“Blech,” I made a face at the baby, who giggled at me, babbling away and tugging at the material of my shirt. Claiming my chair for the third time, I settled the baby on my lap. “What’s going on?”
“You’re still picking my brother up tonight?” Keegan questioned, his fingers entwined with Nik’s. “And you are coming to dinner tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan,” glancing at the clock, I saw I still had a few hours before the designated time to pick up Kendrick Mallory. Not that it really mattered, with the way time moved differently here in Santa’s Village. And Nik, with his Santa magic, could bend time even further if he wanted. I wasn’t sure how all of that worked, but it was how he–being The Santa–was able to make all the deliveries across the globe before Christmas morning. “Why?”
Keegan shrugged, “No reason. Just checking.”
Brows knitted together, I stared hard at the two of them. They were absolutely up to some fuckery.
“We just wanted to make sure we have enough seating. We’ve invited a few more people, so we are getting a head count.” Keegan blushed to the roots of his hair, always a suspicious sign.
Unconvinced, I glared at Nik, while taking a whiff of Kieran’s hair that smelled like baby shampoo. “What’s going on?”
Nik, the traitor, had the gall to look me in the eye, and without batting an eye, lied. “Nothing. Why?”
“And you’re still coming, right, Bal?” If Keegan squeezed Nik’s hand any tighter the poor man was going to lose circulation to it.
“Do I have a choice?”
Keegan gasped, “Of course you do,” while at the same time Nik told me, “Nope.”
“Look,” I bounced the baby in my lap, having learned years ago with Kacey that movement was the key to keeping babies somewhat happy. “I don’t know what you two are about, but I’m not here for it. So just don’t.”
Keegan, for his part, looked completely innocent. Except that his face was as bright as his hair. “We are not up to anything. We’re just making sure our favorite people will be there. With a few new friends we’ve met.”
Oh, he was so full of it. Keegan knew everyone in the village, and all the outer realms. The man hadn’t ever met a stranger. Within his first few days in the village, he had probably befriended more people than I even knew, and I’d been born here.
“What friends?” I asked suspiciously, stopping my scowling long enough to grin down at Kieran, when his babbling had taken on the tone of ‘pay attention to me now’. He grinned up at me, then went back to making noise.
He sure had a lot to say for someone who spent his days doing not much of anything.
“Oh, the new elf from wrapping is coming. Ruby is her name, but I’m sure you’ve met her,” Keegan blinked innocent brown eyes at me.
“No.”
“No, what?” he asked, confusion clouding his eyes, and Nik growled low in his chest.
“I don’t know why the fu–fudge–you are growling at me like you’re a shifter.” I glared at Nik, catching the curse word before it escaped my mouth, and kissing Kieran’s soft hair.
“We can invite whoever we want to Thanksgiving at our house,” Nik raised one black brow at me.
“Not when you plan on fixing me up on some weird, blind date.” I countered, my own brow arched.
Keegan’s mouth fell open in a perfect O. “How did you…we aren’t doing that. No one is doing that.” He gave a sharp, high-pitched laugh, looking at Nik. “Why would you think we are doing that? But, you have been single for a long time. Don’t you think it would be nice to meet someone, connect, maybe have kids of your own one day? You’re so good with Kacey and Kieran. You look really good holding a baby, Bal.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed loudly. Standing in one fluid move, I held Kieran out to them, amused as he kicked his feet in the air. “Did I wake up in some alternate universe where every one in my life suddenly thinks I need to be ambushed by blind dates? What the actual fudge? Take your child, please. I have to go fetch your brother.”
Nik took his wiggling son, giving me a glare that warned me I was getting close to the point of what he considered insulting his husband.
“We just want you to be as happy as we are,” Keegan stood up, giving me an earnest face. And okay, it was really hard to stay mad at Keegan.
“I’m happy,” I defended, arms crossed over my chest defiantly as I stared down at the tiny omega. He was even shorter than Kendrick by a few inches.
“You’re awfully grumpy for someone who is happy.”
“I’m happy enough,” I assured them, walking over and holding my door open for them. “And now I need to go get your brother. You know I don’t like being late.”
I’d be early, but they didn’t need to know that.
