“Ray is not a man’s name,” Sloane said, bristling. “It’s short for Soraya.”
Brody shook his head, ignoring Sloane’s irritation. “Right, but she goes by Ray. A man’s name.”
Sloane growled at his brother.
“And you’ve got a woman’s name,” Brody said, before shoving half of the sandwich into his mouth in one go.
“Sloane is not a woman’s name,” he said. “It’s our surname.”
“Right, but it’s a woman’s name, too,” Brody said after he’d finished chewing.
Sloane looked to his mate for confirmation.
“It’s kind of a woman’s name,” she confirmed.
“Shit,” Sloane said.
His mother hit him upside the head.
“Ow!” he winced. “What was that for?”
“What have I told you about cursing in the house?” She turned to Ray and rolled her eyes. “These boys are going to be the death of me.”
Ray threw her head back and laughed, and the sound made Sloane sigh with pleasure.
Alaric chose that moment to walk into the room, carrying his own sandwich.
“Ray, you remember my accomplice from the other day,” Sloane said, nodding to Brody.
Ray laughed, but his mother gasped.
“And the ugly one over there is Alaric.”
“I’ll kick your ass,” Alaric said.
Their mother hit him upside the head.
“Ow, ma, what the hell?”
“No cursing and no food before dinner!” she chastised.
Ray turned to Sloane and grinned. “I love your family,” she told him.
“Well, of course you do,” his mom said. “And we love you.”
After they made a little small talk, they all went their separate ways. His mom and sister went into the kitchen to work on dinner, and Brody and Alaric went into the den to watch television. Which gave Sloane a moment alone with his mate. He gave her a brief tour of the house then took her outside to the yard.
“How are you holding up?” he asked her.
“You have a lovely family,” she said.
Sloane’s eyes widened. “Were we just in the same room, or are you talking about someone else’s family?”
“I heard that!” his mom shouted.
Sloane rolled his eyes. “See what I mean?”
Ray huffed out a laugh. “No, really. They’re great. Exactly the way I’d expect a real family to be.”
