The Gender Fall (The Gender Game #5)(46)

My expression soured. “Just because I saved their lives doesn’t mean they’re obligated to love me,” I muttered.

“Why not? It worked for me.”

I squinted at him. “Didn’t you save my life first?”

“Case in point,” he teased, nodding his head toward the unfolding scene. It took a few minutes for Cad and his wife to trudge around behind the house, out of our view. Then they reappeared and headed toward our little hill, now followed by two children and a shaggy brown dog.

“Is that Samuel?” I asked incredulously, glad that in all the chaos, the dog hadn’t been left behind.

“Yeah,” Viggo said, smiling a little at my astonishment. “It’s funny, actually. There’s kind of a little refugee daycare going on—especially with the parents training all the time at the firing range—and the kids all love Samuel, so now they’re looking after him, too.”

Come to think of it, it was odd seeing Cad’s children here; it was strange they were only a few minutes away while their parents trained for war. Knowing they were playing in the house’s backyard, being monitored by one of the refugees, comforted me.

“Violet,” Cad said when they reached us, while Samuel ran up to Viggo and attempted to jump on his knees, “I want you to meet my wife, Margot, and our children, Alice and Henry. Everyone, this is Violet, our cousin.”

I felt myself smiling naturally as I took in the taller woman. She was almost Cad’s exact height, statuesque, with warm brown skin and deep brown, almost black, eyes. The corners of her full mouth held smile lines. Her round face was framed by black, curly hair tied under a blue kerchief. I had seen her picture before, but it had barely been able to capture her radiant beauty.

“Hello,” I said softly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Henry, the little boy hiding in Margot’s skirts, smiled shyly, then hid his face, while Alice peered at me from behind the small fist she held up against her mouth, sucking her thumb. I waved, and she blushed, looking away, absently putting a hand on Samuel as he pushed his nose into her shoulder.

“Violet!” Margot exclaimed, taking my left hand in hers and squeezing. “I’m so happy to see you doing well, all things considered. By the look of your face, you really went through the wringer for us, and I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful we are. That Princess Tabitha was a real piece of work, right? Can’t say I’m sorry to hear she died—served her right. What kind of a monster kidnaps an entire family—even two innocent children?” She paused only for a moment before continuing with the answer to her own question. “The evil kind, if you don’t mind me speaking out of turn. Ugh, if she were here, I’d claw out her bloody eyes for scaring my babies—God, and for hurting you.”

I smiled as Margot spoke, barely taking a moment to draw in a breath. Cad gazed at her while she talked, his eyes warm with affection, and I could feel the love radiating from him. He caught my gaze and winked. “Isn’t she wonderful?” he said.

“Absolutely,” I agreed with a smile, and Margot’s cheeks grew dark with a blush. I realized she had been nervous too, and that comforted me. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but… are you sure you were raised in Patrus?” I asked.

Margot laughed heartily. “You mean ‘cause I talk so much? Well, my father was convinced I’d never get married because of it, but I can’t help it. I seem to lack that filter between thought and mouth sometimes. I was pretty certain he was right, but then this one came along, and for some reason, he couldn’t get enough. At first I figured he was just another jerk with ideas about ‘taming’ me or some other kind of nonsense they like to go on about, but he persisted.”

“Couldn’t your father have just married you to him without your approval anyway?”

Margot gave me a knowing smile. “Yeah, he would have, too, ‘cept Cad wouldn’t tell him he was interested until I agreed. That’s when I started realizing he was sincere.”

Cad blushed and beamed at the same time. “What could I say? I was into women’s rights before it was popular.”

Margot snorted and put her hand on her hip. “Oh, really? Does that mean you’ll do the dishes after dinner tonight?”

“I’d be happy to do the dishes,” Cad replied without missing a beat. “You have only to ask.”

Margot glowed, and I was struck by how well they blended together, complementing each other almost effortlessly. Both gave as good as they got, a mixture of teasing and solemnity that seemed breathtakingly sweet. It made me wonder whether this was how Viggo and I appeared to the world. I kind of hoped so.

“Cad, Margot, Henry, and Alice, I’d like you to meet Viggo Croft,” I said, taking advantage of the momentary pause in Margot’s chatter. “He’s my fiancé.”

Cad cocked his head in surprise, looking Viggo over, while Margot beamed at me. “Well, he’s certainly a looker,” she said, boldly eyeing him.

Viggo coughed, his cheeks reddening at her brazen comment, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

“We’ve met,” Cad announced blithely, impervious to his wife’s forward behavior. “Although I didn’t know you two were engaged…”

Shaking his hand, Viggo shrugged. “It didn’t seem like the best time to formally introduce myself,” he replied, and Cad chuckled, nodding his head in agreement.