Glancing over at his mates, Theo grinned at Norm’s new name before asking, “Eagle Feather, can you get the picnic basket out of the back hall closet?”
Steel watched Norm’s cheeks grow red at Theo’s teasing, but embarrassed or not, he could see how much it meant to him. Shifting his focus to Smokey’s eyes, he saw the warning the bear gave him. Nodding his acknowledgment, he turned to Theo. “Hope’s gonna help me for the next few days so you can have time with your mates.”
“You don’t need to stay on,” Theo said. “I know you have work to do other than cooking and, besides, Jackson already told me Hope would be helping me.”
“And she will, but Jackson wants to give you a few days off with your mates first,” Steel said. “And I agree. You guys have some decisions to make like where…”
“We’re staying here,” Theo interrupted, nervously. “Jackson told us it wouldn’t be a problem.”
Hearing the fear Theo was trying to hide, Smokey growled, “My mate’s right. The Alpha has already given me permission to live here…with my mates.”
“I know,” Steel replied, calmly. “He announced it at dinner. I was referring to whether you wanted to stay in the bedroom where you are or move to a larger one…or if a bigger bed was needed.”
A delicate blush covered Theo’s face and neck. “Oh…right…Jackson mentioned something like that.” Taking the basket from Norm, Theo began filling it with the sandwiches, bottled water, blueberries, chips, cookies, and anything else he could think of. He wasn’t sure how much food Smokey usually ate, but given his size, he decided it was better to have too much than not enough. Once the basket was bulging with edibles, he lifted it off the counter. “Are you guys ready to go?”
~/~/~/~/~
Following his mates, Smokey was pretty sure he knew where Theo was heading. The only thing he didn’t know was why—and while it made him uncomfortable, his bear didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Which was just one more thing for Smokey to add to the growing list of his bear’s recent quirky behavior.
Norm wondered what Theo was up to; they could have easily talked just as well back at the pack house. It was a far safer place to be than out in the forest at dusk. And for that matter, he couldn’t guess what was so important that they had to discuss anything tonight instead of tomorrow. Sure, it would be a tight squeeze for the three of them in Theo and Norm’s queen-sized bed, but knowing how much honey bunch loved to cuddle, he didn’t think it would be a problem at all.
Emerging from the trees, Theo paused for a moment, smiling at the scene before him. Ever since he and Norm had discovered it, he knew deep inside him, the meadow was meant just for them. Scanning it, he saw fireflies swarming in abundance, reminding him of the fairy lights Kieran used for Fionn and Hunter’s special dinner. Finally zeroing in on his destination, Theo headed there, knowing it was the perfect place for them.
Entering the gazebo, he turned around, gesturing for his mates to join him. Looking at Smokey, he said, “Our friends built this for Norm’s and my wedding but now it’s for the three of us.” Then shifting his gaze to Norm, he asked softly, “If that’s okay with you pooh bear?”
Norm’s knee-jerk reaction was to say “no.” The meadow wastheirplace—his and Theo’s. They’d found it during their first week at the Blackwood Pack and had ever since sought solace there whenever traumas of their past overwhelmed one or both of them. Lying down amid the tall grasses and wildflowers never failed to sooth their souls—and their bears—as they stared up at the sky. Sometimes they’d talk, but other times he would just hold Theo, and they’d listen to the sounds of creatures who called it home. Norm’s gaze now wandered around the meadow; the afternoon breeze had yielded to the hush of early evening. It was his favorite time of day, but one he rarely was able to enjoy since Theo spent most evenings prepping food for the pack’s breakfast.
But now, Theo had invited Smokey into their private world for reasons that were troubling him. Trying to sort out his feelings, Norm realized that jealousy was prompting his negative reaction and knew it would be selfish of him to object. As Jackson had pointed out to him that there were now three of them in the relationship and that meant it was up to him to help Theo adjust to it. Returning honey bunch’s gaze, Norm gave Theo a reassuring smile. “Yup…perfectly okay.”
Theo sat on the ground and waited until his mates joined him before opening the picnic basket. Taking out a small table cloth he’d packed, he spread it out before them and then set the plates and silverware on it. While handing out the sandwiches and bottles of water, his mind was trying to figure out how to proceed to the next step of his plan.Too bad Ki isn’t here because he’d know exactly what to do.
Norm watched Theo carefully, noting his wrinkled forehead, a sure sign his mate was deep in thought. But about what, he hadn’t a clue. However, he was sure there was a reason why Theo had gone through all this trouble. Taking a bite of his sandwich, Norm stifled a moan as the tender flavorful roast beef hit his taste buds. His mate had come a long way since those first few weeks as an intern in Dakota’s kitchen. Now Jackson was relying on him to fill in for Dakota who was on bed rest. Taking a bigger bite, he chuckled at Smokey’s groan whenhetasted the roast beef. “Didn’t I tell you? Theo is one fine chef.”
Swallowing his bite, Smokey said, “Norm’s right. I’m one lucky fuck to have a mate who not only can cook, but can cook this good. Glenn and Ghost are gonna be freakin’ jealous.”
And in that moment, Norm understood why Theo had insisted that the three of them go to the meadow. Picking up on Smokey’s comment, he asked, “We met Glenn before he left with Sawyer and Alex, but who’s Ghost?”
“Is he a secret agent like you?” asked Theo excitedly.
“Glenn’s got a big mouth,” Smokey muttered.
“It wasn’t Glenn,” Theo replied. “We found out from Alex…see, he referred to himself as ‘Delicious Surprise’ and when I asked him about it, he told us that was his code name because Glenn was a secret agent.”
Mollified that it wasn’t Glenn who’d slipped up, Smokey calmed down. “Alex’s right…Glenn still works for the Agency but Ghost and I left a few years ago.”
“What do you do now?” asked Norm.
“Right now, I’m helping Glenn track down who was responsible for his mother’s kidnapping,” Smokey said. While that was basically true, it was a simplified version of what his role actually was. At this point, he didn’t think his mates needed to know it also included killing humans, like the ones who had gone after Kevin’s parents or torturing those who were out to kill him. That dark and seamy side of his work was better kept a secret, especially from his mates…at least for now. Changing the subject, he looked at Norm. “Theo’s a chef but what do you do?”
“I work for Dire Enterprises…Steel’s my boss,” Norm said. “During my internship, I discovered I enjoyed business a lot so when Carson left for France, Steel and Slate decided to give me his job.”
“Who’s Carson?” asked Smokey.
“One of Jackson’s brothers,” Theo replied. “He’s mated to Remy. Glenn is with them. I know that sounds confusing, but it’ll be easier for you to get it straight once they’re all back.”
Nodding in agreement, Smokey took another bite of his sandwich, holding back his moan this time.Damn this is so fucking good!Shifting his glance to Theo, he asked, “Did you have any cooking experience before you came here?”
Theo winced at Smokey’s question before picking up a cookie. Taking a bite and chewing slowly as images from the past flooded his mind. Images Theo had long buried ever since his parents had betrayed him.
