Page 14 of A Farmer’s Guide To Gamers

“Oh, god.” I laughed and tried to play off my heated cheeks.

“You know Mom needed to know the details, so I got out of dinner prep,” Sabrina said nonchalantly. “Dad, where is everyone else?”

“Your brothers are outside with Dean talking to him and his pack. Alex is upstairs protesting the smell of burgers on the grill until everything is ready and she will come down to join us then.”

“The damn drama from that beta,” Sabrina sassed as she looped her arm through mine. “Let’s go say hi to Dean and whoever is putting up with his grumpy ass then squirrel away for some solo time.”

“Let me go to the bathroom then I’ll join you,” I told her as I pulled my arm out of her hold. The boba tea had started to hit me the moment I had stood up when we got out of the car.

“I’ll go harass, I mean greet, my big brother while I wait for you.”

“Sabrina, don’t go and scare his packmates,” Jade warned her, waving a wooden spoon at her daughter from where she was standing at the stove. “They seem like nice boys.”

“Boys?” she sassed, an eyebrow arched before a wicked grin filled her face. “Oh, this is going to be fun!”

“No, don’t you dare— Too late.”

“Better to let them experience Sabrina at her fullest now, my love,” Pops Steven came up and wrapped his arms around Jade. “Better to have them know who to watch out for when trouble stirs up.”

I left them to their normal bantering and used the restroom and freshened up a bit before coming back out to find that Sabrina had decided to wait for me.

“We talked her into waiting for you to chaperone her introduction to the pack,” Jade joked with me, though given the stern look she gave her daughter it was only half a joke.

“Sounds good. I’ll try my best,” I said. It was an attempt to sound nonchalant but my bestie just rolled her eyes and dragged me towards the patio where everyone was waiting.

“Wait, girls, can you run to the garage and grab the paper plates from the pantry shelves? Everyone voted to eat outside and we all know what happened to my plates last time.” She grumbled under her breath as we fought back laughter and did as she asked.

The dads were having beers that time and during an impression, Pop fell into the table, sending half the plates flying under his weight and the table skidding away. We laughed hard enough we were crying, even Jade.

But she also made them replace the entire set the next day and vowed never to let them use real plates outside again.

I swear, the ridiculous fights this family got into were hilarious. They were always playful and never too deep. Something I adored about them.

Which was exactly why our moms and brothers were friends.

We snagged the plates and brought them in.

“Thanks, girls,” Jade said, waving us out the door. “Now, go mingle. I don’t share my kitchen.”

“Just the dishes,” Sabrina sassed, then yelped as a green bean flew at her head. She snagged it and tossed it in the trash, throwing her mom a glare, before tugging me out of the line of fire and out into the spring evening air.

“Dean!” Sabrina shrieked before launching herself at her older brother. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight. I couldn’t help but melt a bit at their relationship.

Then those dark brown eyes I’d never forget met mine and suddenly my brain went offline.

This alpha aged like fine wine and I was absolutely in trouble.

“Tillie,” his deep voice rumbled as he put his sister down on the ground. “How have you been?”

I swear to god, slick instantly wetted my inner thighs at his voice alone but that wasn’t what got my tongue twisted in knots.

No.

It was that he was here.

Behind Dean talking to a couple of guys I had never seen before was Jack. My one night stand from last night that had to cancel plans to see me again because of a pack obligation.

I looked between Dean and him a few times, trying to get my brain to process what exactly was going on.