Remi gave me a big hug—he learned to hug from his dads, who were absolutely the huggiest people I’d ever met—and Bel gave me a quick one. I knew he hadn’t grown up with a lot of love in his life, so I wasn’t surprised. Hell, that was exactly how I hugged people unless they came in for a giant hug like Remi or my dad always did.
“It’s good to see you guys,” Remi said, his voice deep with a tiny growl underneath from his wolf side.
“You too,” I said with a grin. “You guys are staying for dinner, right?”
“We weren’t going to, but Tan and Garrick insisted.” Bel sent me a small smile. “We were actually just dropping off some extra gear from the office for you guys to take on your trip, but…” He trailed off with a shrug.
“Gotcha. Well, I’m glad you’re staying.”
“Are you sure?” Remi asked. “We can leave if you want it to be just your dad and Tan.”
I waved him off. “No, stay. Please.”
He gave a nod, so I sent him a smile and walked farther into the condo so I could find my dad and stepdad. They were both in the kitchen, cooking together, and I watched from the doorway for a few minutes, amused to see Tan bossing my dad around. Sometimes, Dad forgot to let things go and just be himself and not the king for a while. Getting him out of that headspace was a talent of Tan’s.
“Hey, guys.”
They both stopped and turned, offering me smiles. “Glad you could make it.” Tan gave me a nod. “You guys can sit down in the living room or at the table for now, if you want? We’ll be finished in about five minutes.”
“Awesome. Just wanted to say hi.” I went to turn around, but my dad’s voice stopped me.
“I’m really glad you’re here.”
I sent him a smile, knocked my knuckles against the kitchen island a couple of times, and headed back to the others.
As soon as I walked into the living room, Roman smiled at me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and pulled me into his side. He responded to Remi, but I wasn’t paying attention to his words, too surprised by the easy affection. I’d expected him to be more standoffish in front of family, but I was definitely happy to stand pressed against his side.
“How are your music lessons going, Bel?” I asked when there was a lull in the conversation.
Bel beamed. “They’re really great. I’ve had so many calls lately that I’ve had to turn people away. I feel really bad—”
“But you can’t work every waking minute,” Remi said, shaking his head at Bel, then looking at us. “He’s the worst workaholic I’ve ever met.”
Bel nudged him. “I am not.”
“Uh-huh.” Remi mock-whispered, “He totally is.”
Bel squawked and punched Remi’s shoulder lightly, making the wolf shifter laugh, and I chuckled at the pair.
They goofed off for a few seconds, and Roman leaned in, kissing my temple. I savored the touch, soaking it up like a sponge.
Not only did it feel good in that warm, comfy, affectionate way, all his touching was also making me a little squirmy. The last thing I needed was another inconvenient boner around family. Ew, around my dad.Blech.
But I wasn’t about to tell Rome to stop. I liked it too much.
“Dinner’s ready!” Tan called out. “Come sit at the table.”
We walked into the dining room, and Roman pulled out a chair for me.
“Oh, what a gentleman.”
He snorted and kissed the top of my head before sitting beside me.
Dad came out, carrying a big platter of chicken fettuccine alfredo. He set it in the center of the table, then randomly rubbed the top of my head affectionately as he walked past me to go back into the kitchen.
“Hey! Not cool, Dad.”
He chuckled, and I was so relieved to hear the sound of his laughter, to hear him happy, that my heart warmed. I’d truly missed this. Missed him. So damn much.
