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Ortega jerked back the chair directly at his side pointedly and looked at Lena with no expression on his face. Gideon let out a snort of laughter, which caused Chris to glare at him, as Ortega snapped at the other man angrily.
“Shut up, or I’ll break your other one.”
Daphne flinched, overhearing the threat that was tossed out easily. Gideon was now sitting back in his chair, looking at the other soldier like he would like to see him try it. Lena was practically silent, not looking at anyone as she meekly sat down beside Ortega.
Things were obviously tense as silence reigned at the table. Everyone was on pins and needles around here - and she thought about taking her plate to the cabin to eat, just to get away from the drama unfolding around her.
“Well, if we are all claiming things and establishing dominance like a bunch of Neanderthals,” Houghton muttered openly. “Jill is mine, and I’ll hurt any one of you that bothers her or makes her so much as frown.”
“Babe,” Jill protested softly. “Don’t be like this; they’re in a rough spot.”
“I’m not,” Daphne volunteered bluntly, having reached her limit for drama at barely ten in the morning, spearing the French toast and dropping a slice in her plate before using her fork to point at Gideon – then at Chris. Her mouth was running away from her before she knew it. “But you two? You have your work cut out for you both.”
“Daphne!”
“What? It’s no big secret,” Daphne retorted bluntly. They were looking at her like she’d flashed them all at the table. Sure, her frustration levels were way up there, but it was kinda hard to hide a marriage… So what was the big deal?
“What secret?” Lena asked, confused.
“Leave Chris alone – it’s our arrangement,” Gideon muttered and looked at Chris, who immediately looked away from him, turning bright red.
“Why do you think breakfast was late today?” Daphne continued, nonplussed. “These two hightailed it to the courthouse this morning and just got back. They missed most of their chores this morning to go and get married.”
“What?” Lena said, stunned, and looked at Chris and then at Gideon.
“Huh. That’s not a bad idea,” Ortega said – causing Lena’s head to whip around as she stared at him in shock. Daphne nearly dropped her fork in shock. Ortega, the royal jerk, wanted to get married?
“I didn’t saywhenor towhom,” Ortega retorted, and Lena drew back like she’d been slapped. “What? What did I saynowto bother you?”
And there’s the twerp we all know.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.”
“Y’all take it outside so I can eat in peace, please…” Jill said firmly, looking at her husband pointedly.
“Jake, I wouldn’t marry you,” Lena was arguing.
“I wasn’t exactly asking, you know.”
“If you asked…”
“What?” Ortega interrupted. “You’d what? Would you say ‘yes’ and be stuck with me? Hmm?”
Lena opened her mouth and closed it again.
Holy cow… Those two married?Daphne thought in wide-eyed horror, looking at the two of them and saw Jill lean over out of the corner of her eye – only to feel the woman touch her jaw, prompting her to close it.Those two… No. She couldn’t see it! He was just awful to talk to or be around.
Lena and Ortega were staring at each other – and surprisingly, the man’s face actually softened as he looked at Lena.
“You’d be stuck with me.”
“I don’t know,” Lena whispered, not holding back.
Daphne couldn’t help but stare as she saw Ortega, who didn’t listen to anyone, suddenly swallow, looking a little unsettled, before he looked away.
Next week, on the Young and the Restless…she thought silently, realizing that whatever was going on between the duo, it was ‘To Be Continued’.
