Page 23 of My Orc Contract Husband (Eastshore Isle #9)
“Okay, everyone gather around the big sunflower!” Hannah called out, holding up her phone and pointing to a wooden hand-painted sign that read Lexington Farms Sunflower Maze . “Just one nice photo with everyone smiling , Tova, no faces!”
What followed could only be described as chaos.
Ben immediately positioned himself in the middle of the sign, arms crossed. “I should be in the middle because I’m the tallest.”
“That means you should be on the side, and I should be in the middle!” Tova protested, launching herself toward the same spot and nearly knocking Ben over before she stumbled away.
“Careful!” Aswan warned, but he was grinning as he scooped up a giggling Tova.
Meanwhile, Joshy had discovered that the sunflower stalks were planted just far enough apart for a toddler to squeeze between them. “Mr. BunBun don’t want to!” he announced, disappearing behind a particularly large bloom with his stuffed rabbit clutched to his chest.
“Joshy, come back here!” Hannah called in exasperation. “Emmy, get in there with them, please. ”
I smothered my grin as Emmy obediently moved to stand beside Ben, exactly where Hannah had pointed, watching the chaos with wide, amused eyes.
Baby Raina decided to join in at that moment, waking with a whimpering cry.
“Maybe we should just embrace the pandemonium,” Giza suggested, bouncing Raina gently.
“That’s our only hope,” Nikki agreed, just as Tova broke free from Aswan and chased after Joshy into the sunflowers.
Ben threw his hands up in exasperation. “This is why little kids ruin everything!”
As Raina’s wails increased in volume, Tarkhan slid quietly among the sunflower stalks, emerging a moment later with both Tova and Joshy in his arms, somehow having convinced them this was the best game ever. The sight of him so natural with children made something warm unfurl in my chest.
“There,” he said simply, setting them down in position. “Now take the picture, hurry!”
I found myself grinning, and when I glanced at my aunt, I saw the same expression reflected on her face. Sharon wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, despite the heat.
“I’m still not sure why you married him so quickly, dear, but you made the right decision. We’re lucky to be a part of this chaos.”
And I knew she was right .
“Okay now can we go get lost?” Ben demanded, and before his parents could answer, he disappeared into the sunflowers.
Chuckling, Aswan followed, as Tova and Emmy locked hands, and Joshy demanded his mother hold his stuffed rabbit so he could follow.
Giza, who was handing his still-fussy daughter to Harper, announced, “We’re going to sit this one out. Raina is hungry.”
“I’ll feed her and meet you all at the cotton candy stall,” Harper announced.
To my surprise, Aunt Sharon also pulled away. “I’m going to check out the Women’s Club booth and see how much they’ve raised for the new playground equipment fund.”
Since I’d expected her to join us, I reached after her, but she merely smiled and sent a glance at Tarkhan. “You two have fun.”
Her wink told me she definitely expected some canoodling in the maze.
And to be fair, it was shaded and private, more private than I had expected. “Who would have guessed sunflowers could grow this high?” I whispered, my fingers twined through Tarkhan’s as we lightly traced a path through the winding curves and bends.
Somewhere ahead, I could hear Hannah calling to Joshua, and off to the right came the sound of Nikki’s laughter. It made me smile to think of my new friends having fun here, and yet …
I glanced around and tried to tamp down on my shiver.
But of course Tarkhan noticed it. “What’s wrong?”
There was no need to bring down the mood of a perfectly lovely afternoon, so I forced a smile as I moved closer to him, knowing I was safe at his side. “I hope we can find our way out of here.”
He gave me an amused look, then rose up on his toes. “Sakkara’s to the right, Aswan’s up ahead, and Giza’s about fifty yards to our back left. Do you want to know the way out?”
Forcing a chuckle, I smacked him. “Don’t cheat just because you’re a giant! We’ll get out of here with our brains.”
It was fun, trying different twists and turns, but I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling I’d had earlier. I kept glancing over my shoulder, but I wasn’t sure what I was hoping—or not hoping—to see.
Finally, Tarkhan paused and glanced over his own shoulder. “Did we lose someone?”
And I shook my head. “I just felt…strange. Like I’m waiting for something to happen.”
He frowned, studying me. “You sure?”
“No!” The denial was part exasperation, part laugh. “I’m not sure about anything. It just feels like…I don’t know.”
“Itchy?” he supplied, and my brows rose.
I pressed a little closer. “I guess so. Like someone’s watching. ”
He grunted, then took my hand. “Let’s get out of here.” He took a deep breath, nostrils flaring, then headed off down the leftmost path.
Laughing at my own concern, I jogged to keep up. “Are you cheating again?”
“Ben came this way, then Hannah and Aswan followed. I smell Joshy, so I think someone’s carrying him.”
“You are cheating!” I announced. “Like a bloodhound on a scent trail.”
“I’m only following them ,” he pointed out. “They might be wrong. Besides…” His gaze turned sly as he reached out to flick a sunflower’s head, sending black seeds flying. “You know what they say?”
“About sunflowers?”
“Shut The Fuck Up!” he announced. “All Children Of The Dirt Love A Daring Little Sunflower.”
It took me a hot second to realize that he was trying to guess the acronym of my favorite sleep shirt, and I burst into laughter as I stumbled after him. “I can’t believe you’re able to remember that! How do you come up with these?”
When he scooped me up into his arms, I gave a little shriek and wrapped my arms around his neck.
He froze, waiting for me to settle down and get comfortable. I froze, just because it felt so natural to be held by him. Our noses were inches apart.
“You okay?” he whispered.
I leaned closer to breathe, “What are you doing? ”
“Moving faster.” With that, he jolted into motion again, causing me to gasp playfully and grip his neck. As he jogged along, he nodded solemnly to me. “Besides, as they say: Stop That Flirtation, Unless A Couple Out There Drags Lightly And Digs Love’s Seeds.”
I didn’t bother hiding my laughter against his chest this time.
Tarkhan had this adorable silly side he only showed to me, and I loved it. I loved the way he smiled proudly when he made me laugh, and I loved the way he went out of his way to make it happen.
“A Cuddly Orc Took Direction—Left!—And Disappeared, Leaving Sunflowers,” he announced firmly, turning leftward.
Oh Lord, I was really going to have to confess the meaning of that acronym sometime, wasn’t I? But I loved hearing his ridiculous guesses.
I was still chuckling when we emerged from the maze, on the heels of Tova and Emmy, who were following Sakkara and Nikki. Everyone was heading toward the snack trucks when Tarkhan finally put me down.
“Thank you.” I was flustered and warm when I smiled up at him, knowing there was no place else I’d rather be. “That was…exhilarating.”
In true Tarkhan fashion, he waggled his brows enticingly. “Shut The Front Door! A Cloud Overhead Today Didn’t Let Anyone Dance Like Sunbeams.”
I patted his chest. “You’re getting silly. ”
“ Getting ?” he repeated. “Damn, I thought was there already.”
“Fine, you are silly. Now, I believe I was promised some kettle corn?”
“Oh, were you?” Tarkhan hummed, sliding his arm around my shoulders and turning me toward the cluster of food stalls. “I don’t remember that.”
“Maybe you didn’t say it out loud , but I’m pretty certain if you could sense how badly I wanted kettle corn right now, your response would be If my wife wants kettle corn, she’ll have some kettle corn, by golly. ”
He grunted as we headed toward the sweet smells. “That does sound like something I would say. Except for the by golly part. Was I raised on a farm?”
My nerves, already on high alert, made me giggle again. “In a barn . The saying is raised in a barn .”
“Why would you think I was raised in a barn?”
I knew he was just being silly to distract me. “This is why I love?—”
Shut up shut up shut up! This is a temporary marriage of convenience! You can’t just blurt out that you’ve accidentally fallen for him!
Could I?
Instead of chuckling at his silliness, I found myself wincing. I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with Tarkhan, was I? Sure, we were married, but it was temporary…
“Sami! ”
The fear in Aunt Sharon’s voice had me whirling around, my arms out. She was running toward me, her expression frantic. My dread, which had been picking at the back of my brain all day, suddenly went into overdrive.
“Oh, no,” I whispered.
Because following my aunt at a sedate pace, a cold smile on his cruel lips, was my dad’s business partner, Pierce T. Montgomery III. My fiancé.