Page 45 of Secrets and S'mores
“I don’t thi-,” I start to say.
Marigold claps her hands. “No, it would be so fun! It’s exactly what you need, and we need to spend more time getting to know you!”
“I can host,” Hazel adds. “I promise we won’t braid each other’s hair or anything weird. Just hanging out and lots of snacks.”
Usually I would decline, but something about Hazel’s kindness eats away at me. Maybe I should try something new.
“When is this girls’ night?” I ask.
“How about tonight?” Marigold asks.
“I’m down,” Hazel says.
“Oh, wow. That’s soon.” I glance to Onyx, but he shrugs. “Noreason to wait, I guess.”
“Great! Come over after sunset.” Hazel’s nose wrinkles as she smiles, her head tilting towards her mate.
Onyx squeezes my hand as we follow them out of the cabin.
We grab a late lunch in Onyx’s kitchen, and then I crash for a nap before my evening with Marigold and Hazel. Onyx seems to know that I need space to decompress. Today was humiliating, and I still have to face an evening with the two women mated to my grumpy brothers.
Time races by and I find myself standing on Hazel’s patio. Onyx watches from the trees, though he’s promised to go home and not patrol the cabin in his wolf form.
“Ember!” Hazel greets me, swinging open her door. “Come in, I’ve almost got drinks ready.”
A small fire crackles in their fireplace, filling the cabin with warm light. Marigold gives me a little wave from the kitchen. She’s emptying bags of chips into bowls.
I drift behind Hazel across the living space to the kitchen. “Here, let’s take these to the coffee table,” Marigold instructs, and I pick up two of the bowls - one of cheese puffs and one with BBQ chips. She adds a bowl of dip and a dish of chocolates.
The blender pulses as Hazel finishes our drinks. A bottle of non-alcoholic margarita mix sits by the sink. I take one of the armchairs, and Marigold sinks ontothe sofa and tucks her feet under her. She tosses a cheese puff into her mouth with a grin.
“Here,” Hazel says, handing me a wide goblet full of frozen pink margarita. She settles into the other armchair and helps herself to the glossy dark chocolates.
“This is so fun. Why don’t we do this more often?” Marigold asks. Hazel just shrugs.
“Hazel, I’m really sorry about this morning,” I say, feeling the weight of my mistakes still hanging over me.
She frowns. “You don’t need to apologize. I get it. And it’s going to get better.” She states it as an inevitable fact, leaving me unsure of what to say.
“Hey, we are here to have fun and relax. No apologies needed.” Marigold slides sideways to lounge across the sofa. “I really want to hear about you and Onyx.”
“Oh, no,” I say, burying my face in my hands.
“Oh, yes.” She grins wickedly. “He was such a pain in the ass when Jasper and I got together. This is more than fair.”
“Why? What was his problem?”
Marigold sighs dramatically. “For a long time, I had a crush on Cedar.” She waves her hand in the air. “But he had zero interest in me. I think Onyx had always pictured us getting together someday, and he didn’t take it well when he realized that wasn’t going to happen.”
“He has a big heart,” Hazel says, her eyes crinkling as she smiles fondly. I squirm uncomfortably inmy seat. “So what happened between you two? And when?”
“This is so embarrassing,” I mutter.
Marigold giggles, taking a long drink of her margarita.
“Okay, I’ll tell you about me and Jasper, would that be fair?” Marigold says.
“No, that’s okay. I don’t need to know about that.”
