Furry Fling (Bayside Tigers Series Book 2)

by Rachel Real

  The three of us then stood silent. I dug my hand in Garfield’s pants pocket and took out something small and light.

  “My ampoule? What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m doing what you should have done a long time ago.”

  I then threw the ampoule in the sand and stomped my manolo blahniks on the glass vial. It shattered in several teeny tiny pieces. So tiny, that it blended with the sand.

  “That’s the only way I can stay hidden in my human form. Without it, I’ll shift into the beast.”

  I clasped my arms around my husband’s neck. Garfield had to look me in the eyes. “No more hiding, my love,” I told him.

  “So, what now?” Lynx asked. “Do I just call off the wedding?”

  “Hell no. I didn’t get dressed up and come all the way down here to skip out on a wedding. We do this thing, capish!” I blurted.

  Chapter Ten

  Already the three of heard music playing in the background.

  “Let the freakshow begin!” Garfield grumbled under his breath.

  I pat my husband on the chest. “I’m just doing this as a favor. Lynx’s mother is sick and seeing her son get hitched is the last thing on her bucket list. That’s how this whole thing got started.

  Garfield just nodded allowing me to walk off. My fancy $1000 shoes got grit and sand all over them as I trudged back towards the altar. All of Bayside must’ve been in attendance it seemed.

  Ain’t no way I’m pulling this off. I thought to myself.

  I moved in my place besides Lynx’s sister, waiting for my cue.

  Dashel and Violetta, the Apex and the Matriarch, stood side by side near the pulpit. As the oldest in the clan, they were the first to speak at the gathering.

  “We are all gathered here today to see our son, Lynx, get married. Thank God too, because of his tomcat ways I thought I’d never have any grandsons and—”

  Dashel swiped the microphone out of Violetta’s bony hands.

  “What our Matriarch means to say, is it’s always difficult to watch your cubs depend on you one moment and then forge a life of their own in the next,” he recounted looking at the entire clan sitting at all of the tables.

  “He’s chosen a wonderful human in Rory Draper, who will breed a strong litter of her own. Here’s to you, Lynx.”

  Dashel raised his glass and the crowd all raised their glasses too.

  I thought how beautiful this moment was—despite it being completely fake and Blackthorn’s family being filled with a bunch of obvious crazies—it was lovely. It was the sort of toast I’d hope my father would give me at my wedding if he was still alive.

  Then the music started again and I jerked at attention.

  “Your cue, klutz...” Desdemona sighed slamming me forward down the aisle.

  I teetered for a few steps afraid I’d fall flat on my face. I looked over under the palm trees where my husband Garfield watched from the sidelines. He still looked as pissed as ever.

  Then I looked forward where Lynx waited for me at the altar in his dapper suit. A clean simple tux. A nice change from the oil slick mechanic, I hooked up with at the garage.

  Lynx whispered to me when I stopped beside him. “I can’t wait to peek at what goodies you’re hiding underneath that dress...”

  “THAT’S HIM!”

  The entire crowd turned to Caleb as he dragged my poor Garfield out of the woods.

  “This is the guy that punched my lights out! This is her husband!”

  Shit! I cursed under my breath.

  “Lynx, what is this? What’s going on?” Violetta scowled at her eldest son.

  Lynx knew he’d been backed into a corner and there was no more use trying to keep up the lies.

  “Yes, Rory’s married.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The crowd mostly grumbled instead of gasped.

  “Shoulda know this lyin cat-bastard couldn’t score a wife. Thanks for wasting everyone’s goddamn time!” a disgruntled tiger in the clan raged from the crowd. I felt so awkward holding a bouquet of flowers while utter chaos broke out around me.

  “Will everyone just be quiet and let me speak!” Lynx yelled waving his hands. “Yes, I lied. I lied because I wanted to make my mother happy. She thought that since I’m turning twenty-five I’m way past my prime to have started mating with a mate. Well, I do have a mate—and she married. But hell, I love her anyway...”

  “Whore!” Violetta shouted with a frail voice.

  I just rolled my eyes.

  “That’s just it, mom. You never approve of any of the mates I’ve brought back to the clan. That’s half the reason why I’d just given up on this whole thing. Rory, here is a good woman. Good enough not just for one man—but two,” Lynx confessed.

  After that the crowd started to disperse, and Lynx Garfield and I just looked at each other.

  “I didn’t think my world could get any crazier, and then this happened...” he sighed.

  Lynx rested his hand on my husband’s shoulder. And Garfield looked at him threateningly.

  “Relax, Richie Rich. I just wanted to say. Rory deserves a second chance. Why sure, with me she had mind blowing toe-curling weretiger sex, but she loves you more than she loves me. Don’t that count for something?” Lynx shrugged.

  I looked over at Garfield unsure if he’d want to take me back, why would he? I’d been a terrible wife who’d made a mockery of our marriage just because I heard a few sweet nothings from a local hunky shifter.

  Garfield was truly the only tiger I needed.

  Garfield turned his back towards me, and I felt a pain of in my stomach. I knew he’d just leave me. And worst of all—I deserved it.

  “How can I ever thank the woman who loves me for all that I am. Even with my blood thirsty beast lurking deep inside me?”

  I looked up, feeling hopeful and slowly hugged Garfield in my arms. The summer was over, and I realized that sometimes adventure is overrated, but true love is hard to find.

  Sneak Peak

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