Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law

“Can we practice archery next?” Michelle asked me as we walked back outside.

“Of course, we can do whatever you’d like,” I replied distractedly.

I was still thinking about that stranger who was sitting in the study with Elliot and Isabella. He wouldn’t stop staring at me, and it was making me slightly self-conscious. Even now, as I stepped outside, my cheeks burned as I pictured his intense, dark blue eyes that were a similar color to Isabella’s. If I were being honest with myself, I couldn’t help but notice how good-looking the man was. He looked a lot like a younger version of Gareth, and my pulse couldn’t help but quicken when I noticed his broad shoulders and wide grin.

Isabella hadn’t introduced me to this newcomer, and I didn’t want to overstep by greeting a guest in the Laken house, especially after the fiasco with Michelle’s principal earlier. I also didn’t want to be in the same room as Elliot. I planned to avoid my ex-mate at all costs, and that way, he would hopefully stop bothering me.

I let out a slow breath to get that stranger’s handsome face out of my head. I needed to focus on Michelle. She had a tough day, and I wanted to get her mind off of everything going on at school. We already had a fun-filled afternoon as I taught her how to do a perfect running somersault and then a cartwheel. We finished the gymnastics lesson by jumping on the Laken’s in-ground trampoline.

Michelle helped me set up the archery station located in the middle of the large lawn. I organized the bow and the arrows, while Michelle made sure the wooden target was twenty feet away from our starting point. When she came back, I instructed her on how to hold the bow.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about that stranger with the dark blue eyes.

“So, did you know the person who was with Isabella in the study?” I asked, trying to keep my voice casual.

Michelle rolled her eyes as she put on the white chest guard. “That’s my super annoying cousin, Axel,” the younger girl answered. “I forgot that he was arriving today to stay with us. He’s from Germany.”