Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1255

Evan had already spotted the venomous snake in the tree, but before he could do anything, someone else was quicker.

The scar-faced tough guy—they called him “the Boss”—hadn’t come to Darkfort City with them, but somehow he’d tracked them all the way out here.

That snake? The Boss had taken it out with one swift shot.

Evan glanced to his left, feeling a little grateful.

Anyone who looked out for his family was a friend of Evan Thorne’s.

If the Boss and his old mentor could ever put aside their differences, Evan would be the first to shake his hand. But if he ever hurt his mentor…

Evan frowned, deciding to keep his distance for now and instead hurried after Elysia and Baby.

By the time they’d gathered enough dry firewood and made their way back, Tarquin, Elliot, and Elijah had already set up the tents and were washing up by the creek.

Watching Tarquin work, Elysia couldn’t help but think,

Now, that’s the kind of man you want to marry.

Sophisticated, but never fussy.

Can handle a business meeting or whip up breakfast.

Since they hadn’t ventured deep into the wilderness yet, the first night went off without a hitch. No wild animals, no emergencies.

They caught a few fish, lounged inside the tent, chatted and laughed—it felt almost like a camping trip at Yellowstone.

The next morning, they headed deeper into the woods.

The further they went, the more critters they saw—everything from creepy crawlies to poisonous bugs.

Baby, who was always a bit skittish, spent most of the day clinging to Tarquin, who carried her without complaint.

With no cell signal, and the compass spinning uselessly, they had to rely on Evan and White to find their way.

By evening, just as they finished setting up camp, it started pouring—classic mountain weather: sunny one minute, buckets of cold rain the next.

Luckily, the tents were up just in time, so everyone stayed dry.

Evan, though, couldn’t help but worry about the Boss.

Out in this storm, with no shelter, anyone could get sick fast—and up here, that could be a death sentence.

After some hesitation, Evan confessed to Elysia.

“Mom, I need to tell you something…”

When Elysia learned there was someone trailing them—someone who even knew Bernard—she was floored.

Evan hurried to reassure her,

“Don’t worry, Mom. He promised me he wouldn’t approach Bernard without permission. And he’s helped me a bunch of times—he’s saved my skin. I can’t just leave him out there in this storm.”

Evan didn’t mention the history between the Boss and Bernard, but Elysia was still concerned.

“Evan, your great-grandparents don’t like strangers. They want a quiet life. What if he breaks his word?”

Tarquin spoke up for the Boss,

“If Bernard doesn’t want to see him, I’ll handle it. I won’t let anyone disturb Grandma and Grandpa.”

Elysia hesitated, but with both Evan and Tarquin pleading, she relented.

“Alright. He can sleep in your tent tonight. When he comes in, make sure he gets some hot tea to warm up.”

Tarquin continued,

“I don’t know what happened between you and Evan’s mentor, but that person means the world to him. If you hurt him, Evan will never forgive you.”

Again, the Boss just stared at the fire, silent.

Just then, Evan burst out of the tent, nose in the air,

“Smells amazing!”

The Boss cracked a rare almost-smile, handed him the biggest fish.

“Is it cooked?” Evan asked.

“Yeah.”

“Looks delicious! I’m taking it to Mom—she loves fish!” And off Evan ran, bouncing toward Elysia’s tent.

“Mom, breakfast! Grilled fish!”

For the first time, the Boss’s eyes softened a little.

Tarquin squinted, then let it drop.

From then on, the Boss became an unofficial part of their group. Except for Evan, he barely spoke to anyone, but he always took the lead alongside Evan during the day, and at night stood guard outside the tents, keeping wild animals at bay.

Elysia felt bad about him sleeping outside, and sometimes asked Evan to invite him in. But unless it was raining, he always stayed on watch.

They trekked through the mountains for several days before finally arriving.

But before they could even see the old folks they’d come to find, they noticed something was off…