Unintentionally Causing Panic
Annie
I smiled at my family as Gerry and I walked into the house. My mother rushed forward to wrap her arms around me. I was happy to be home, especially considering that I had died just a few days beforehand. I couldn’t help but want to be here among all the people and forest that I loved so much. When Gerry had agreed to bring me home for a visit, I had jumped on it. We had left the cabin less than an hour after I had woken up.
“Oh, my Goddess, Annie. I have been so worried. Are you alright?” She asked, her words almost slurring at how fast she was speaking.
I pulled back, giggling as I reached back to take Gerry’s hand. “Yes, I’m alright. Gerry has been protecting me. He’s been wonderful.”
Daddy Tim came forward to clasp Gerry’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son. I will admit that I was worried at first, but you seem to have taken to protecting your little sister with ease.”
Gerry smiled at me. “It really is no problem. I would die before I let anyone harm my Annie Bannannie.”
I beamed at him before turning to hug my second favorite person of all time, frowning when Osprey was holding her close to his side.
“Is everything okay, Osprey?” I asked as I walked up to them.
Scarlett shot him a warning look before stepping away from him to hug me tightly. “Hey, Annie girl. How are you doing?”
“I’m wonderful! How are you?” I placed my hand on her belly. “How is my niece?”
“She’s good,” she chuckled as she put her arm through mine to lead me toward the kitchen. “She’s growing like she’s supposed to. We will be meeting her very soon. I hope that when she arrives, you will be one of the first people to meet her.”
“Oh, my Goddess! That would be amazing! I’d love that!” I turned back to Osprey. “You have to link me when she goes into labor so I can come home!”
He smiled at me as he nodded. “I will, little one, I will.”
“Annie!” Gerry called, making my eyes jump to his as my heart sped up a little.
“Yes?”
“Your shoe is untied.”
I looked down at my feet before looking back up at him with a smile on my face. “Thank you.”
I bent down to tie my shoes while the conversation carried on around me. When I stood back up, Scarlett ushered me into the kitchen, where Elena was filling plates with spaghetti, sauce, and the biggest meatballs I had ever seen. I wandered over to the stove to tear a small piece of meatball off before moaning in pleasure as the garlicky flavor exploded on my tongue.
“Oh, my Goddess! That’s delectable!”
Elena smirked at me. “I made it! Did you think it wouldn’t be delicious?”
“You always thought your food was better than the rest of ours,” I teased.
“That’s because it is,” she said, winking at me.
I helped them finish serving the plates before carrying them out to the dining room for our family. I smiled at Gerry as I took the only available seat left at the table, which was directly across from him, exactly like it had been when we were growing up. He winked at me as he picked up the meatball that was as big as his hand. I took a deep breath when the sight of his hand made me grow a little wet as I thought about what his hands could do. His eyes jumped to mine with a knowing look in them.
“So, Annie! What’s new?” My mother asked.
“Nothing much. I have a boyfriend,” I said slowly, watching Gerry for a reaction.
“You have a boyfriend?” Elena repeated slowly. “And Gerry hasn’t killed him yet?”
“Nope,” I giggled.
“Tell us about him, sis. And don’t hold back!” Elena ordered.
“Well, he’s really sweet to me, and he is so sexy. He is the man of my dreams. He’s smart, funny, and super protective,” I gushed. “He does everything he can for me. I love being around him.”
“What about Logan?” Daddy Falcon asked, pinning me with an angry look. “You promised to be his Alpha Sow. Are you just going to turn your back on that?”
“It’s her choice if she wants to become his Alpha Sow or not,” Gerry growled. “Don’t pressure her!”
Daddy Falcon’s head whipped around to glare at him. “I do not believe I was speaking to you. So, Annaria, what about Logan?”
I lowered my head as I took my time cutting my meatball before taking a large bite to buy myself time to think of a satisfactory answer. “Well, Dad, in the contract there is a clause that allows me to say no before we meet. As I haven’t met him yet, I can say no without violating the contract.”
“Is that what you want to do?” He growled.
“Yes,” I replied confidently as I raised my eyes to his.
“Does this ‘boyfriend’ of yours really mean so much to you that you would risk embarrassing our entire sleuth by going back on your promise?”
“Yes.”
Daddy Falcon got to his feet, throwing his napkin down. “This is a mistake, Annaria! I must insist you rethink your decision!”
“I won’t. This is what I want to do,” I told him as tears started to fill my eyes.
He glared at me for a second before storming out of the dining room, leaving a tension in the air that wasn’t there before his interrogation.
“Annie, sweetheart, I am sorry about him,” my father said. “He’s been under a lot of stress lately.”
“It’s okay, Daddy. I just want my decision to be respected. I’m not trying to make our sleuth a laughingstock. I just want to be happy,” I told him.
He reached across the table to take my hand. “We understand, honey. How long are you two staying?”
“I’m not sure,” I answered, looking at Gerry questioningly. “How long are we staying?”
“Two days, and then we must get back to school. We have already missed a lot of days recently. We have a lot of work to get caught up on.”
“Awesome. Now, Annie, have you mated with this boyfriend of yours?” Elena cut in, stopping my response.
Gerry choked on his drink as his eyes went to mine. “Yeah, Annie, have you?”
“Yes,” I admitted, my face turning red.
“OH MY GODDESS,” Elena squealed, clapping her hands. “That’s awesome.”
My eyes jumped to Elena’s face, and I was immediately shocked to see that, for as happy as she seemed to be, her eyes didn’t look it as she watched me.
“Annaria Parker!” My father growled as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Yes, Daddy?” I respond meekly.
“When are we meeting this boy?”
My eyes shot to Gerry’s in panic before they went back to my father’s. “Ummm… soon?”
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