Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

Everyone glanced quickly at Evan, but before he could get a word in, White leapt right into the spotlight.

The little guy flicked his bright red tongue and bounced happily onto Elysia's shoulder, nuzzling her chin with a soft hiss.

It was almost like he was saying, "Don't worry, I got this!"

Evan puffed out his chest, all confidence.

"Don't worry, Mom! White and I will definitely find our way home."

Elijah looked puzzled. “But there aren't any real trails in the mountains. How do you even know where you're going?"

Evan grinned, proud as could be.

"We don't remember the paths, but the animals sure do! They're like my and White's secret agents."

Elijah's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, you mean you can actually understand all the animals?"

Evan laughed.

"Not exactly! I just hang out with them a lot, so I kind of pick up on what their body language means."

"It's the same with White-he just gives me a look and I know exactly what he wants!"

"And if I give White a look, he gets what I mean too, right buddy?"

Evan held out a tiny fist, and White dipped his head, giving him a gentle bump-a perfect demonstration of their little mind-meld.

Elijah and Baby were instantly fascinated, circling around Evan and White, peppering them with questions.

The kids' attention drifted away again, so Elysia shot Tarquin a glare and pinched his side under the table.

Tarquin just grinned, caught her hand, and traced a little heart on her palm before lacing their fingers together.

Tarquin couldn't help his curiosity. "So, Evan, how did you get White to be your pet?"

White was a clever little snake,

clearly wild and dangerous-a far cry from your average house pet. Every time Tarquin looked at him, he remembered the chaos at the Bradford family's annual reunion: that wild pack of wolves charging straight at the Bradfords, only to turn on their heels and attack someone else when the lead wolf suddenly dropped dead.

Back then, no one understood what had happened. Even the professional animal handlers agreed that someone must have paid to train the wolves to go after Elijah specifically.

But now it was obvious: it was all because of White.

White was tiny-no longer than a breadstick, and just as skinny-but his venom packed a serious punch.

Survival of the fittest, as nature intended.

White might be small, but he was mighty, which was why even the wolves listened

to him. Getting close to a snake like White was no easy feat.

Elysia sighed.

"There are all kinds of rare plants and animals deep in the mountains."

"Evan's always been a handful.

When he was little, he'd beg his great-grandpa to teach him self-defense moves, and when

practice ended, he'd go out looking for critters to wrestle with

"Over time, he just spent more and more time with the animals-sometimes I thought he was more at home with them than with people."

“One day he came running back home, bawling his eyes out. I thought he'd gotten

hurt, but nope—it was a tiny snake in his hands that needed help."

"He begged me and his great-grandma to save the poor thing. Said the snake lostnoveldrama

its mom and got bitten by another snake. Just broke his heart."

"Back then, White was no longer than a finger, barely hanging on."

"I wasn't sure we could save him, but Evan was so heartbroken we had to try."

"For the next three weeks, Evan

barely left the house. He stayed right by White's side, not even pestering his great-grandpa for lessons or running off to the woods. Honestly, the whole forest seemed quieter."

"It took about twenty days, but eventually White pulled through."

"After that, they were inseparable. Eating, sleeping, playing-wherever Evan went, White went, too."

"And more than once, when Evan was in trouble, White risked everything to protect him."