going when Elizabeth leaped to her feet with an arched back and puffed-out fur. Her usually sweet chirps and meows sounded angry instead.

“Hey, Bitty, what’s wrong? It’s okay.”

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