Page 32 of Fennick’s Fortune (Sentinels of Apollo #2)

Tonight, Fennick insisted we were getting out of the house.

The difference was that we weren’t headed over to one of his friends’ places.

Instead, we were going to town and meeting up at a bar they liked to go to.

He explained that it was the best drinking and dancing spot in town, and that shifters particularly liked it.

The reason was the owner and his family.

That’s when he told me I’d meet a bear family.

It seemed the Bhaer family, talk about a coincidence, owned the place.

I wondered if their ancestors had chosen that surname intentionally.

Surely, they had to. The chances that someone with that last name accidentally ended up as a bear shifter seemed too unlikely.

I was excited and somewhat nervous about meeting them.

And anyone else who might be there that Fennick and the Sentinels considered friends.

I wanted to make a positive impression. The past couple of days had been a little tense.

Since the night he returned with Nico from checking into what I told them, Fen’s mind seemed to be elsewhere.

It didn’t mean that we didn’t talk or have sex.

We did. But he would drift off into his thoughts. Before that, he hadn’t.

I told myself the mystery of who it might’ve been was preying on his mind. However, what if I was wrong? What if he regretted his hasty declaration that he wanted me as his mate? Did he want to rescind it, but didn’t know how? The thought made my stomach hurt.

I dressed with care and even applied makeup.

I’d bought some at Cerys’s insistence when we went shopping.

I chose one of the outfits I’d bought that day.

Since it was a bar, I kept it to jeans, a pair of cute ankle boots with a two-inch heel, and a red blouse.

The blouse, like the jeans, clung to my body.

I refused to wear clothes that were too big for me.

And the red reflected the Christmas season.

It was five days until Christmas. Everyone had made plans to go to Brax and Cerys’ place for the big day, and we’d have a holiday celebration together.

Asa’s group would join us. We all, including Cerys, Twyla, Leah, Thea, Camilla, Juliette, and I, would prepare it so the work didn’t fall to Cerys and her grandmother.

The recipes were divided, and we’d make most of them ahead of time and bring them with us.

The turkey and ham would be cooked there on the day of the event.

I hadn’t had a real Christmas celebration with family since I lost Ernie and Peaches.

Thinking about them made me sad, but I knew they would be happy to see me in my situation.

I did feel better when I came out to put on a jacket and grab the small purse I was taking. Fennick whistled and then walked in a circle, taking all of me in. When he got back in front of me, I had to ask.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think you look delectable, and we’re staying home. If I take you out, those fucking Bhaers will steal you for sure. What the hell was I thinking when I said yes to tonight?” he muttered.

“You were thinking of letting me experience more of Needles and its inhabitants. If I'm going to stay, I should get familiar with them.”

Fen crowded close, and his arms came around me to trap me to him. “Babe, there’s no if about it in my book. I want you to stay, and I hope you see that. Needles isn’t a bad place to live. We can have friends and a life together.”

His words eased the fear eating at me. “Well then, Mr. Mason, show me this bar you like so much. And I promise, if anyone gets ideas about stealing me away, I’ll fight them myself.”

He laughed. “I’d pay to see you facing down Cooper and his family. That would be worth the money to see their reactions.”

Minutes later, as we got in the truck, I asked, “Tell me what they’re like—Cooper and his family.”

“They’re good men. Cooper and Colter are brothers.

Calvin and Chance are cousins to them, though not brothers to each other.

Their fathers were brothers. They don’t say much about their parents.

We know that they all died many years ago.

We’re not sure what happened, but whatever it was, it wasn’t pleasant, is the impression we got. ”

“I hate that. Do they have other family—mates, kids, distant relatives, or is it just them?”

“None who live here or have been seen. Coop is the oldest. As bears, you can imagine they’re not small men and are burly. They charm the ladies easily, so stick close. They seem not to have trouble finding bed partners.”

“The same no doubt is said about you and the other Sentinels,” I remarked, lifting an eyebrow.

“That might be so, but that was before you came along and stole my heart. I have eyes only for you. The same way Brax only sees Cerys,” Fennick countered.

“I like that answer,” I told him, smiling. “Anything else I should know about them or anyone else we’re likely to meet?”

“I have no idea who might be there. There’s a chance a few of the women Cerys works with, who are her friends, might be there. They’re a crazy bunch, so you’ll like them. Oh, the Bhaers, not that it makes a difference, but so that you know, they’re Grizzlies.”

“Really! Wow, I haven’t met a grizzly before. Isn’t it wild that even though there are supposedly numerous shifters living in the world, we can go without meeting all the different kinds?”

“It’s sad in a way,” he agreed.

The drive wasn’t long, and when we pulled into the parking lot of Pour Decision, a great name for a bar, we found it was pretty packed.

It was nine o’clock on a Friday night, and people were out to relax after a long week.

The sound of music was coming from inside.

Fen came around the Jeep and opened my door, then had me hold onto his arm as we made our way inside.

When we entered the bar, the sound was louder.

A chorus of noisy, excited voices came from all around us.

Scanning the room, we spotted our friends at a table against the far wall.

I watched Brax lower his head and lean into Cerys.

Her head came up, and she looked around until she spotted us.

Her smile was infectious as she sent it our way and waved. I waved and smiled back.

We weaved through the tables and people standing in the way until we reached them.

Empty chairs were waiting for us. Fen removed my jacket and hung it on the back of my chair before pulling it out for me to sit.

Only after I was seated did he take his.

As everyone exchanged greetings, I rolled my eyes at Nico. His greeting was unique.

“Akiva, how’ve the wings been?”

Without missing a beat, I replied, “Not as bad as my craving for necks to bite.”

He burst out laughing, as did the others. When they were done, he explained what he meant to them. I rolled my eyes and warned him he’d get in trouble one day.

It wasn’t long before a waitress came around to take our drink orders. It wasn’t hard to decide, and then she hurried away. The music was coming from a band rather than a machine. They were good.

“Do they have bands every night?” I asked.

“No, just on Fridays and Saturdays unless it’s a special occasion. On Thursdays, they have karaoke,” Cerys explained. The guys groaned when she said the word karaoke.

“What’s with the groans, fellas?” I asked.

They shook their heads while Cerys giggled. She was the one to tell me why.

“They’re a bunch of babies, Akiva. I asked them to come to karaoke with me one time.

They complained but agreed. My friends, Angie and Norah, were here.

They asked the guys to get up there and sing with us.

They refused until Norah challenged their manhood if they didn’t.

That got them up there, but they haven’t let me forget it since.

They refuse to come near here on a Thursday. ”

“I’ve never done karaoke. Is it hard?” I asked her.

“God, there it is. She’ll have you here with that nutty bunch of friends. You’re in trouble now, Akiva,” Gunnar said with a sympathetic look.

His remark got Cerys to make funny threats to him, which were so outlandish that we all laughed, even her.

By the time we finished discussing that intriguing topic, our drinks arrived.

I wasn’t planning to drink a lot of alcohol.

There was no real reason to do it, unless I wanted the gentle buzz it gave me, regardless of how much I drank.

Sometimes that was fun, but not necessary tonight.

I’d enjoy a few and then stick to water or soda.

I’d ordered a Paloma. It was one I’d discovered at the suggestion of a bartender years ago.

The drink was a combination of grapefruit soda, tequila, and a squeeze of lime.

The balance of sweetness, tartness, and a hint of bitterness was refreshing. I loved it in the summer.

No one had had it before. Fen sipped it and was surprised that he liked it.

The guys were drinking beer or rum and Coke.

Cerys, being a good girl, had a virgin margarita.

The conversation flowed. We laughed, and the music throbbed in the background.

I wasn’t aware I was tapping my foot to the beat until Fen mentioned it.

“Babe, you want to dance, don’t you?” he asked.

“Oh, no, I’m fine,” I automatically said.

“Don’t lie. We know Cerys is about to break and go up there. Have fun. Just come back occasionally, and when they play slow songs, I want to have you in my arms,” Fen insisted.

I leaned over and placed a kiss on his mouth. I made it brief, or we’d get caught up in it. “You’re right. I do want to dance. And I’ll hold you to the slow ones. Cerys, are you ready?” I asked.