Free Magical Mayhem by Amity Maree Page B

best."
    Megan saw Montague speaking to Abigail, and then he took out his billfold and slipped her some cash before hugging her and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Come on, Meggie. If you are half as tired as me you need a shower and a bed. I will feed you first, though. I promise."
    He led her from the hospital at a much slower pace than they entered. The visitors' parking lot was almost empty except for two other vehicles. "That one is Mom's car; the other is Abigail's." Once they were settled in his car he said, "Thank you for being here with me today, Meggie. I needed you."
    "You are welcome, of course. I didn't do much but listen..."
    "You listened, took care of my sisters and Mom... I'm glad Dad got to meet you. He told me that I would be a fool if I let you get away."
    "He actually said that...?"
    "He did, and he wanted to know if you had a temper to go with the red hair. I had to tell him the truth, of course."
    "Of course," she mimicked him. And then felt her face turning red. "You did NOT tell him that you spanked me? You did NOT do that?"

     

Chapter Six

    Megan felt her face flame a fire engine red at the mere thought of Montague telling his father that he spanked her! It was just too much to bear, and if they weren't in a moving car she would jump out, start running, and never look back! But, they were in a moving car and Montague wasn't about to stop long enough for her to undo the seatbelt and throw herself into the black of night to escape him!
    "Megan," he said softly, reaching over to take her hand in his, "You have no idea how happy it made my Father. Montague men are a bit unique," he told her, doing a bit of blushing himself. "We fall hard when we fall in love, and we pick women with spirit; feisty women who have a healthy temper. Montague men are not easy to live with. It takes a special woman, and Dad was only finding joy in my answer because of all my family, he is the only one who gets me, and how I feel, and how special you are to me. As whacked as it sounds, Montague men are all born with the spanking gene."
    "Are you serious?" Megan whispered as he stopped at a red light.
    "Afraid so, honey. Dad took one look at you and knew I was telling him the truth about finding my lady. Now, please don't be scared, Megan. I don't intend to rush you into anything. I know you aren't ready for that. We have the rest of our lives for you to be comfortable with me and learn to love me in return. I know it is overwhelming to meet my family under these circumstances, before I had time to warn you that we are rather crazy." His teeth flashed white in the car as he smiled. "Before I could warn you that I come from an extremely wealthy family that makes enough money each year none of us would need to work another day in our lives, or our children or their children. Megan, my Dad raised every one of us kids to know he expected us to be productive citizens. He doesn't believe that children born into wealth have a right to feel a sense of entitlement. He doesn't care what career we choose as long as we choose one and live within our means. My car doesn't come from family money; neither do my magic props. I worked hard for each and every one and I worked for my car, too. Dad treats the girls the same way. College or trade school, then a job; even marriage doesn't bring instant wealth. When we reach thirty-five, our trust funds are available... provided Dad signs off on them. In short, screw up and you are in big trouble. Work hard, learn to survive in the real world, and only then are you wealthy in terms of money. Do you recall when all girls had to do gain access to money was to marry?" He waited until she nodded before continuing. "Marriage to one of my sisters will net a man zero. So, he'd damn well better love her. I believe it was Three who saw to that bit of advice within the family, and when I have daughters I will protect them, too. Dad has to decide whether or not to release my sisters' trust funds... and he