Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

Jindale City was Tarquin's turf-if he wanted to make someone's life difficult, it was never a problem.

But this time, things were tricky. The person he wanted to deal with had a complicated relationship with Evan. There was no good way to go after them directly.

Tarquin and Evan's mentor had a history. Sure, that made them enemies in theory. But at the same time, Tarquin had always looked out for Evan...

The little guy was frowning, clearly troubled. After a moment, he blurted out, "I'm gonna talk to him myself!"

No sooner had he finished the sentence than he was climbing out the window again.

Sneaking out the back made it a straight shot up the hill behind the house-much easier.

Tarquin didn't stop him. This was between his son and the oddball. As a father, he wouldn't make Evan's choices for him.

He'd just be there in the background, waiting. When his son needed him, he'd step in-no sooner, no later.

...

On the Hill.

The man waiting there was a mountain of muscle, face crisscrossed with scars. He squinted as Evan appeared again, giving him a slow once-over. "Yeah?"

Evan marched right up, frowning. "What's the deal between you and my mentor?"

The big man's brow furrowed. "None of your business, kid."

Evan's voice shot up, "Of course it's my business! If you're my mentor's enemy, you're my enemy too!"

"...I'm your mentor too, you know."

"I never agreed to that!"

The man's face darkened-he was annoyed now.

Evan felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't exactly treated him as a mentor, but after all this time together, he had grown attached.

If he didn't care, he wouldn't have come to talk things out-he'd have just set a trap and kept the guy stuck in Jindale City for good.

Evan balled his little hands into fists. "I'm going to visit my mentor soon. If you

can't promise me you're not up to anything, I'm not taking you with me!"

The big guy's eyes widened in shock. "You're going to see him?!"

"Yeah!"

He was flustered. "When?!"

"...First, you tell me: what's really going on between you and my mentor?"

He pressed his lips together. "When I see him, I'll tell you everything."

Evan gritted his teeth. "If you're planning to hurt him, I won't let you anywhere near him!"

The big guy stared at Evan for a long beat, then asked, "What do I have to do for you to trust me?"

"You have to promise: when we get there, you'll listen to me! I'll talk to my mentor first. If he wants to see you, then you can meet him. If he doesn't, you can't force your way in!"

The big guy hesitated, scowling.

Evan stood his ground. "If you can't agree to that, I'm not taking you."

There was a tense silence. Finally, the big guy nodded. "Alright. I promise."

Evan let out a huge breath of relief. "Then get your stuff ready. We're heading out soon."

He turned to leave.

The big guy called after him, "Kiddo, you really trust me that much?"

Evan glanced back and shot him a look. "Would you betray my trust?"

They locked eyes for a moment, the big man finally saying, "No. I wouldn't." "Good. I believe you."

With that, Evan was off.

The big guy watched him go, a complicated mix of emotions flickering across his face.

Back at Number One Mansion

When the kids heard they were heading up to the mountains, they were more excited than ever!

Elliot and Emmett's eyes sparkled with anticipation, while Elijah and Baby were bubbling with curiosity.

Elijah usually played it cool and didn't say much, but you could tell he was dying to know what was going on. Instead of asking, he just stuck close to Baby and let her do all the talking. noveldrama

Baby, meanwhile, was clutching her stuffed bunny, chasing after Elliot and Emmett, firing off questions left and right:

"Will we get to see Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma in the mountains?"

"Are there any mountain lions up there?"

"What about big ol' bears or sneaky little foxes?"

"Are

too? Does White

mouse's mom and dad in the grandparents or a grandpa avenet

grandma on both sides?"

"Can Evan really talk to all the animals in the mountains?"