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“I don't want them to keep up appearances. I want them to mean it.”
I smiled. “With the news that we have, they're going to have to mean it, right?”
She gave me a lopsided smile, tears forming in her eyes that never fell. I held her face, giving her all the emotional wellness I could summon.
No longer would I be the alpha who didn't physically touch his pack members. I was more than capable of giving hugs and handshakes, of touching shoulders and heads. None of that was a weakness. In fact, it was a strength greater than anything else in the universe. It was what bonded us.
It was a bond that would continue for a lifetime.
I would make sure of it.
***
Dad looked totally normal while standing in a pair of khaki shorts and a muscle shirt with a jagged-lettered band name on it in front of the grill. As he had earlier this morning, he was using the spatula to point and gesticulate. He laughed boisterously with his head thrown back and wrapped his arm around my mother many times. They looked so natural together that it made me wonder what life had been like before I was born, what life was like while they were on the road.
I wrapped my arm around Faye’s shoulders when I saw her shiver. The beige shawl she wore didn't seem to do much to comfort her. I nuzzled into her ear. “Do you need a blanket?”
She shook her head. “My parents aren't saying much. But my brother is doing plenty of talking.”
I looked up and saw Cliff bouncing between the groups. He went to the grill. Then, to his parents, then approached us. And so, he continued in an interesting triangle that he created, bouncing like a butterfly between branches. When Cliff approached us a third time, I captured his shoulder, transferring a sense of calm and peace to him. “It's okay. You don't have to fix everything. You're not the glue that holds us all together.”
He stared at me for a couple of seconds, unblinking. Then he sniffed and gave me a stiff nod. He pulled me into a hug. “I didn't know I needed to hear that.”
I felt something else in his heart, something that was heavy and depressing. I wanted to reach into his chest and healit right then and there. I stepped back, keeping one hand on his shoulder and then pressing one to his sternum. I felt his breath. I felt his heartbeat. I felt everything inside of him. It was a new experience that was overwhelming as much as it was interesting.
I peered directly into his eyes. “You’re missing something.”
His brows furrowed as he frowned. “I'm sorry, Alpha. I don't know what you're talking about.”
He drifted off before I could say anything else and joined my parents at the grill.
Faye caught my arm. “What was that all about?”
I shrugged. “I'm not sure. I just felt something weird inside of him.”
“Well, if it's my brother, then he's probably just upset that he can't fix everything.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, maybe it was just that.”
Faye's parents observed us quietly for a short time and then wandered over to us in a posh way, like they were attending a lush garden party.
Sara was the first to take my hand. “This is a lovely barbecue. Everything is wonderful.”
I smiled. “You don't have to act so polite, Sara. You can say what's on your mind.”
Faye grabbed my elbow. “Maybe that's not such a good idea.”
I chuckled. “Why not? We're all family here. Aren't we? Or at least we're going to become family.”
I took Faye’s left hand and showed off the ring that I had bought for her. Simon’s eyes brightened, and Sara gasped.
“This changes everything,” she said.
Faye snatched her hand back from me and held it to her chest. “Yes, well, it's nice and all and we expect that you will be at the ceremony.”
Sara took her daughter's hand. “Of course, we'll be there. We wouldn't miss it for the world.”
Faye bowed her head. “Are you sure you mean that? It seems like you've just put up with me since I got here.”
