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“Used to date one.” He’d been a handful.
“She has the most fascinating dating history,” Aspen commented.
It would be fair to say that Quinley had thrown herself into dating, searching for a partner, a mate, an escape. She hadn’t found one until now.
Bree nudged Isaiah. “You’d better take your place over by the doors. People will start entering soon.”
He planted a warm hand low on Quinley’s back and guided her to a spot near the doors. Man, he smelled good. His scent was dark and woodsy and carried a hint of amber. Her cat rather liked it.
“Here we go,” he murmured as the first few people entered.
Over the next hour, Quinley was on the receiving end of handshakes, chin-tips, nods, cheek-kisses, and welcoming comments.
When a particular couple approached, Isaiah smiled warmly. “Quinley, these are my parents, Andaya and Koen.”
“We’re so glad to meet you,” Andaya told her, beaming. “If you need anything—anything at all—just give me a call. I left my number on the fridge, as well as our address should you feel like company.”
Isaiah frowned. “She’s a black-foot.”
“Not all are asocial. She might be different.” Andaya lifted a brow at her. “Are you?”
“No,” Quinley admitted.
Koen chuckled. “As my mate said, we’re here for whatever you might need. Isaiah works a lot. And it could be that, what with you being away from those you love, you do find yourself wanting someone to talk to. Should that happen, call my mate or pay us a visit. You’ll always be welcome.”
Touched, Quinley said, “Thank you so much.”
“We’ll talk more later,” Andaya told her. “Welcome to the pride, and congratulations on the mating.” With that, the couple melted away.
Quinley leaned slightly into Isaiah, once more letting her senses bathe in his scent. “They’re really sweet. I was worried that maybe they’d be upset that you chose an arranged mating.”
Seeming pleased that she liked his parents, he said, “Their own mating was arranged.”
Quinley felt her brows hike up. “Oh. That explains it.”
“Are your own parents coming?”
Oh shit, she’d forgot to mention… “They, uh, died a long time ago. But my sisters, their mates, and my nephews are coming.” She could tell he wanted to prod for more information, but the door again opened as yet more pride members arrived.
A short time later, her family finally showed. Quinley introduced them to him. All greeted Isaiah warmly, their gazes somewhat studious.
“Thank you for coming,” he said to them.
“We wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Lori told him. The curvy, olive-skinned female had proclaimed to Raya when they were just five, “We’re mates, you know.” Raya’s response had been: “Well, duh.” They’d been inseparable ever since. “You did good picking Quinley—she’s a winner.”
“And less trouble than her sisters,” Will chipped in, his lips quirking when the two females in question cast him a glare.
Corey grabbed his brother’s arm. “Ooh, an arcade!” The boys were the spitting image of their father, right down to the gray-blue eyes and red hair. “Can me and Ren head over there, Dad?”
“Your brother might not actually want to,” said Will.
“He does, though,” Corey insisted. “We want to play air hockey, then basketball.”
Adaline tapped his shoulder gently. “Didn’t we talk about how you should each let the other speak for himself?”
“We did, yes,” Ren answered for his brother, making Adaline sigh.
“We’re gonna need lots of quarters,” Corey declared.
