“Mingling.”
“Well, all right then,” Macy said with a soft laugh. “You now have permanent permission to lurk at the back of any party I throw and hide behind the fern. I’ll send my finest and quietest friends.”
“I’ll come out to help clean up and deal with drunks, how about that?”
“I think that you go to much more exciting parties than I tend to throw. Helping do the dishes and calling a cab or two will be just fine.”
They made the ride out to Riki and Wil’s in a companionable silence that struck Macy with its sweetness. There was a low tension in the air, the constant reminder that he was close enough to touch, that she could reach right over and run her fingers along his muscular arm or his thigh, or Hell, hislips,but beneath that, there was a calmness that felt at once new and perfect. It was as if she had been holding her breath for her entire life, and now, with this man, she could finally let go. She could breathe.
The access road and the driveway to the property was lined with cars, some from as far away as West Virginia and Arizona, and it looked like the party was really getting going in the north field. Macy instead directed Luca up a side road, to a double-wide trailer set behind a small stand of pines. It was brightly lit, a beautiful beacon against the warm early fall night, and Macy went up to knock on the door as Luca got a now deeply-drowsing AJ out of his car seat.
As it always had when she visited her friends, Macy felt a surge of wonder at the beauty of the place, the darkness outside of town, the way the fireflies swarmed here like they never seemed to elsewhere. Luca’s step on the graveled drive behind her made her turn, and she was made momentarily breathless by the picture, the gravely handsome man with the toddler held as carefully as any treasure in his arms.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered.
“You ought to tell him so.”
It was impossible to turn and take a leap back, but Macy gave it the good old college try. Her heart pounding—there had been absolutely no one beside her, she was certain of that—shecaught a glimpse of a dark shape with two sparks of bright gold eyeshine before she started to stumble. She would have fallen right on her rear if a hard hand hadn’t shot out to grab her wrist and steady her, and then Catherine Mosely had her back on her feet, giving her arm a brisk pat before drawing back.
“Sakes, honey, you’re jumpy as a cat. Wonder whythatmight be.”
Macy blushed, despite the fact that she knew she had done nothing embarrassing.
“I’m fine, Cathy. Thank you again for looking after AJ on such short notice.”
Wil’s grandmother was as tiny as her grandson was tall, with a cap of snowy-white hair that curled despite its short length. Dressed in an old T-shirt and a pair of baggy shorts, she still commanded the respect that came of being one of the matriarchs of a pack of rambunctious wolf shifters, a woman who expected to be obeyed in every particular.
By then, Luca had caught up, and he and Cathy eyed each other up and down. It was a startlingly serious thing, the quiet man and the woman who had apparently known no fear in her life.
“Well, you’re a big one, aren’t you?” she murmured, almost to herself, and then abruptly, she seemed to come to a decision.
“I’m Cathy Mosley, Wil’s grandma. I’m originally from the Farmer’s Hill pack that roams around down near Collinsville, but I’ve been up here for more than fifteen years keeping an eye on things.”
“Luca Reyes. I’ve met Wil and Rikki, but I’ve known Cass and Pearl for a good while now.”
“Ha, that boy Cass, always the social butterfly. That the tyke there? Go on, hand him over. I’ll take him inside, and you can see where I bed down the kids when they need a little quiet.”
For a moment, Macy thought that Luca would refuse. He stood like he had been planted in the earth, watching Cathy with a calm and level gaze. Somehow, she knew in her heart that no matter what the threat was, he would protect AJ from it just like that, with an unshakable resolve and a willingness to do whatever it took to make sure his people were safe. He gave Cathy a long look up and down, careful and wary.
Then he nodded, carrying AJ into the trailer with Macy trailing along behind.
In the second bedroom, there was already a baby sleeping in a portable crib, and AJ roused long enough for Luca to get him into his pajamas before collapsing back into slumber on one of the narrow twin beds.
“There, and he’ll sleep snug ‘til dawn or past if I know my business,” said Cathy when they were back on the steps. “And that means that you two can do what you need to get done.”
The words were completely innocent, but there was an archness to her tone that made Macy blush. She started to say something about being grateful for Luca’s help at City Hall, but Luca spoke up.
“Rikki and Cass have told me a lot about you over the years, Miss Cathy,” he said, his voice quiet. “They told me that you see pretty far. At least, you see pretty far for a wolf.”
She barked a sharp laugh at that, and it seemed to Macy that her teeth got a little sharper, her eyes a little brighter.
“That’s some nice words from the kitty cat,” she retorted. “What’ve you got to say, boy? Spit it out.”
“Do you think I’m going to do all right?”
She guffawed at that, slapping Luca on the shoulder. For some reason, she gave Macy an amused glance.
“You’ve got a fighting chance at doing spectacular. Now get out of here. I’ve got some baking I want to do while it’s cool.”
