Page 17

She chewed on her cheek before she shrugged. “I don’t really know the people here. So, I don’t have many people to talk to besides Sam.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you have a lot of clients from Jay’s pack?”

She nodded. “Yes, but not that many. And none of them are here. I only really know Sam here, and everyone knows her. I feel like I’m interrupting when they talk with her.”

I looked over the crowd to find Sam with Jay. They looked like a happy couple as they sat at a table talking with someone else. Sam leaned on Jay’s shoulder, and Jay wrapped his arms around her.

And an idea sparked.

“Do you see that man?” I pointed towards the table with the number twelve on it. “Blond guy with dark brown eyes. He’s wearing a black suit with a grey tie.”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, what about him?”

“He’s a friend of Jay and me. He’s super sweet….also shit his pants in seventh grade.”

Katie’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. “And I imagine he loves it when you bring that up.”

“He’s married to the gal sitting to the right of him. They had a daughter. She’s three. Sweetest little thing.”

I pointed towards another table. “The lady in the light blue dress runs a bakery just a few blocks from downtown. This is also the lady who burned soup in high school cooking class. Still have no idea how she became a baker.”

Katie offered me a soft smile. “You're just making that up.”

I laughed. “I’m not. I’ll call her over to prove it.” I waved my hand, and Katie quickly grabbed it, pulling it back down. “Don’t you dare,” she whispered.

I watched her eyes sparkle a little and smirked.

I pointed at another table. “Drew, the tall guy. Black hair and a stunning face. He’s a fireman. He is utterly scared of butterflies. No idea why. Julia, next to him, she can’t swim.”

She chewed on her lip. “You know they probably don’t want me to know that stuff.”

I shrugged. “All this you would learn anyway once you get settled here. I’m just telling you now.”

She blushed. “You know your people really well, it would seem.”

“I want to be someone that people can lean on.” I had always strived to have that image. I worked hard to be that person. I knew everyone had a way of running their pack, but I believed people should be treated fairly. I wanted the people in my pack to know I was fair and just like them.

I continued to point people out, giving Katie a secret about each of them. Katie soon started to chuckle, and it was the most amazing sound. My body wanted to pull her close and hold her there.

Had I been denying her this entire time when it was so clear she was my mate? Had I been ignoring something that was so natural?

The party started to die down, and everyone started to thank us for everything. The guys stood in the doorway and I walked over toward them. “Well, you have a good night,” Aaron chirped as he elbowed me in the side. “Don’t stay up too late.”

I glared at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“What? You're married now, so maybe you’ll actually get some action.”

Jones laughed, and I glared at him. “You don’t need to worry about me getting action, dipstick.”

Katie started to walk over with Sam, and I walked away from the guys towards them. “Your wife is ready for you,” Sam said, giving me a side hug. I held her tightly for a moment before letting her go.

“You guys have a good night,” Sam said, giving Katie a tight hug.

I turned to Katie, who looked tired. “You ready to head home?”

Katie nodded, but the calmness she had moments ago was gone, and she looked uncomfortable once more.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Sam said to Katie, giving her another hug before she walked over towards Jay. Sam had a skip in her steps as she walked away.