“How is everyone?” I asked.
Lucas shoved his disheveled hair back. “Cringily weepy.” A heavy dose of sympathy edged his words. He walked over to the eight-person dining table and slumped in front of the giant pasta bowl Liam had just set down. “How kind of you to have made me a snack, Liam. What will the two of you be eatin’?” He managed to stab a forkful of pasta before Liam dragged the bowl away from him.
“I’ll put another pot on, but ladies first, Lucas.”
“It’s okay. I can wait.” I stood up, then leaned over to pick up Storm.
Lucas gobbled down his mouthful. “Was just kidding, although I could probably eat a whole packet. Been a taxing day.”
I settled Storm in the high chair, then sat next to him. As Liam went to put another pot on, I portioned out bowls with the first batch of pasta. “Are you even fighting with your girlfriend or was that a cover story so no one would suspect your extended presence in Beaver Creek?”
“Sadly, t’was all true.” He slouched in his chair, making the rungs creak.
Although I wasn’t glad they were fighting, I was glad he hadn’t lied. “Did Ness give her the letter?”
“Yup.”
“And?”
“And she emailed me back askin’ if I’d started consuming deer droppings.” He grinned.
“Crap. Sorry.”
“Are you kidding, Knickknack? It’s the first time she’s responded. Thanks to you, my dick’s one step closer to redemption.”
Liam let out a snort.
“So, how wasyournight?” Lucas pointed between me and Liam, eyebrows waggling.
A blush crept over my jaw but didn’t chase away my smile. Focusing on cutting up a penne into tiny pieces for Storm, I deadpanned, “Had better.”
Lucas laughed. “Ooh, snap.”
Liam reclined in his chair. “WithGrant?”
Even though sex with Grant had never been bad, Liam certainly knew his way around the female anatomy.
Storm slapped his plastic tray, demanding more pasta. Even though my parents had most probably fed him a three-course lunch, I pandered to his appetite. It was almost four after all.
Liam played with the tines of his fork, making it seesaw. “I guess we’ll just have to schedule a redo then.”
My heart fired off a beat. To avoid sounding eager, I said, “That’s against the rules of one-night stands.”
“Good thing I can amend pack rules.”
“One-night stands are a human thing.”
“I’m declaringpackone-night stands will now last a minimum of two nights to qualify.”
Lucas was alternatively chuckling and shoveling down his food. “Lunchanda show.”
“I’m concussed.” I wasn’t playing hard to get, merely making sure I wasn’t too easily gotten. No wolf wanted his prey to lay back and demand to be eaten.
Although . . .
Dirty mind, there’s a baby next to youandLiam’s best friend.
“Once you’reunconcussed.”
