Oak, Sophie - Siren in Waiting [Texas Sirens 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

No one else had shown up. Bastards.

“Mouse.” He felt himself relax for the first time all morning. He never had to pretend with her. Of all the people he’d known in his life, Mouse Hobbes was the one who had accepted him with a whole heart. Her father stood beside her, leaning heavily on his cane.

She smiled shyly, but then everything she did had a shy quality to it. “Hi. We’re not late, are we?”

Only Mouse would ask that question when it was blatantly obvious the church was almost empty. Besides Lexi’s family and a few friends—including a scary, dark-haired dude in a suit who reminded Bo of a mobster—there was no one in the church. Certainly no one from here in Deer Run. Even the pastor had been imported from Dallas. Bo had heard the only way they had gotten the church was Jack Barnes’s generous contribution.

He reached out and took her hand. Mouse’s hand wasn’t as soft as the hands of some of the women he’d dated. Mouse worked hard. Strange then that he’d always liked holding hers. Mouse was the sister he’d never had.

Except that sometimes he thought about doing things to Mouse that he wouldn’t do to a sister.

“No. You’re right on time. Lexi is almost ready.” Bo turned and greeted George Hobbes. He looked frail but dapper in his suit. The suit had probably been in his closet since the seventies. George Hobbes was what people in Deer Run called an individual. It was not necessarily a compliment. “Thanks so much for coming out, George.”

George Hobbes held out his slender hand and shook Bo’s. “Anything for you, son. You always watch out for my girl.”

Bo lightly gripped the hand in his. George was under a few mistaken impressions. He believed that Bo was dating Mouse. Bo wasn’t going to correct him. Bo and Mouse had been friends since their junior year of high school when she had gotten him through chemistry. And algebra. And English. He had a high school diploma because Mouse hadn’t let him fail. He’d had a deep affection for her ever since.

And besides, George Hobbes was dying. The cancer was slowly eating away at his health, and it was only a matter of time. If believing Bo would take care of his daughter made that easier on him, then Bo wasn’t about to take that away.

“Did you manage to get your father here on your handlebars?” Bo grinned as he asked the question. Mouse wasn’t big on driving. She had a license, but she greatly preferred her bicycle.

Mouse’s face scrunched up at his teasing. “I can drive, Bo. I just do it slowly.”

“Hello, Bethany, Mr. Hobbes.” Aidan walked up looking very tidy in his monkey suit. Bo hated his, but Aidan seemed to like wearing a suit all right. He and Lucas were dressed almost identically. “It’s so nice of you to come.”

“We wouldn’t miss it. I’ve come to really like your Lexi,” Mouse replied.

In the months since Lexi and Lucas had come to live at the O’Malley ranch, Mouse had gotten fairly close to Lexi. Bo was grateful for their budding friendship. Mouse had offered to help Lexi by reading some of the stories she wrote. The two had bonded over their love of romance novels. Without Mouse, Lexi would probably feel alone.

Deer Run was a small town, and they didn’t take well to outsiders—especially outsiders who lived openly in a polyamorous relationship.

“She likes you, too.” Aidan smiled warmly at her. “We were going to do this in Vegas, but my mother-in-law wouldn’t hear of it. And don’t try telling Abigail Barnes what she can’t do. I tried to explain that it would be difficult to get married in Deer Run. Abby just sicced Jack on everyone, and presto, here we are getting married.”

“And just how does this work, Aidan?” George asked.

Coming from anyone else, the question might have sounded judgmental. From Professor Hobbes’s mouth, it was a mere curiosity. Aidan didn’t even blink.

“Lexi is going to be formally married to my partner, Lucas. Lucas has already changed his name legally to O’Malley. Lexi won’t be married to me in the eyes of the law, but our hearts are a different matter.”

George smiled warmly. “That sounds very nice, Aidan. I’m happy for all three of you. Beth, dear, I believe I should find a seat.”

Mouse took her father’s hand and led him down the aisle to find a place to sit.

Aidan frowned at Bo. “When are you going to let that girl go?”

“Mouse?” Bo asked. “She’s my friend. Why should I let her go?”

He actually couldn’t imagine his life without Mouse. Mouse was always there. Mouse was the one person he could count on.

“Because that girl is in love with you. And her name is Bethany. Why you insist on calling her by that ridiculous, demeaning nickname, I have no idea. She’s a nice girl. She’s smart and kind. She deserves some respect.”

“Hell, Aidan. I like the hell out of Mouse. I don’t mean any disrespect. It’s just what everyone in our class has called her since first grade.”

She’d been as quiet as a mouse, and the name had stuck. Bo didn’t mean it as an insult. It was just who she was. He’d known her most of his life, couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t. She’d always been there, in the back of the room, a quiet presence he could count on.

“Do you understand what she is, Bo?” Aidan asked, his face taking on that serious look he got when he was just about to launch into a fatherly lecture.

Bo sighed. They’d been over this before. “She’s not a submissive. I don’t believe in that bullshit, Aidan. I’m fine with whatever you, Lucas, and Lexi want to do in the bedroom, but don’t treat it like it’s a religion or something. Mouse doesn’t want a man who chains her up and spanks her ass.”

“Have you asked her?” Lucas asked, walking up. Lucas was a mystery to Bo. He liked the man, but Lucas had a perpetual amusement with the world that Bo just didn’t understand.

“Hell, no, I haven’t asked her,” Bo shot back at his almost brother-in-law, partner-in-law. Hell, Bo didn’t know what to call Lucas. It was all a mess, but it seemed to work for them. Not for Bo. He wasn’t getting involved in any of that kinky stuff. “And I’m not going to. As far as I can tell Mouse isn’t into anything physical, and I’m fine with it staying that way.”

Lucas wouldn’t be swayed. “I wasn’t merely talking about her sexuality, though I bet it’s in there. She would likely be just as submissive in bed as she is in her life.”

They had been over this argument numerous times, and Bo was starting to get annoyed. “I told you, Mouse isn’t submissive. She’s just real nice.”

“And you’re taking advantage of that,” Aidan insisted. “If her father weren’t sick, I would seriously consider sending her back to Dallas with Julian. She needs a Dom. You can’t be that for her. You need to encourage her to go to Dallas when she can.”

Bo felt the sudden need to punch his brother in the face. “I will not allow her to go.”

Lucas stepped between them. Despite the fact that Bo had healed the breach with his brother months before, they were still brothers. They still fought on a regular basis.

“How about we shelve this fight until after we get married?” Lucas straightened Aidan’s tie. “I believe our bride is ready.”

A smile crossed Aidan’s face as his hand found the back of Lucas’s neck. Bo had never seen anyone smile the way Aidan did when Lucas and Lexi entered a room. He might not understand what those three had found, but damn, he envied it sometimes. Bo didn’t even look away when his brother leaned in and kissed Lucas.

He was getting used to it. The town of Deer Run, however, was not. A wedding was a big event in a small town, but everyone was ignoring this one. All they’d been able to talk about this morning at Patty Cake’s was the news headlines about Trevor McNamara. The former golden boy of Deer Run had gotten his ass in trouble again. This time with a bunch of strippers and cocaine. Bo tried not to think about how much he’d liked the man at one time. At one time, he’d been Bo’s mentor.

“Let’s go get our girl,” Aidan said to his partner. He turned to Bo, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m really glad you’re here. I know this makes it hard for you in town.”

It did. His buddies gave him shit about it all the time. When Bo settled down, he was going to find a woman who really fit into this town. He loved his brother, but he didn’t want to be an outcast. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Now you go and get married.”

Bo was supposed to sit up front with the family, but the truth was Lexi’s family scared him. He felt way more comfortable with Mouse and her dad.

When her hand found his, he let his fingers curl around hers. His whole body relaxed, and he could breathe again. That was what Mouse always offered him.

And she wasn’t going anywhere. She was going to stay right here in Deer Run. And just maybe, when he was ready to settle down, if he hadn’t found anyone else, maybe he would talk to Mouse about getting married. That thought brought a little smile to his lips.

“What’s so funny?” Mouse asked.

“Nothing,” Bo replied, taking her hand more firmly in his own. “I just had a silly thought.”

Except when Lexi walked down the aisle, he couldn’t help but wonder how Mouse would look in a white dress.

Nope. She wasn’t going anywhere.

There wasn’t anywhere else to go.