Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1446

But her parents couldn’t help but worry about their daughter...

“Winona, you and Mr. Huber, you two…” her dad started gently.

Winona knew exactly what was on their minds. She grinned and waved a hand dismissively.

“Don’t overthink it. Keaton and I are just friends. Sure, today’s mess started because of him, but you can’t really blame him—he didn’t know Alicia was that kind of person.”

Ridley frowned, concern etched deep in his face.

“He’s a good kid in every way, except—well, relationships… Winona, why don’t you just move back in with us for a while?”

Winona shook her head, her smile soft but firm.

“You guys know I like having my own place. Don’t worry, really. I’ll be more careful next time. Lesson learned.”

“But—” her mother started.

“Alright, alright, I’m starving! Mom, Dad, could you guys make me something good to eat?”

Caroline perked up immediately. “Of course! What do you want?”

Winona rattled off a few favorite dishes—mac and cheese, roast chicken, maybe some mashed potatoes—and sent her parents bustling off to the kitchen.

She flopped down on her bed, grabbed her phone, and opened the camera app to check the stitches on her forehead.

Ugh, thinking about the new bald patch made her groan.

Ding! Suddenly her phone chimed, making her jump.

She fumbled and—whack!—dropped it right on her face.

“Ow! Jeez, who the hell—” she muttered, rubbing her nose.

It was a message from Keaton. First, an awkward grimacing emoji, then:

[Back home yet? Mind if I come by?]

Winona typed back: [Not a good time!]

Keaton: [Alright, got it.]

A few minutes later, there was a soft tapping at her bedroom window.

Winona glanced over—was that a shadow outside?

Winona rolled her eyes. “Why would we need to sneak around? What are we, teenagers caught making out?”

Keaton grinned, mischief in his eyes. “Aren’t your parents here?”

“What, are they gonna chase you around the house or something?”

“Hey, you got hurt because of me. They probably hate my guts. If I knocked on the front door, Ridley might come after me with a carving knife!”

Winona just stared at him, at a loss for words. She finally asked, “So why risk your neck climbing up here?”

“You got hurt because of me—I felt bad. I just wanted to check on you. Oh, and I brought you a little something.”

He reached into his jacket, and Winona’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes went wide.

“Nope! I don’t want it!” she blurted, almost instinctively.

Keaton looked surprised. “Don’t want it? Come on, it’s something good! Don’t you even wanna see what it is?”

Winona shook her head, frowning. “Take it back. I really don’t want it.”

Keaton stared at her, looking completely baffled. “Can I at least know why not?”