“Madison, this is my mother, Yuzuki, my father, Gustav, and her mates, Mitchell and Robert.” Growing up, my mother had never been overly affectionate, nor had my father, but that had been changing since the arrival of grandchildren, so I was only a little shocked when they both hugged Madison. Mitchell and Robert had no reservations hugging her, too, though they let her move in their direction to initiate it instead of diving in.
The rest of my pack, as well as my sister’s packs and their plethora of children, found us and I introduced them all, too. For a moment, I wished I had thought ahead to bring name tags the way Jude’s sister had done. Sometimes I forgot how many of them there were until they were all in one spot.
To think I had dreaded this moment. My family was so happy to be included, to be here to celebrate what we had accomplished and the life we were building. I listened to the conversations with half an ear. Madison’s hand was an anchor I needed and took ready advantage of. Nathan slipped his hand into my other one. I squeezed it gratefully. When he and I first met, I never would have guessed he’d be so good at comforting. Honestly, I was convinced he had some sort of superpower that let him read people and see what they needed.
“I’m borrowing Alve for a minute,” Nathan announced, pulling me from the crowd and to the far side of the lobby where he poured me a paper cup of water from the cooler. “Drink. You’ve been running around all day. Have you had anything to eat?”
“I had breakfast…”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “That was eight hours ago. Wait here.” He wandered off to the refreshment tables outside, returning with lemonade and a plate of tacos.
I consumed both under his watch. Leo’s parents catered the event, and it was obvious where his skill in the kitchen had come from. His mother, Aleida, and his father, Berto, were both gentle souls, and if I had anything to say about it, they’d cater every event until they retired.
Nathan’s easy smile only returned when I had polished off the last bits. “Mama Aleida told me to make sure you ate every bite. Mission accomplished.”
I laughed at that. “I fear you’ve found an ally in her when it comes to pack care.”
“Oh, she’s absolutely going to be my new bestie. She’s teaching me how to make tamales next week.”
“I look forward to sampling them. Thank you for the plate.”
“You’re welcome. You looked overwhelmed, so I thought you could use a few minutes of peace, or at least as peaceful as a grand opening gets.”
“You were correct.” I offered a smile, melting instantly when he wrapped his arms around me. The others were steady in the bond, but Nathan wasn’t there with us quite yet. I knew Madison wanted him, but when we were at the mercy of heat flares, his joining us was dependent on biology, not emotional desire. “We’re lucky to have you.”
“No argument here.” Nathan laughed. “When were you planning on telling me about your sneaky deal?”
I tensed. He meant the deal I had struck for his architectural firm to handle our next construction. “It wasn’t intentionally sneaky. I was testing the waters, to see about a potential future and partnership. They were so excited to start and had nothing but wonderful things to say about you. I assumed I could trust them since you worked there and you had never said anything bad about it.”
“They’re good folks. Are you collecting all of us to work together?” Nathan kissed my cheek. “Because that’s cute as fuck. I’m not sure how you’ll wrangle Leo into the mix with the horses, but I imagine you’ll figure it out at some point.”
“He’s next on the list,” I confirmed with a smile.
“You’re obligated to celebrate,” Nathan told me, moving directly into my line of sight so I was forced to make eye contact. “Your brain is already diving into the next project, isn’t it?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but closed it again without saying anything.
“I thought so. You accomplished something huge, and even if you only celebrate today, I need you to be proud of it.” He cupped my cheeks, squishing them. “Say it.”
Desire and embarrassment twisted through me. “I’m proud of my work.”
“Good.”
He kissed me soundly, until I forgot where I was, breathless and dazed when he pulled away with a cheeky smile.
“Someday soon when you’re not run off your feet, I want you to fuck me into next week.”
My whole pack peeked around the corner as the bolt of lust that shot through me hit the bond.
Nathan laughed, waving to them. “I hope you know I’m going to be insufferable when I get in there with everyone.”
“You won’t be.” It may have been something we worried about in the beginning, but I understood him better now. “You’ll be exactly what we need.”
“Ican’t get over how little they are.” I held Emilia, Charlotte’s only daughter, while she nursed baby DJ in her rocking chair. Marcelo was sound asleep in the bassinet next to her, milk-drunk and chubby cheeked. Emilia probably couldn’t see much of anything, but I tried to angle her so she could look out the window at the horses running around outside.
“I know,” Charlotte said gently, stroking DJ’s fuzzy hair. “They’re so much smaller than my older boys were. I guess they have to be, with three of them in there.”
“Do you think our kids will be best friends?”
