Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
INDY
It’s been a week since they were married, and five days since anyone but her husbands have seen her, which is when they moved back to the tavern.
I understand their need to celebrate being officially tied to such an incredible creature as Penny, but since I officially asked to court her, we’ve had very little interaction.
I haven’t even had the chance to kiss her yet.
Mostly, I just want to learn more about her and spend time together.
On the seventh morning of them being locked up together, I decide to make my move. I’ll go up there and ask her to go on a date with me. There’s a little festival in the town square tonight where there’ll be food and dancing and I think it’ll be the perfect place to spend time with her.
Every time Braxton or Ryker comes out of their room, usually to get food or water, they look so happy.
I was glad, as it meant she was probably happy too.
Would she really consider me to be one of her men as well?
I have to admit, when I first met her, I thought she was this beautiful, crazy, naive girl.
But the more I got to know her on our ride through the forest, I realized she wasn’t naive at all.
She just jumped in head first to things, not wanting to waste time wondering ‘what if’.
I admired that about her and wondered what had happened in her past to make her become a little reckless with her safety.
Listening at the door, I hear no sounds, so I knock firmly three times. I hear movement before Ryker answers the door, thankfully, wearing pants.
“Hey Indy, what’s up?”
“Indiana’s here?” Her excited, soft voice makes me smile as Ryker steps back, opening the door so I can see her seated at the table, finishing her breakfast. She wears a small shift dress, hanging on by two tiny straps over her shoulders.
“Hi, Sugar, how are you feeling?”
Her cheeks redden and she bites her lip before answering, “Good, did you come to say hi?”
“Yes, your husbands wouldn’t let me come see you before now, but I decided I can’t wait any longer, I came to break you out,” I tell, standing up tall as my eyes bore into hers.
“You guys should have told me he wanted to see me!” she chastises them, making me smirk.
“Red, we were a little preoccupied.”
“Still…” she mumbles before looking back at me. “So you’re here to break me out?”
“Actually, I wanted to ask you to be my date to the village festival tonight.”
“A festival?” she asks excitedly. “That sounds like fun, I’d love to be your date, what should I wear? I don’t really have much clothes, come to think of it.” She frowns, looking down at herself.
“I actually have a plan for that, too. If you want to get dressed now, in anything you like, Silver has made arrangements at a local clothing store to get you some new clothes. We thought the four of us could take you there and help you get outfitted with what you need for this world.”
“That sounds amazing, but does everyone know I’m not from this world?” she asks in concern.
“No, just us three,” I reassure her. I haven’t told anyone and I’m pretty sure her husbands haven’t either.
“Okay, I’ll be down in twenty minutes, is that okay?”
“Take your time.” I nod to them before closing the door and going downstairs to wait.
“So?” Silver asks eagerly when I get downstairs and sit at the table beside him. We’re in the same tavern as before, they are just in a larger room now.
“She seems excited.”
“Good.” He smiles, looking down at the table, deep in thought.
“Are you going to actually tell her you wish to court her?”
“What?! No, I don’t want that.” He shakes his head, clearly in denial. I just raise an eyebrow at him and he continues. “You don’t understand, once she knows I’ve spent years as a pirate, she won’t want anything to do with me.”
I laugh at that. “You clearly don’t know her yet at all if you believe that to be true. You know where the three of us come from, and does she judge any of us from our pasts?”
“Well, easy to say when your pasts don’t include anything quite so uncivilized as being a pirate.”
“Silver, I haven’t known you long, but I can tell you aren’t a bad guy. Tell me, did you hurt any innocent people?”
“No.”
“Did you steal from people who didn’t deserve it?”
“No.”
I shrug telling him, “Just tell her that, I’m sure she’ll understand. You saw the way she reacted to the magic, she’s pretty open-minded.” I wonder how open-minded she truly was, what would she think about my brother?
Footsteps interrupt my train of thought and I glance up to see her walking down the stairs in the emerald dress she was married in. It looks truly exquisite on her.
Silver and I both stand as she approaches, Brax and Ryker right behind her like sentinels.
“You ready to go, Sugar?”
“Yes! I’m excited to be able to wear something different. I love the dress, but it’s a bit much for everyday.”
Silver pipes up, “Yes I was thinking you need some lightweight everyday dresses you can easily move in. And if you like, we can have them make some pants for you?”
“Really?” she asks, sounding excited.
“Yes, women don’t usually wear pants, but I met someone once who did, she said it made it easier to do a lot of things.”
“Oh, she sounds like my kind of woman, is she your… mate?” I can see the nervousness in her eyes as she asks him.
“Oh, no, she’s the mate of my friends,” he rushes to reassure her.
“She sounds lovely.”
“Shall we go?” Ryker asks impatiently, bouncing from foot to foot.
“Lead the way.” I motion to Silver before I take Penny’s hand, causing her to smile up at me as we follow Silver, the others behind us.
It doesn’t take us more than a few minutes to walk to the clothing store.
The woman encourages us men to browse the fabrics and pick out our favorites, while she takes Penny to the back to measure her.
“Guys?” Penny calls to us after a while. We all head to the back where she is standing on a box, turning in a circle wearing a casual light pink dress. It’s fitted through her body and falls loose after her hips.
“Beautiful,” Brax states as he stands in front of her.
“Thanks.” She beams at him. “I was wondering… you see, where I’m from, women wear short dresses. Do you think it would be a bad idea to have this cropped, around here?” She motions to a spot several inches above her knee and we all stare silently for a moment.
I can’t get the picture of her walking around with bare legs out of my head.
“I would wear tall boots to protect my legs. But then I’d be able to move freely while still wearing a dress. Is that something you could do?” She turns to the dressmaker in question.
“Well, it’s the first time I’ve had that request, but I suppose new fashions have to start somewhere. Who’s to say you aren’t about to set a new trend, hmm?”
Penny beams at her before Brax cuts in. “I don’t like it.”
“What? Why?” She pouts at him.
“I don’t want other men seeing so much of you.”
“But you are the one who has me, think of it more as they can see but can’t touch.”
“The touching is what I’m worried about,” Ryker adds.
She looks at him in concern. “You think men will think they can touch me just because I show some leg?” She frowns in thought for a moment before adding, “Actually yeah, that happens where I’m from too, okay I’ll stick to long dresses.”
“For now,” I add, making them all look at me.
“Maybe one day, when you have filled your large harem, you will have enough men to keep you so safe that you can wear whatever you want without fear of what others will do.”
“Ummm…. thanks?” I laugh at her response as we all share our choice of fabrics with the dressmaker and Penny.
She picks one fabric from each of our piles, making me smile at how thoughtful she is.
I love how she tries to treat all of us equally, even when only two are officially her mates.
I can see how happy it makes Silver to be included, and I hope he tells her how he feels soon.
“Alright, it will take me a couple weeks to get all these dresses made, as well as the undergarments and night clothes you’ve requested. You can take that one with you.”
“Oh, well, I guess it will be okay to postpone my search for Ria a bit longer.”
“Ria?” Silver asks, looking confused.
“Yeah, she’s the friend I came here to find. She went missing a year ago. She’s my best friend and the only family I had before coming here.”
I notice Silver staring at her with wide eyes. “D-does she have short brown hair?” He motions above his shoulders. “And can she throw a dagger with precise accuracy?”
Penny gasps in shock. “Yes! You’ve seen her? Is she okay? Where is she?” She rushes over to him, gripping the front of his tunic, begging for more answers.
“You know the friend I mentioned? The one who wears pants and is mated to my friends? Well, that’s Ria.”
“She’s mated?! Is she okay?”
“She’s better than fine. She’s married to three pirate captains, they’re brothers.
She met them when she pretended to be a cabin boy so she could sail on their ship,” he explains.
Suddenly, Penny bursts into tears, pressing her face into his chest. He looks at me in alarm and I mimic hugging her, so he slowly wraps his arms around her.
I give him a small nod and he seems to relax.
I even hear him mutter a few words of reassurance to her.
“Penny? Come here,” Brax asks, and I see him reclined in a chair, motioning to her. When her red puffy eyes see him, she all but runs to him, jumping into his lap and curling up as he rocks her back and forth.
“It’s okay, Baby. Let it all out.”
“Why is she so upset?” Silver whispers, coming to stand beside me.