Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem

"You say one's the master and one's the pet, but honestly, those two are like brothers. Even Elliot and Emmett never treated White like a pet," Elysia Thorne said with a gentle smile.

"White's part of our family," she added softly.

Tarquin Bradford's gaze softened. No wonder White and Evan were so close- what they had was a bond forged through thick and thin.

"You mean Bernard? Evan's mentor?"

"Yeah, I just call him Bernard," Elysia replied.

There was a time she wouldn't have shared any of this mountain stuff with Tarquin. Even though they loved each other, she'd kept it all to herself. But now that she was about to bring him home to meet her grandparents, there was no point hiding it anymore.

"Elliot and Gerald are two peas in a pod, Elliot's always hanging on Gerald," she explained. "Evan's the same way with Bernard. Emmett takes after Quincy, always following him around. And me? I spent most of my time with Grandma."

Tarquin looked at her, half-amused. "One grandma, three grandpas?"

"Not quite," Elysia laughed, shaking her head. "There are five of them, actually. There's also Howard and Walter."

Tarquin blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. They're not couples-just a group of old friends who stuck together. They all went through tough times when they were young, so

asked, "So, how

all over seventy now," she

"And their names?"

I know they're good people," Elysia said, her voice softening. "If they weren't, they wouldn't have helped Mom

how do you all

and Grandma

met

food themselves. And anything we can't get in the countryside, Gerald finds a way bring from town-groceries,

"How?" Tarquin pressed.

"But all the

growing up, Grandma's medical equipment, Grandpa's tools-Gerald

Gerald have money or

all his, or if they pooled it. Never really thought

"So what do

finance nerd-loves reading money magazines and

ᄒ gl

into boxing and