Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

Evan had already spotted the venomous snake in the tree, but before he could do anything, someone else was quicker.

The scar-faced tough guy-they called him "the Boss"-hadn't cto Darkfort City with them, but somehow he'd tracked them all the way out here.

That snake? The Boss had taken it out with one swift shot.

Evan glanced to his left, feeling a little grateful.

Anyone who looked out for his family was a friend of Evan Thorne's.

If the Boss and his old mentor could ever put aside their differences, Evan would be the first to shake his hand. But if he ever hurt his mentor...

Evan frowned, deciding to keep his distance for now and instead hurried after Elysia and Baby.

By the tthey'd gathered enough dry firewood and made their way back, Tarquin, Elliot, and Elijah had already set up the tents and were washing up by the creek.

Watching Tarquin work, Elysia couldn't help but think, Now, that's the kind of man you want to marry.

Sophisticated, but never fussy.

Can handle a business meeting or whip up breakfast.

Since they hadn't ventured deep into the wilderness yet, the first night went off without a hitch. No wild animals, no emergencies.

They caught a few fish, lounged inside the tent, chatted and laughed it felt almost like a camping trip at Yellowstone.

The next morning, they headed deeper into the woods.

The further they went, the more critters they saw-everything from creepy crawlies to poisonous bugs.

Baby, who was always a bit skittish, spent most of the day clinging to Tarquin, who carried her without complaint.

With no cell signal, and the compass spinning uselessly, they had to rely on Evan and White to find their way.

By evening, just as they finished setting up camp, it started pouring-classic mountain weather: sunny one minute, buckets of cold rain the next.

Luckily, the tents were up just in time, so everyone stayed dry.

Evan, though, couldn't help but worry about the Boss.

Out in this storm, with no shelter, anyone could get sick fast-and up here, that could be a death sentence.

After shesitation, Evan confessed to Elysia.

"Mom, I need to tell you something..." When Elysia learned there was someone trailing them-someone who even knew Bernard she was floored.

Evan hurried to reassure her, "Don't worry, Mom. He promisedhe wouldn't approach Bernard without permission. And he's helpeda bunch of times-he's saved my skin. I can't just leave him out there in this storm." Evan didn't mention the history between the Boss and Bernard, but Elysia was still concerned.

"Evan, your great-grandparents don't like strangers. They want a quiet life. What if he breaks his word?" Tarquin spoke up for the Boss, "If Bernard doesn't want to see him, I'll handle it. I won't let anyone disturb Grandma and Grandpa." Elysia hesitated, but with both Evan and Tarquin pleading, she relented.

"Alright. He can sleep in your tent tonight. When he comes in, make sure he gets shot tea to warm up." "Thanks, Mom!" Evan grinned and shot out of the tent like a rocket.

"Wear your raincoat!" Elysia called after him, worried.

Tarquin just smiled, "Don't worry. He'll be back in a flash. We'll get him changed and dry." Outside, the Boss was sheltering under a giant leaf, soaked to the bone.

When he saw Evan, he looked surprised.

"What are you doing out here?" "Con, you're staying with us tonight. It's too dangerous to stay out," Evan said, grabbing his arm and leading him back.

The Boss hesitated, "Your mother doesn't know me. She'll be scared." "She won't. Mom's got a good heart. I already told her. C'mon-the rain's not stopping, you'll get sick!" Evan all but dragged him inside.

Elysia looked surprised for a second at the sight of the Boss's scarred face-it was hard not to be startled, the scars looked like rough tracks across his skin. But she quickly recovered, poured a mug of hot tea, and handed it to him.

The Boss nodded his thanks and wrapped his hands around the mug, warming up.

By morning, the rain had stopped.

When Tarquin stepped outside, he saw the Boss grilling fish over the fire. Tarquin had no idea where he'd found such big fish, since there wasn't a stream nearby, but they were golden and sizzling.

Tarquin wandered over. The Boss looked up once, then went back to his ve cooking. Tarquin broke the silence,

om "Evan's a loyal kid. You treat him well, he'll never forget it. But if you go back oh your word... well, he doesn't forgive easily." The Boss frowned, saying nothing.

Tarquin continued, "I don't know what happened between you and Evan's mentor, but that person means the world to him. If you hurt him, Evan will never forgive you." Again, the Boss just stared at the fire, silent.

Just then, Evan burst out of the tent, nose in the air, "Smells amazing!" The Boss cracked a rare almost-smile, handed him the biggest fish.

"Is it cooked?" Evan asked.

"Yeah."

"Looks delicious! I'm taking it to es Mom-she loves fish! And off Evan ran, bouncing toward Elysia's tent.

"Mom, breakfast! Grilled fish!" For the first time, the Boss's eyes softened a little.

Tarquin squinted, then let it drop.

From then on, the Boss becan unofficial part of their group. Except for Evan, he barely spoke to anyone, but he always took the lead alongside Evan during the day and at night stood guard outside the tents, keeping wild animals at bay.

Elysia felt bad about him sleeping outside, and sometimes asked Evan to invite him in. But unless it was raining, he always stayed on watch.

They trekked through the mountains for several days before finally arriving.

But before they could even see the old folks they'd cto find, they noticed something was off...