“Nope…but lucky for you, my freezer is filled with frozen pizza.” Removing a large pie from the freezer, Tristan popped it into the oven and set the timer, recalling the Friday nights with his mother when they used to talk about anything and everything. Frozen pizza had always been on the menu.
Memories of those times quickly faded, though, as Tristan stared at his mate, struck by the realization Heath would never know how much fun his mother was.
Seeing his mate absorbed in thought, Heath walked over to him, putting his hands on his mate’s hips. “Hey…where didja go right now?” he asked.
Shaking his head free of his memories, Tristan smiled wanly at his mate. “I…I was back in bed…making love to you.”
Studying his mate, Heath saw the sadness Tristan was trying to conceal. “Hey…” he murmured, tugging his mate toward him until their bodies were touching. “Tell me the rest…I want to know.”
Searching Heath’s face, Tristan finally nodded. “I was thinking about my mother, Friday nights, and frozen pizza.”
Raising an eyebrow, Heath murmured, “That’s quite a combination, and even as smart as I am…I’m still going to need a teeny, tiny bit more information.”
Grinning, Tristan said, “You do…do you?”
“Duh…who wouldn’t?”
“Me.”
The answer stunned Heath for a moment, before he burst out laughing. Poking Tristan’s chest, he said, “Just for that, smart-ass, I get the last slice tonight.”
“No problem…especially since I was already gonna give it to you,” Tristan replied, smirking. Just then, the beeping timer announced that dinner was ready. Turning around, Tristan opened the oven and took out the pizza, sniffing as the aroma filled the kitchen. After setting it on the island, he grabbed some paper towels and handed several to Heath. “No plates…just hands. What do you wanna drink? I have beer and water.”
“Just the essentials I see,” Heath joked. “Beer’s good.”
Grabbing two bottles from the fridge, Tristan handed one to Heath before sitting down next to him. “WhenReeve told me they didn’t serve alcohol at the chow hall, I had him pick me up a case of beer.”
“Why no booze?”
Shrugging, Tristan replied, “It’s a holdover from when Josiah was Alpha, so my guess is he didn’t want to spend any more than he had to on his pack members. And as you saw, he spent as little as possible. Enough about that asshole…tell me about your family.”
Chewing slowly, Heath thought about his family and the fact he owed his father a phone call, but that could wait. Taking a swig of his beer, he washed down the pizza before beginning. “I have nine siblings…”
“Whoa…there are ten kids in your family?”
Chuckling, Heath nodded. “I’m the oldest son, but I have a sister who’s older.”
“You’re from England, right?”
“What gave it away?”
“Every so often I can hear your accent…which I find very sexy.”
“Bloody hell! Like that?”
“Exactly!”
“Good to know,” Heath said, grinning. “My family lives in Snowdonia, and my father is the Alpha of all the English and Welsh wolves there. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but after I told him I was gay, we both agreed it wouldn’t work.”
Frowning, Tristan asked, “Why not?”
“Couple of reasons…one, I really didn’t want to do it. Too much work babysitting the different packs. It would drive me crazy to have to listen to all the petty squabbles that are never-ending…besides, my brother is much better at that than I ever was. When we were young, he always settled any disputes between us kids so no one ended up angry.”
“What was the other reason?”
“As head Alpha, I had to have an heir…and being gay…”
“You could’ve had one through surrogacy.”
