Page 19 of Mink Hijinks
Pax’s mouth drops open. “You’re a shifter?!”
“Chipmunk.”
“Ha!” I let out. “I’m a mink!”
“And I’m just a plain ol human.” Pax sighs deeper into his seat.
“No,” Buckle and I say at the same time. I reach for Pax’s hand again.
“You’re not just a human. You’re my Fated.”
On the line, Buckle says, “I thought we were Fated, but that literal spark never happened. I felt it when the two of you touched. I knew you’d found your mate.”
“But how?” Pax asks.
“Because the two of you are so close.” My heart aches for Buckle, though. If he thought he and Pax were Fated, he must be in pain now. “Buckle, for what it’s worth, I believe you’ll find someone.”
“Thanks,” Buckle says, and he sounds genuinely happy. “The nibblings are calling. If I don’t hear from you before, Merry Christmas. Both of you.”
“You, too,” Pax says as I repeat the greeting.
Pax ends the call. “So... My best friend is a chipmunk shifter and my Fated is a mink. How is this life?” He grins up at me.
“Because Fate has looked over you for years, my sweet.” I kiss his knuckles and he goes quiet. “What’s wrong?”
“It doesn’t feel that way. But I don’t wanna think about any of that. I want to get to know you and we don’t have movies to distract us.”
“Ah, that was the plan. Get me away from the TV. You know me too well already.”
“No, no.” Pax laughs, and it’s magical. “If you ever get to meet Buckle, he’ll tell ya that I can talk someone’s ear off. I just gotta get comfortable first.”
“I look forward to chatting about everything.”
And for hours we talk about everything and nothing, and it’s glorious.
“You slept in hammocks?” Pax asks.
“Yep, all four of us boys. We tried bunk beds, but the hammocks were way more comfortable shifting between human and mink as kids. I still have a hammock that I sleep in every once in a while.”
“I hope there are lots of baby pictures.”
“I’m sure there are.” A yawn makes my jaw pop. “Darlin’, how about looking for a hotel?”
“Or I can take over and we go a little longer while you take a nap?”
Another yawn. “Sounds perfect.” We find a gas station to fill up and switch drivers.
“Wake me up if you need me to navigate.”
“Will do, sleep tight.”
Next thing I know, Pax is waking me up three hours later at a cute motel.
PAX
Spending a few hours at the hotel to get some sleep really woke us both up. We eat a quick complimentary breakfast and we’re on the road again.
The highway stretches out before us, ribbons of asphalt twisting through endless fields and distant trees. I lean back in the passenger seat, feeling the hum of the engine beneath me and the occasional jolt as we hit a bump in the road. We’ve been driving for hours, and honestly, my legs are starting to cramp from sitting still so long. The air inside the car is warm, tinged with the scent of worn leather. I watch the landscape blur past the window, thinking about how far we still have to go.
