AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Seth is a human lion.
And yeah, I’m here for it.
At first it concerned me. I won’t lie. But then I noticed Jess was blowing him off while she piped frosting onto chocolate cupcakes. Although, considering the kitchen island has around four dozen already frosted cupcakes and she just slid two more pans into the oven, I think her version of blowing off steam is baking.
One sibling is a lion, the other sibling is a talented baker. The latter is more productive, but the former is glorious in its own right. Likely because I’m engaged to the lion.
Marshall, who hasn’t moved from where he’s standing at the front door since he let me in, clears his throat. “He’s here.”
Yeah, so, the reason we have the lion, the baker, and the security guard (new version ofWizard of Ozanyone?) is because we’re meeting with Jude. I was shocked when Seth called me last night to tell me about his father showing up, but then he surprised me further by texting shortly after that to say Jess wanted to hear their father out. I don’t think he wanted to attend the meeting, but I know Seth. He’s protective of everyone he loves—somehow, I’m lucky enough to be in that group—and there was no way he was going to let Jess be around their father alone. Not even if he knew Marshall would be there.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure I heard bombs in the not-too-distant vicinity when I received that text. I can’t be sure because I was popping a bag of popcorn at the time, though. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep, so I figured I may as well enjoy some good food.
But now it’s go time because both Marshall and Seth are at the front door. Between their combined height and muscles, nobody’s gonna get around them if they don’t want them to.
“Some days I wonder if they’re just oversized children,” Jess whispers, standing beside me. Her hands are folded on her baby bump, the epitome of calm and cute in her shorts and T-shirt, long auburn hair in a ponytail. “I think they might scare my dad off before he even gets out of the car.”
I chuckle, only mildly appreciating the way Seth’s back muscles bunch under his shirt as he folds his arms over his chest. “Are you, uh, nervous?”
Jess shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess I’m too curious to be nervous. Plus, I’ve got a brother with a Taser and a husband who works a sledgehammer like it’s nobody’s business—and between you and I, looks really hot doing it—so I think we’re good.”
Good thing she’s so confident, because I’m not the sibling or spouse (notyet,anyway) and I’m nervous. I’ve never met Jude or even seen a picture of the man—Seth has shown me photos of his mother, but I don’t think he was planning on seeing his dad again—so I don’t even know what to expect. I mean, Seth and Jess are both good-looking. And if Jess resembles her mother…
Oh my goodness, Seth resembles his father.
I mean, like, resembles him so closely they could be brothers if you took twenty years off Jude’s life or added twenty to Seth’s. No, not brothers.Twins.And that observation is because I’m seeing them standing shoulder-to-shoulder.
The difference?
Seth—er, the Lion—looks like he could blow a fuse any minute and he’s wearing his uniform, his hand resting precariously closely to his gun. Jude is wearing a pair of charcoal slacks with a crisp white button down, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and his expression is neither hard nor soft.
Otherwise, identical. You don’t need a description of Seth, but basically, Jude’s just an older version of him. He’s the same height as his son with broad shoulders, but he has a fuller middle. His square jaw is shadowed lightly, and his thick hair is sprinkled with a dusting of gray. The most striking similarity is their eyes. I love Seth’s dark blue eyes, and I realize now that they came directly from his father. In the photo of Eliana, Seth’s mother had blue eyes. Not this particular shade, though.
All that aside, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do. Marshall turns and crosses to his wife, putting his arm around her. Meanwhile, Jude nor Seth have moved as they stare each other down, and I’m just standing here like the odd one out. Just because I’m wearing Seth’s ring doesn’t really mean anything.
Oh, wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
I’m wearingEliana’sring. Like, the ring Jude gave to her.
And for some reason, that makes me laugh. It issonot the time or place for laughter, but here I am. Standing between Marshall and Jess’s kitchen and living room in my shorts and tee wearing Eliana’s ring, laughing for absolutely no rational reason. Meanwhile, everyone stares at me, Seth’s expression contorting into something I call worry, but I can’t know for sure because of my laughter.
“Sorry,” I mumble breathlessly after a few minutes, my cheeks flaming as I try to gather my wits. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry.
I—”
“This is my fiancée, Jenna Williams,” Seth interrupts staunchly, warmth flaring in his eyes when he looks at me.Oh, my. “Jenna, this is…my father. Jude Johnson.”
Partly because I want to move closer to Seth and partly because I need to make up for that obscene laughing spell, I force my Jell-O legs to carry me over and I extend my hand. I manage to lift the right one and complete a polite handshake without any unfortunate oddities happening, and then move to stand beside Seth as Jude walks deeper into the house.
“You’re cute,” Seth whispers in a yummy low voice near my ear that sends goosebumps down my legs, then rests his hand on my lower back. Protectively. Sheer strength flows from that hand, and I absolutely love it. “I believe we’re going to sit on the back patio, correct, Jess?”
Jess can’t answer. She hasn’t moved or said a word since her father stepped through the door. I don’t know if she’s going to cry or laugh or do both, but Marshall knows his wife well enough to step in for her.
“Yes,” he says coolly. I don’t think Jude is in his Top Ten Favorite People List, which is kind of a big deal because Marshall seems to like almost everyone. “We are.”
Jude clears his throat. “All right, then.”
