“Roland is our family butler. I’ve known him since before I could walk.” Sawyer smiled warmly at the man.
“Hi.” I waved shyly. “I left my butler at home.”
Roland’s calm façade broke as he chuckled and my gaze went to Sawyer, unsure if my joke was well received. He was grinning ear to ear, chin butt and dimple on full display.
Whew.
“Demi has a healthy sense of humor,” Sawyer told his butler with a wink.
Roland nodded. “You’ve never brought a girl home with one of those. It’s a nice change.”
Oh snap.
Sawyer chortled and then someone pulled his arm and we were moving into the crowd and away from Roland. It was his mother, pulling us through the throng of people with a bright smile on her face. Well, pulling Sawyer and Sawyer pulling me. Leaning into my ear, Sawyer whispered, “Did my butler just totally burn me?”
I grinned. “Yep. Looks like you have horrible taste in women. Until me of course.”
He smirked. “Of course.”
After we were pulled into an opening, I noticed a stage set up at the back of the boat. To the right of it was a live piano player, and in the center was a giant white cake with blue piping around the edges.
Mrs. Hudson was wearing a floor-length black ballgown, and now that we had the space to face each other she gave her son a big hug. I dropped his hand, feeling awkward about holding hands in front of his mom, and he wrapped his arms around her.
“Good evening, Mother.”
When she pulled back, her gaze went to me and I prepared for the scowl or a salacious scan of my dress, but to my surprise she pulled me in for a hug next.
“Oh.” I was caught off guard, my arms coming up behind her back and she squeezed me.
When she pulled back, she was beaming. “Your father will be so delighted to see you both.”
Sawyer slipped his hand back into mine and my stomach did flip flops.
Okay…
Maybe it wasn’t a big deal, him bringing me to his dad’s birthday party … but it felt like a big deal to me. Meeting his parents like this, holding hands in front of all the big mucky mucks of Werewolf City … it was … a lot.
But it felt so right. Sawyer had a way of making me feel like I belonged here, with him. I found myself wondering if he acted this way with all the girls, but somehow I didn’t think so.
The next thing I knew, Curt Hudson was standing before me. His size and stature gave Eugene a run for his money. Dressed in a sleek black suit, he was the spitting image of his son, just with a few gray hairs at his temple, and a thick dark beard.
I’d sort of met him in the hallway when the vampires first attacked but not really, not like this.
“Demi, it’s so lovely to officially meet the woman my son won’t shut up about,” the alpha said, and Sawyer coughed loudly, shaking his head at his father.
I grinned, but when the alpha extended his hand to me, I froze.
Did I shake it? Kiss it? Curtsy?
Fuck, those etiquette classes were boring. I nodded off in them half the time. Deciding to go for a shake, I took his hand in mine and gave him a good hard squeeze.
“It’s nice to formally meet you, sir. Happy Birthday.”
He smiled, appraising me as we shook hands. A low buzz worked its way between our palms until it became a deep vibration and I yanked my hand back, giving my palm a curious look. He did the same, eyebrows drawn together.
“The man. The myth. The legend. The alpha!” a deep voice yelled over the PA system. Everyone started to clap and cheer as a spotlight shone on Sawyer’s dad. The thunderous applause reached a crescendo and then a loud horn cut into the night as the boat left the dock. I swayed a little and Sawyer reached out to catch me by the waist. The clapping died down as his father took the stage to hug whoever the announcer guy was, and the piano started up again.
“Dance with me?” Sawyer asked, his hands still on my hips, blue eyes boring into my soul.
