Husband With Benefits-Chapter 553: Gossip

"Guests?"

"Hmm. My brothers already know about you so they will give us some time to settle and then definitely descend. And the Frosties are always a hungry lot."

"Frosties?" Autumn asked as she watched him place more snacks into the cart. She felt as if she was a bandit, out to loot the supermarket today.

"That is the nickname that Nora gave to us brothers..and it stuck."

"Nora? Is she your late wife?" Autumn asked curiously.

"Holy shi*! No. Nora is Demon’s wife. And thankfully so. He is the only one who can handle her brand of crazy."

"All of you are very close? How many brothers do you have? And you call your brother, Demon?"

"Including me, there are six Frosties. And yes, Demetri is the head of the clan so he is called Demon.."

"Six brothers!!" Autumn exclaimed but Gabe continued to shock her, " Actually, we are a mix of cousins and siblings but we’ve forgotten along the way who is a cousin and who is a sibling. Also, Demetri and Erasmi are twins so you’ll have to be careful there. Those two have a whacked sense of humor as well. Erasmi has a son, Caius and Nora has a little sister- Dora, I think theose two would love to have Arabelle as a little sister too."

Saying so, Gabe caught the front edge of the trolley and gently pulled it behind him so that Autumn would not have to push the entire thing alone. What he failed to realize that, his words had somehow shocked Autumn who was now frozen in her spot. He stopped when he realized she was not following him and turned around with a frown on his face," Autumn? Whats up?"

Autumn shook her head, keeping her thoughts to herself and commented," That is a lot of people."

Gabriel chuckled softly. "Don’t worry, they’re all nice. And they’re excited to meet you."

As Autumn absorbed this new information, a woman entered the aisle, casting a curious look between the two of them. She approached Autumn with a smile. "Hi, Autumn. Who’s this handsome gentleman with you?"

Autumn was caught off guard as she looked at the woman who’s just arrived. She caught Gabe’s gaze as he gestured to her that this was the woman who had been watching them earlier and her eyes widened. Aunt Linda was the biggest gossip in the town... ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

While Autumn almost panicked, Gabe casually returned, and threw his arm around Autumn’s waist, stepping close to her side,"Hellp. I am Gabe. I’m Autumn’s husband."

The woman’s eyes widened slightly in surprise before she gave them a speculating smile. "Oh, I didn’t realize you were seeing someone, Autumn. It’s nice to meet you, Gabe. I’m Linda, one of Autumn’s neighbors. When did you marry?"

Gabe didn’t miss a beat. He tightened his arm around Autumn’s waist, pulling her closer. "Just recently," he said smoothly. "It was a simple marriage. We wanted to keep it private, you know?"

Linda’s eyes gleamed with interest. "How romantic! Autumn, you must be so happy. It’s been a while since... well, since you’ve had some good news. And you really do like your men older."

Gabe narrowed his eyes while Autumn stiffened, not missing the jibe," Mrs Linda. I assure you I am the only older ’MAN’ that my Autumn likes. Not men."

"You’e wrong there. As much as I should not say anything between a couple, but you seem like a good man.. So if Autumn has been hiding her past, I can..."

The atmosphere in that moment, seemed to drop drastically as Gabe gave the older woman a cold look and cut her off," Be careful what you say. I know much more about her past that anyone ever does, Mrs Linda. And I assure you, everyone who has ever been responsible for her pain, will hurt and regret their actions. You see, despite my name being that of an angel, I can be a devil to those who go after my people. And Autumn is my person.."

Linda’s speculative smile faltered, her eyes flickering with a mix of surprise and unease. With a subdues expression, she tried to defend herself," Well, I didn’t mean any harm...I was only concerned as a neighbour..."

"I understand, Mrs. Linda. Thank you for your concern. It was nice meeting you. We’ll see you around then."

The older woman nodded and stepped away hurriedly, leaving a giggling Autumn in her wake. Gabriel cast a surprised glance at her and she explained with shining eyes," This is the first time I have seen her almost run away. She must think you really are the Devil... She never would have left in the past until she had every little detail of our love story and marriage...

"You don’t have to worry about people like her. I’ve got your back." Gabe squeezed her waist gently before letting his arm fall back to his side. "Now, let’s finish up here."

As he said the words, he suddenly seemed to be in a hurry, making her wonder if this interaction had ruined his mood. She tried to think os some topic that would get them back to the comfortable talk they were having earlier and sighed when Arabelle found them back. She was walking with an armful of different boxes and had the most comical expression on her face when she found Gabe standing there with a cart full of snacks.

"Are we having a party?" Gabe laughed and took the boxes from her hand, placing them on top of the large pile as he said,"We will, Miss Arabelle. But not too soon. Until then, we can enjoy all these snacks..."

Even as Arabelle and Gabe walked forward, hand in hand, with Arabelle talking animatedly, Autumn remained a bit puzzled. Why did Gabe Frost agree to remain married to her. What could be his real motive? To hide his se*ual preference from his brothers? Was that why he had been married previously as well?