Page 22

Today is the day, and by the day I mean the stupid Sasquatch Expedition.

While Snakeageddon was a good time this morning, I didn’t anticipate seeing Tatum partially naked, then fully naked when his brother knocked his towel off.

I should thank Greyson for that, though; Baby Wilder’s backside is glorious.

I haven’t been able to get the image out of my head, not that I’ve actually tried.

Monroe paid one of the local high school kids to dress up as the Sasquatch because we’d notice if someone from our group was missing. Then he looped our tour guide into the ruse. She may have laughed for a couple of minutes, but she’s committed to the skit, too. He really did think of everything.

The only ones that are privy to this knowledge are the three of us.

Which, judging by the reaction from this morning, it’s going to be good.

They have their guards down, one prank this morning, and they’ve all but forgotten we’re at war.

“Okay, guys and girls. Today’s hike is a special one,” Kerry, our tour guide, says as she claps her hands in front of her.

“We’re going to be on the lookout for a species native to the area. The Sasquatch.”

Immediately, everyone turns and looks at Monroe, who’s sporting a smile so wide that it looks like it’s been painted on.

“What? It’s Sasquatches!” His hands go flying through the air, “When will we ever get this opportunity again?!” When no one says anything, he continues.

“Sorry for the interruption, Kerry. Please continue.” He sends a sugary smile to the older lady, who returns one just as kind.

It takes everything in me not to start laughi ng, but the second I show any ounce of emotion, someone will catch it, and I’ll ruin his plans.

We begin our walk into the wooded area of the mountain, as Kerry tells us random facts about ‘Bigfoot,’ also known as ‘The Sasquatch.’ “Bigfoot got its name due to the twenty-four-inch footprints that were first discovered in 1811 by British explorer David Thompson. The modern Bigfoot legend, however, didn't start until 1958. Footprints can be used as a calling card. They’re useful to hunters of both human and animal nature.” The sticks crack under our feet as we walk, the fresh air crisp in the midday sun.

The smell of nature, like the grass right after it rains, permeates the air.

It’s grounding, to be here is like a balm to the chaos that’s been swirling through me.

“Does anyone know the height range Bigfoot is rumored to be?” Kerry asks as she stops next to a post that has a few wooden flags on top.

Zeke speaks up. “I’m guessing, however tall that post is.

” A few of the guys chuckle, Tatum looks to the side and smiles down at me while the rest of the group is tuned into what she’s saying.

I try my hardest not to get lost in his eyes, but it’s difficult with the way the blue perfectly matches the hue of the clear sky.

They’re hypnotizing, the second mine meet his, the world around me stops. There’s only us, no texts, no creepy men, no trying to convince myself I still hate this guy. It’s overwhelming, and I need an escape. One that I don’t think he’ll give me.

By the time we reach our lunch spot, there’s already a blanket spread out and food waiting on a few picnic tables.

I quickly sit between Hannah and Wilson, taking the much-needed distraction and distance.

These two aren’t going to push me into uncomfortable conversations.

Wilson, our resident teddy bear, is all quiet observation and level-headedness except when there’s bacon involved, apparently. That betrayal still stings.

“Was this your idea?” Hannah leans over and whispers in my ear.

My responding scoff has her shaking her head.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. It’s very Monroe-y.

” I take a bite of my sandwich and turn to look at her.

She’s relaxed, her long red hair pulled up in a ballerina bun on the top of her head.

Her hot pink sports bra makes her look more tan than she is.

She only has mascara on today; it works for her, accentuating her natural beauty.

I reach for my water bottle and take a sip before asking, “Are you mad?”

“No, I wanted to do outdoorsy stuff, right? What better way to do just that than to look for freaking Bigfoot with a bunch of professional athletes.” She chuckles. “Most of whom are already superstitious. Can you imagine if we actually saw a sasquatch?”

My chewing slows as a smile that channels my inner villain spreads across my face. I forgot about their superstitions. Oh my God. This is going to be gold.

After lunch, we start our descent down the mountain. I find myself in the middle of a protection square. Tatum to my right, Reed to my left, Andrews in front of me, as Wilson heads up the back of the pack .

Kerry launches into a detailed rundown of Bigfoot sightings. “People who claim to have seen him usually report strange noises–howl-like sounds, screams, grunts–” A few of the guys scoff, Reed straight up rolls his eyes. Then a branch snaps to the right of us.

Hannah’s head whips between the trees and our group, whisper-shouting, “Do you think it's a bear?” Her eyes widen. “Kerry, there are bears here, right?”

Snap.

We all whirl around because that came from the opposite side than the noise a few seconds ago did.

Tatum steps in closer, putting himself between me and the sound closest to us.

My hands instinctively find his lower back as I push up on my toes to look over his shoulder.

His body tenses under my touch, my hand that’s still tender from the burn, feels cool against the warmth of him.

The ear-piercing squeal that leaves whatever is in the forest makes all of us, Monroe included, jump.

“Is that a boar?!” Tate asks, voice coming out higher and slightly panicked.

Kerry’s wide-eyed look tells me everything I need to know.

This is not our pretend sasquatch. I glance at Monroe, whose chest is rising and falling a little too fast. His eyes locked on the tree line, knots tying and double knotting in my stomach as I realize I no longer have control of the situation.

Then, the trees rustle. Sticks snap. Multiple things start moving. My pulse skyrockets, I feel like I could puke any second. If this ends up on one of those “pranks gone wrong” YouTube videos, someone donate its royalties to the animal shelter.

And then, like something straight out of a comedy movie, our pretend Bigfoot bursts through the trees, screaming behind the fu rry mask, followed by a baby boar. Where there’s a baby, there’s usually a mama.

I’m too stunned to do anything except watch as the poor kid flails his arms above his head, the muffled sound of his panicked screams barely audible through the rubber still covering his face.

“Aren’t you supposed to move slowly away from those?” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth.

Kerry nods. “We need to move, preferably as a unit.”

Tatum tenses even more against my palms. Then, he takes a step back closer to me. Leaning into him, I whisper, “This is the bat signal.”

He turns his head slightly, looking over his shoulder, his eyes search my face for any sign of a freakout.

I’m not quite there yet, but I feel it coming.

He simply nods. No teasing. No cocky remarks.

Just a silent acknowledgement, his left arm slowly moves behind his back, his hand wrapping around my own.

Our fingers lace together as he gives them a soft squeeze.

I don’t even care that the rest of the group can see our little interaction; he’s the only one who knows the full extent of the storm brewing inside me at the moment.

This was supposed to be a fun prank, but instead it pushed me a little closer to the edge.

Suddenly, there’s a squeal from the other direction, and out comes Mama.

We all freeze, trying not to call attention to ourselves.

She heads in our direction, then pauses briefly, lifting her nose to the sky to smell the air before taking off in the direction of her baby's softer sounds. We watch as the poor kid climbs up a tree, sitting on a thick branch with his legs pulled into his chest. From where we’re standing, you can tell it’s a costume. Poor guy. Well, that was a fail .

Once we’re a safe distance from where we saw the wild animals that could have impaled us on their tusks, Kerry gives us the okay to walk normally.

But let's be real, we all walked pretty quickly the rest of the way. Much to Hannah’s dismay, there’s been no further sighting of our furry friend or any other animals other than birds and butterflies.

Monroe throws his arms in the air, letting them bounce off his thighs with a loud smack as we get back to where we started our hike.

“Is no one going to bring up the fact that a boar was chasing Bigfoot? Did anyone get that on video?!”

Zeke grins as he holds up his phone and gives it a shake. “I did.” Monroe takes off, giving us a heel kick and an air punch at the same time. I swear the man is from Neverland, he’ll never grow up. But that’s one of the things I love the most about him.

Tatum lets out a labored breath, scrubbing a hand over his face. I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow. “You alright over there, Sunshine?”

His glare is half-hearted at best. “Shut it, Tink.”

If my heart could smile, it would at this moment. “It’s okay, big guy. We all saw you jump, for the second time today.”

“I was protecting you,” he grumbles under his breath.

“Mhm,” I say as I cross my arms over my chest.

“I was assessing the threat level.”

“You were assessing if you could outrun the rest of the group.” His lips press together, his jaw tight, but I catch the way one side of his mouth twitches. He wants to laugh, but he’s fighting it. Which only makes my smile bigger.