Chapter Thirty-Two #2
“Do you like it?” I searched for hours trying to find
something to remind her of the world she came from. “I could get something else
if it displeases you.”
She shakes her head. “No, Beck, I appreciate it very much.
It’s a lovely gift.” She sighs as though making a decision. “Thank you.”
She walks up and kisses me on the cheek.
It’s a start. My hands circle her waist. I hold her to me
for a precious moment. I look down at her uncertain eyes and choose to be bold.
I cup her face while I kiss her roughly. “I missed you, wife.”
She’s breathless when I let her go. Her hands shake slightly
as she forces herself to back away. “I should go start dinner. I’ll put this up
before I begin.”
She practically runs from the room. Something deep inside me
eases. She still wants me physically. Everything will be all right. I can ease
us into the relationship we both want.
“Damn it,” Cian says, slapping me on the back. “Why do you
think I started the sex play early this evening, brother? I was trying to avoid
Meggie’s cooking. Don’t get me wrong. The woman can make a damn fine cookie,
but the rest of it is terrible. I’m dying here. I was going to exhaust her then
slink off to Flanna’s and beg her to feed me.”
“It can’t possibly be that bad,” I say, shaking my head at
my brother’s dramatics.
“Oh, it can,” Cian assures me.
And now I remember I have a bone to pick with my brother. I
was distracted by Meggie’s breasts. “Why slink off to Flanna’s when there’s an
entire festival going on in the village?”
My brother has the grace to wince. “We should probably talk
about that.”
“Don’t feed me some line of crap about wanting the villagers
to accept Meg,” Beck replied, cutting off that avenue of escape. “Did you think
for one minute about how this affects things? Did you consider that Torin will
know about her now?”
Cian waves me off. “Torin knew about her the minute you
stepped into that arena. If I let you hide her, people will think we are
ashamed of her.”
“Why does it matter?” I shoot back. “Who cares what people
think as long as she’s safe?”
Cian’s gray eyes settle into a stubborn stare. “If you’re so
fired up about keeping her safe, then let me take her to the Vampire plane.
She’ll be perfectly safe with the Dellacourts. I’ll get a job at the
university. Problem solved. You’ll never have to worry about either of us
again.”
“I’m not letting you take her anywhere,” I promise, feeling
a bit savage. Does Cian think he can waltz off with our wife? “As far as I can
tell, you’ve been a bad influence on her.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Cian is obviously feeling a
bit of my restless anger.
“It means she’s getting quite the reputation in town,” I
explain. “Have you been letting her run wild? She’s met with goblins? She’s
forcing the young people to do her bidding? This isn’t the way we run this
village, Ci.”
Cian’s face twists in confusion. “What are you talking
about?”
“I’m talking about our wife taking whatever she wants,” I
say, trying to keep my voice low. “Those are new clothes. I can tell. As we
didn’t have a coin to our name when I left, I’m wondering where she got them.”
Cian leans against the wall as though he’s completely
unconcerned with his guilt in the matter. “I might have been hiding a bit of
coin from you. I bought Meggie a dress, and the village women liked her so much
they sewed her a few pieces. You couldn’t expect her to wear the same thing
every day. Where are you getting this from? She meets with those same women
every other day for sewing lessons. They adore her. Everyone loves her. She’s
fitting in beautifully. Even the bloody goblins respect her. As for the stall
she set up in the market, those kids are taking a cut. Meg does the baking, and
the Shaw kids handle the selling. They take half the damn profits.”
“What the hell is she doing selling stuff at market?” I’m
confused by the entire situation.
“Making money,” Meg says quietly from the doorway.
I turn quickly, taking in her frown. She’s straightened her
clothes and put on an apron. Her auburn hair is pulled back in a neat bun. She
looks every bit the proper Fae wife about to cook her husbands’ dinner. I miss
the naughty schoolgirl.
Perhaps she’s been trying to help. Perhaps I didn’t make
myself clear enough. It’s no wonder she’s not happy with me. She thinks I can’t
take care of us, and she’s scared.
“I took care of it,” I explain. “We should have enough coin
to see us through the winter.”
Meg’s eyes dull. She shrugs as though it doesn’t mean
anything to her. “I’ll keep it for myself if you don’t want it.” She moves
toward the kitchen. “And I’ll make sure to pay the women for their clothes.
I’ll do it tomorrow.”
And I’ve somehow stepped into it again. “Meg…”
She holds up a hand to stop me. “Just leave me a list of
what I’m supposed to do and I’ll get it done, Beck. I’ll shut down the bakery
stall, or I’ll work it myself from now on.”
“I didn’t say that.” Damn it. I don’t want to argue
with her. “You’re deliberately misunderstanding me.”
“No, I’m being realistic,” she says, her back stiffening
with pride. “I’m not going to win with you. I could try to be this proper lady
you want, but you’ll always remember that you bought me in a marketplace. I’ll
always be a reminder that you didn’t get to be with the bondmate you were
promised.”
I turn to my brother, shocked at her words and looking to
the only possible explanation for them. “Does she think we’re pining for Maris?
Where did she get that?”
“Not from me.” Cian shudders at the thought. “She knows how
I felt about Maris. The best thing about having our kingdom ripped from us was
not having to bed her. She damn near froze off my willy every time I stood next
to her. I can’t imagine having to put it in her.”
“She wasn’t your type, baby,” Meg says with an intimate
smile that doesn’t include me. “She was Beck’s. Look, I’ve thought a lot about
this while you were gone. I realize that you married me to save Ci. That
doesn’t mean you have to pay for it the rest of your life. I haven’t talked
about this with Ci yet, so I hope I’m not being too forward, but I think we get
along well. I love him, I really do.”
“I love you, too, darlin’,” Cian replies sweetly with a
wink.
“So I think that Ci and I should find our own place to
live,” Meg continues, sounding very sensible. She sounds like she’s explaining
her plans to redecorate, not ripping my heart out. “Cian built this house. He
can build a new place for us, and I’ll help him. We wouldn’t ask anything of
you. I’m making money now, and Cian knows how to farm. All we need is some
land. I think it’s best if we make it a clean break. I’ll be close so I can
still do the bridge thing, but you can find someone more suitable.”