Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1258

But... this place is supposed to be completely off the grid. How did this rough bunch of men even find it?

Grandma and Grandpa were always so gentle and kind—they’d never hang out with people like this!

Elysia and the kids were marched into the old wooden cabin.

The moment the gate creaked open, all four of them—mother and sons—were swept up by a rush of emotions: joy, nerves, even a bit of dread.

They’d lived here for five whole years.

Elliot, Evan, and Emmett—this was where they’d grown up.

It was in this very place that the three brothers learned to talk, to walk, to do all sorts of things...

This cabin held just about every flavor of memory for them—sweet, bitter, and everything in between.

Mostly sweet, with the occasional sting.

So as soon as they stepped inside, memories came flooding back. They couldn’t help but feel excited and happy.

But... where were Grandma and Grandpa?

Normally, the second they came home, the grandparents would be the first at the door, arms open, faces beaming with delight.

Why weren’t they coming out? Why wasn’t anyone welcoming them home?

And why were there suddenly so many armed strangers in the yard?

Who were these men, and what were they doing in Grandma and Grandpa’s house? What was their connection?

Elysia and her three boys were torn—half flooded with relief, half gripped by worry for the older couple.

They ached to see Grandma and Grandpa, but none of them dared call out, afraid of what might have happened.

Tarquin and little Elijah, though they’d never been here before, could sense something was off with the four of them.

It clicked: this must have been their home once.

Tarquin and Elijah were uneasy too. Why had these men brought them here? Did they know the old folks? Or had they taken over the place?

Had something happened to Grandma and Grandpa?

All seven of them were weighed down by dread.

Closest to the gate stood a small two-story cabin—Bernard’s place.

Tarquin’s eyes narrowed—he knew exactly what Brock had in mind.

He was just about to make a move when suddenly, another man burst in, stumbling and out of breath.

“Brock! Brock! It’s bad—something’s happened! We ran into a wild man! Some of our guys got hurt real bad—Brock told me to come get help!”

Wild man?

The whole family stared. Even Brock looked thrown.

“What wild man?”

“I swear, Brock! He had centipedes crawling all over his face—scared the hell out of us! He was so fast, we didn’t even get a shot off.”

“You gotta come quick—if you’re late, Brock might get ripped to shreds by that lunatic!”

Centipedes on his face?

No, not a wild man—just the scarred tough guy from before.

The family of seven put it together. No need to wonder anymore. They kept their heads down and stayed quiet.