His answering grunt held no humor.
They followed a stone path around the side of the house, vibrant red geraniums and trailing ivy spilling from planters along the way. The sounds of laughter and conversation grew louder as they approached the backyard. Ivy noticed Henry’s steps slow.
She placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “They’ll love you,” she said. “Because I do.”
The words emerged unplanned, hanging in the air between them. Henry’s gaze snapped to hers, searching her face for confirmation of what she’d just implied. Before he could respond, they rounded the corner into the bustling backyard.
The space spread out before them, a sprawling lawn dotted with native flowers and bordered by towering pines. A wooden deck extended from the back of the house, centered around a massive stone grill where Corey Bright stood in an apron declaring him “King of the Grill.”
Her father spotted them immediately, his face lighting with recognition. He handed his spatula to Rolo and hurried across the lawn to greet them.
“Ivy!” Corey called, enfolding her in a bear hug that lifted her feet from the ground. His familiar scent of woodsmoke and spices wrapped around her, comforting and constant.
When he set her down, Ivy stepped back and took Henry’s hand firmly in her own. “Dad, this is Henry Kincaid, my mate.”
She felt Henry’s fingers twitch in her grasp but held firm. Corey’s eyes widened briefly before his face split into a genuine smile. He offered his hand to Henry with no hesitation.
“Kincaid, welcome to the clan,” he said warmly.
Henry looked momentarily stunned by the immediate acceptance but managed to return Corey’s handshake. “Thank you, sir.”
“None of that ‘sir’ business,” Corey insisted. “It’s Corey to you now. Come on, let’s introduce you to everyone.”
He led them onto the deck where the rest of the family had gathered, their conversations pausing as they noticed the newcomer. Ivy watched Henry catalog each face, his ranger’s observational skills processing the social terrain.
“Everyone, this is Henry Kincaid,” Corey announced proudly. “Ivy’s mate.”
Holly squealed, abandoning her conversation with Elias to rush forward. “Finally! You brought him to meet the family!”
Ivy rolled her eyes affectionately at her sister’s enthusiasm. “Henry, this is my sister Holly and her mate Elias.”
Elias offered a more restrained nod, recognizing a kindred soul.
“Henry and I go way back. Don’t we Henry?” Holly teased.
“And that’s my brother Reed with the guitar,” Ivy continued, pointing to where Reed lounged near the fire pit, tuning an acoustic guitar. Reed looked up with a lazy grin.
“And over there is my brother Ash with his mate Eliana and their son Eli,” Ivy continued.
Ash raised a hand in greeting from where he sat on a waterproof blanket spread on the still damp grass, his toddler son stacking blocks between his legs while Eliana watched adoringly.
“And my aunt Zoe with her mate Rolo,” Ivy finished, indicating the couple now manning the grill. “And their son Ezekiel, who’s visiting from his international conservation work.”
A young man with feline grace raised a beer bottle in salute from his position near the cooler.
“That’s everyone?” Henry murmured, sounding both relieved and overwhelmed.
“For today,” Ivy confirmed with a smile. “Sometimes there are more.”
Holly appeared at her side, passing them each a drink before linking her arm through Ivy’s. “So, Henry, tell us how you tamed our perpetual optimist. We’ve been waiting years for someone to catch her eye.”
Henry’s gaze flickered to Ivy, uncertain how to respond. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“I mostly growled at her until she wore me down,” he said finally.
Holly laughed in delight. “That tracks. Ivy always did have a soft spot for the difficult ones.”
Reed wandered over, guitar forgotten for the moment. “Remember that bully in fifth grade? Tommy something?”
