Page 29 of Love Bites (Timber Creek #2)

CHAPTER 29

SUMMER

“May I have this dance?” Dad dipped into a half bow, extending a hand to me, and I smiled as he swept me into his arms and out into the middle of the barn. He pointed to the band. “Hit it, boys.”

The band started up My Girl , and tears pricked my eyes. I smiled, memories flooding me of dancing to it with my dad as a little girl, and seeing him dance with my mom to it too. Dad led me through an utterly ridiculous dance as we sang along to every word, belting it out and laughing the whole time.

Wrapping up the dance, Dad pulled me into a giant hug, murmuring, “So proud of you, sweetie. Your mom would be too.”

My lip trembled, but my eyes smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

He led me back over to Max as the band picked up the next song, inviting everyone else onto the dance floor. I squeezed his hand again before he meandered off. Turning to Max, I wiped at my eyes.

I gave a breathy chuckle, regaining my composure. “He’s such a goof. Mom used to say he could charm the feathers off an angel.”

Max wrapped an arm around my waist. “He loves you all so much.”

I nodded. “He does.” Then I started, something just occurring to me. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry your dad couldn’t be here. Once we get this all figured out, we could have another —”

“It’s fine,” Max cut in, shaking his head.

“Really, we’d be doing my dad a favor if we said he could have a second party. He’d probably be thrilled for another shot at Maca-Eiffel-ron Tower. It’d be no trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it. Malachi and I aren’t” — Max tipped his head back on a pause, searching for the words — “we’re not like your family. Close, I guess.”

“He’s still your dad.”

“Not in that way. Not like yours.” I laid a hand on his chest, his heart beating irregularly as a wave of sadness washed over me. “He was always more of a tutor than a father. Training me for my future. Not so much planning my birthday party.” Max paused, swallowing heavily. “Anyway, this isn’t even real. So.” He shrugged.

The tightness at the corner of his eyes. The tension in his neck. I tilted my head, and noted a slight change in his scent too — he wasn’t outright lying, but there was definitely more than what he was saying.

Another wave of guests approached to greet us, and I let it drop. For now.

The night wore on, some of the guests beginning to trickle out, saying their goodbyes and wishing us all the best. Those left — mainly the pack, but some other locals as well — proceeded to get increasingly rowdy, cranking the music up and the drinks as well.

My Aunt Hattie made her way over, a sleeping River draped on her shoulder.

“I think we’re out,” she said, smiling at me and nodding to Max. Her tan cowboy hat had a burgundy ribbon tied around it to match her embroidered dress. Paired with her cowboy boots, she looked every bit the Texan boho queen I remembered.

“Waffles,” River muttered in her sleep, her little hand opening and closing. The mini cow trotted up obediently, and I scooped up her pink reins, draping them through River’s hand.

“Are you staying around town for a bit?” I asked. We never got to see Hattie enough. She was a Larkin, through and through, but she’d taken off the minute she turned 18, wanting to see more of the world than this little mountain town allowed. Before my mom passed away, I thought that was the life I wanted too. I still did, to some extent, but knowing everyone I loved was right here in this barn was its own sort of dream.

“Few days, you know how it is. Heading up to a rodeo in Wyoming after this, but I need to see your shop first.” She nudged me with her shoulder affectionately. “Heath was telling me all about the work you’ve done there. We’ll catch up tomorrow, all right?”

I squeezed her shoulder. “I can’t wait.”

She headed off to the cabin to get River to a bed for the night, Waffles trotting behind them.

On the dance floor, Cooper, Terran, and West’s Shields Nova, Atlas, and Zion looked like bumper cars trying to do the Macarena, the simple dance nearly devolving into a fistfight before they yelled at the DJ to change the music. With this many Alpha wolves in one room, I was surprised there hadn’t been any tussles yet. Shields were the highest ranked shifters in our pack after Terran as West’s Second, and they were usually all business. It was fun to see them let loose like this.

Chuckling at their idiocy, I turned to Max. “I’m going to track down some more of that cake.”

He nodded, and the music switched to something low key as I made my way around the edge of the room, eyes peeled for cake. Why was it always so hard to actually eat the cake at a wedding reception?

“Over here!” Indi shout-whispered, waving me over to a corner table where she appeared to be hoarding a small stash of cake plates.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I told her honestly, swiping up the nearest penis-slice.

“Nearly had to gouge eyes out to save these from your pack,” she admitted, tucking into a slice herself. “As it was, I had to threaten to set fire to the steaks.”

“Wow,” I said around a mouthful. “Well, I thank you for your service?—”

“ Ohmygoddess ,” Indi gasped, her hand flying to my arm. I almost choked on my cake. “Don’t look now but your sister is dancing with Cruz.”

I spun immediately, ignoring the smack Indi gave me.

There, in the corner of the room, swaying to the beat, Cruz did indeed have Aspen in his arms. His hands rested on her waist, hers above his shoulders. There was plenty of space between them, but the grin on his face was painted in adoration for all to see. She rolled her eyes at whatever he said, but didn’t let go, still swaying to the beat.

My jaw dropped. I swung wide eyes on Indi. We stared at them, then each other, shocked.

“You’re seeing what I’m seeing, right?” I whispered.

Indi hummed. “I’m almost afraid to breathe and break whatever crazy spell is happening here.”

“I always love an opposites-attract romance. He’d be so good for her. Way better than that human robot, Matthew.”

“Not our call to make though,” Indi sighed. “Aspen has to make those choices herself.”

“You’re no fun.”

Indi laughed, elbowing me in the side as the music switched to an upbeat dance number, and our shock ratcheted even higher. Because they kept dancing — somehow, Cruz convinced Aspen to stay for a happy, fast dance.

“But anyway, this is your day.” Indi slid us each a second slice of cake. “And correct me if I’m wrong, but you two lovebirds look anything but fake. Care to share? You know you want to. Trussst in me .” She locked her black irises on me, widening her eyes comically like Kaa from the Jungle Book , and tapped her fingers on my arm, sending little jolts of her demon magic into me. She’d never really use her magic to coerce me to do anything, to share more than I was comfortable with, but a little teasing, a little toying — always fair game.

“We’re really great actors, huh?”

“Summer Rose Larkin-Russo. Or whatever you’re doing with your name. You cut the shit and be real right now.”

I swirled my fork through the frosting on my plate, trying to sort out my own emotions. “Honestly? It’s been a little confusing. We spent a week in Paris, seeing the sights and having — I cannot stress this enough — the best sex of my life.”

“We’re gonna come back to that — I have so many questions — but carry on.”

I grinned, but my chest ached with loss at the mention of those feelings. “You already know we said this was just temporary, just for the job, and then we’d go our separate ways. But we found a ton of vamps, and we’re still doing this, and it feels like we’re” — I shoved another bite in my mouth — “something? Friends? Allies? I don’t even know at this point.”

“Looks like more than that to me,” Indi muttered around a bite of cake, and I chewed on my lip. Tonight had felt real, the small touches, the hand-holding. It was so easy to believe this was my actual wedding reception, and I had a lifetime of happiness at Max’s side to look forward to. “Do you want it to be? I mean, it’s obvious you like him. He likes you. Max and Summer, sitting in a tree… ”

“How much wine have you had?”

“Almost none. Or three glasses, but it wasn’t demon wine so…”

I snorted. “Practically the same thing.”

“You’re deflecting.”

“That’s correct.” I licked the rest of the frosting off my fork and set it down. “I don’t know. How would we work, if he even wanted it too? I’m here, he’s… wherever.”

“But you like him.”

That part I wasn’t confused about.

I peered across the room, where he stood by the wall, sipping slowly at the glass in his hand as he observed the chaos that was my family, my pack. Max was used to being on his own, being able to come and go as he pleased and do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Why would he give that up for me and my overbearing pack who would no doubt insist on sticking their noses in our business every minute of the day?

Even now, after one evening here, he looked overwhelmed and overstimulated. He’d braved it all like a champ, meeting hundreds of people tonight and taking the pack posturing in stride, but he was definitely not a pack animal.

I was sure right now he’d much rather be up on my apartment roof, in solitude, than listening to my dad and his friend Lance, who seemed to be explaining in great detail the finer points of bison husbandry.

Still. I couldn’t lie to Indi.

“Yeah. I like him.”