Amanda groaned again. This woman truly did not have a filter.
“I’ll fix you a nice little grandma suite in the backyard and kick you out there.” Dunc grumbled, giving Amanda a quick ‘I’m sorry.’
Chapter 14
T he next several days went by fast. Dunc and Amanda spent as much time as they could with each other. They were comforted by each other’s presence. Being around Dunc allowed Amanda to relax. She began taking her laptop over to Dunc’s studio so she could work while he was working. Dunc would do the same when she needed to work in her studio. Dunc had a comfortable couch in his studio, and Amanda would take naps on it during the day. It helped make up for her lack of sleep at night.
They also napped in the hammock daily. That was the best part of the day for both of them. There were no demands between them or expectations. They enjoyed chilly afternoons, watching the leaves fluttering down around them from the trees. During the day, they were like any other couple learning about each other.
The night was an entirely different experience. They stayed up past midnight, usually keeping each other company. Dunc did not sleep at all during the night. Sleeping during the day allowed him to watch Amanda’s house at all times during the night and be vigilant. Dunc did not need as much sleep as Amanda did. He often joined the patrols he had ordered increased in the neighborhood. Wolves and coyotes prowled, and great owls kept a watch over the entire community. Amanda had no idea this level of security was out there. Everyone was ordered to stay out of sight.
Dunc couldn’t leave Amanda alone and had to rely on word of mouth as the securest form of communication. That was the usual way Lycans communicated sensitive information. Occasionally those messages were distorted. Word of mouth was only so reliable.
The most important message he sent out was that Amanda was his intended. She was a human, and she did not know his secret and maybe never would. Amanda was to be treated with respect and equal to him. Anything she said was to be listened to. Protect Amanda above all. He had the entire town to help him keep Amanda safe, and he was still anxious about the upcoming days.
Both Amanda and Dunc had concluded that Joseph was waiting for Halloween. It would offer him the best cover. They still had to remain vigilant. He could try again before Halloween expecting them to figure out his plan. That man was far slipperier and smarter than he had any right being.
***
“You, you,” Sallie stammered as she stared at her sister incredulously. “You, you, you.”
“I love him.” Amanda smiled at Sallie. They were in the middle of a delicious breakfast consisting of things from Dunc’s garden and cheese. Sallie was staring at her and looked like her brain had broken at the news. “I told Dunc I love him, and he told me he loves me.”
“You’ve only been talking to him for a month!” Sallie’s blue eyes were wide in astonishment. “One month! You took a year to tell J-word you loved him!”
“That should have been a sign,” Amanda grumbled.
“But, you’re the responsible one!” Sallie could not believe what she had been told. “You told me to wait to marry Dew!” She glanced around the room, making sure the walls were still straight and the world hadn’t tipped over sideways. “You hate Love! You told me you would never love another guy again and… one MONTH!” Sallie could not get over it. “We both knew Dew for fifteen years. I dated him for two, and you told me to wait another year after he proposed.” Sallie looked down at the table and started worrying about her napkin. “I listened to you.”
“I didn’t say I was marrying him.” Amanda frowned at Sallie’s hysterics. “I said, I love him.”
“You’ve had two dates! Are you crazy?” Sallie jumped up and grabbed her sister’s head like she was examining it for signs of tampering.
“Stop that.” Amanda batted her hands away. “Sallie, you know how you two are. You wanted to get married at 20. I told you to at least wait until you were 21 and finished your college courses so you would have stable jobs, which reminds me, do you have a job yet?”
“I’m looking.” Sallie plopped back into her chair and stared at her plate. “This isn’t like you. What did he do to you?” She paused a moment pushing things around her plate with her fork. “Amanda.” Then she began crying.
Amanda stared at her sister. “Sallie, knock it off. “There are couples out there who know each other for years, get married, then get divorced in months. Some couples meet and get married in months and are married for a lifetime. There are no rules for when to get married. I love him. It’s nothing like it was with J-word. It’s like what you have with Dew. It truly is.”
“I like Dunc.” Sallie sniffled, “But he’s a human. Why would you do that to yourself? What happens when he grows old and … and …” Sallie fell silent.
Amanda frowned. “We don’t have any guarantees of a long life any more than they do. What if he’s the only man who will ever love me the way that I want to be loved? He’s the only man I’ve ever met who wants me to be me. He doesn’t want to change me.”
“You are not passing the Bechdel test right now, Amanda,” Sallie mumbled.
“Considering I have zero friends?” Amanda raised an eyebrow at Sallie. “Are you saying
