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“I do,” Ren told her.
“Well, you coughed on me, so you don’t get one,” she teased.
“Speaking of desserts,” Raya piped up, “I’m so having pie after this. Maybe blueberry. Or lemon meringue. Maybe both.”
Right then, a figure appeared at the table. “Ah, Quinley, such cute little boys,” said Valentina. “These are your nephews, yes?”
“They are,” Quinley confirmed, smiling. “I tried introducing them to you at the party in the Tavern weeks ago, but they frequently disappeared to the arcade area.”
“What are your names?” the wolverine asked them.
Ren pointed at his brother and said, “He’s Corey.”
“That’s Ren,” Corey told her, tipping his head at his twin.
“I am Valentina. How old are you?”
“Eight,” they replied at once.
“And you are black-foots?”
“Uh-huh,” they again answered in unison.
Valentina’s mouth twitched. “You make me think of my Mila and Alex when they were younger. They are twins, too. They would finish each other’s sentences and would swear they knew what other was thinking. They always seemed to know when one was hatching plan to kill other.”
Corey giggled. “We like you.”
“And so you should.” Valentina pointed at Quinley. “Do not eat too much or you will be too full for hamburger eat-off tomorrow.”
Quinley smiled, putting a hand to her stomach. “Oh, a black-foot can never eat too much.”
Valentina barked a light laugh and disappeared.
Raya looked at Quinley. “You’re competing in a hamburger eat-off? With who?”
“Valentina’s son, Alex. Like her, he’s a wolverine.”
“Which means there is a chance he’ll win,” said Isaiah. Every head at the table swung his way and treated him with a pitying look. He lifted his shoulders. “What?”
They only sighed.
Isaiah went back to his meal, his hackles lowering now that Adaline had calmed down. He got that she was concerned for her sister, and he understood why she’d be so upset on hearing what had happened—she wasn’t the only one. But he didn’t like her taking any of that out on Quinley.
His cat, equally annoyed by it, would have swiped a paw at Adaline if Isaiah had allowed him to shift and warn her off. Though she’d now eased back, the feline still watched her closely.
Thankfully, though, the rest of the meal went smoothly. Everyone enjoyed their food, and his mate’s family suggested they eat at the diner again soon. Afterward, they walked back to the cul-de-sac, where both sisters had parked their cars.
Quinley wasn’t content to merely wave goodbye to her nephews, she grabbed them both, pulled them into a huge hug, and peppered their faces with kisses. He liked watching her with her nephews. She was so good with them, and he could all too easily imagine her with their own children.
After waving off her family, he and Quinley went inside the house. They spent a couple of hours lounging around, watching TV. And, in her case, snacking.
It was just as their movie finished that his cell rang. “It’s Tate,” he said as he looked at the screen of his phone.
“He probably wants to discuss enforcer stuff,” Quinley predicted, pushing off the sofa. “I’ll let my cat out for a run while you two talk.”
Isaiah frowned at her back. “Don’t let her go far,” he said even as he pressed the “answer” button on his phone.
“I won’t,” Quinley promised, heading for the rear patio doors. “She’ll stick to the backyard.”
