It was something Dewi and the Targhee Pack were trying to help with, but it’d been a long damn time, and Carl had absolutely no idea where he’d gone.
Or if he was even still alive.
* * * *
Carl didn’t want old, sad thoughts pulling them down tonight.
“New year, new us, babe,” he said. “I want to focus on the future.” While kissing Mateo, he backed him down the cabin’s short hall and toward the bedroom. “We can’t miss the party tonight.”
Well, they could, but he didn’t want to miss it. The first New Year’s Eve party with their new pack?
Like hell would they miss it.
They started tugging at each other’s clothes, and by the time they fell into bed, they were both naked, Carl on the bottom. But he quickly got Mateo turned around on top of him. Moments later, they were both moaning as they sucked orgasms out of each other.
Mateo dragged himself around again and snuggled against Carl. “Now we can take a nap. Between breakfast and that, I am exhausted.”
Carl couldn’t argue with him. He grabbed the sheet and tugged it over them, happily dozing off with the scent of his mate deep inside his lungs.
The light had shifted, waning and dusky when they awakened hours later. “What time is it?” Carl muttered.
Mateo rolled over. “Nearly five. I suppose we should get out of bed and see if they need help with dinner.”
Carl snorted. “You honestly think Nami’s going to let you into her kitchen, think again. It’s Gillian’s house, and even she’s ceded the territory.”
Mateo gasped.
“What?” Carl asked.
“You do realize we’re going to be surrounded by girls, right? Dewi, Nami, and Tamsin are all having girls. And now we’ll be watching Bebe, too.”
“At least we’re used to it.”
“We have to learn how to braid hair properly.” Mateo sat up. “We need Malyah to show us.”
Even for Carl’s perfectionist mate, this was a little much. “Uh, we’ve both braided Brianna’s hair, Mateo. Speak for yourself. I wasn’t half bad at it.”
“She doesn’t have hair like Bebe, dumbass.Blackhair, like box braids. It’sdifferent. Even I know that. We’ll be able to handle Tamsin’s daughter and Dewi’s, but we need to learn what to do for Bebe and Nami’s baby so we can care for them properly.”
Carl decided to humor him, because he realized Mateo was right, and he’d barely mastered basic braided ponytails for Brianna when she was little. “Why not just ask Nami or Lu’ana?”
Mateo gasped again. “I am not going to admit to them I don’t know how to braid hair!”
Carl burst out laughing. “Babe, what brought this on?”
“I just realized when we were talking about Bebe that there are things I don’t know. And I want to know. She’s family now. She’s our…” He seemed to need a minute. “She’s our niece. Niece-in-law?”
Carl sat up, cupped his hand around the nape of Mateo’s neck, and pulled him in for a long, deep kiss. “You’re fucking adorable,tío. No one’s going to fault you for not knowing something like that. We’ll learn.”
Carl finally coaxed him out of bed and into the bathroom for a sexy shower that almost ended up with them back in bed again. Fortunately, they made it over to Peyton and Gillian’s in time to help with dinner prep. This was a barbecue tonight, a celebration. There were family and pack from all over in attendance, many of whom would be leaving tomorrow or the next day.
Including them.
Peyton walked over to them. “Thanks again,” he said, keeping his voice down. “I know it’s not the most glamorous assignment—”
“We’re honored and grateful to do it,” Carl said, sticking his hand out to shake with Peyton.
For more than one reason. He wanted Peyton to know he wasn’t lying about that.
