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Allie was a bit quieter than I’d have liked through dinner, but just like I had hoped, by the time the games were brought out, she was bright and steady again.
Nicky mopped the floor with all of us at Scrabble, clinching the final score by somehow making four words out of eye and hitting a triple word score. She raised her arms victoriously. “It’s so nice playing with someone who’s actually a challenge.”
Allie laughed. “I think you might have an unfair advantage being a librarian. Words are your entire life.”
“You’re not wrong.” Nicky sipped her Italian soda. “Another round?”
“Can we play something I might have a chance of winning?” Luca asked.
“What’s your game of choice, Luca?” Allie asked.
“Trivia?”
“We missed yesterday’s episode of Jeopardy,” said Mr. Marino, “but we recorded it. We could use that?”
“Sounds perfect,” Allie agreed.
It was a continued relief to me that my family liked her and that she liked them in return. The four of them acted like she had been here all along, or maybe it was more like they anticipated her being here forever. Either way, it settled a piece in my soul that she fit so well with the people I loved best.
We paired into teams for Jeopardy, but this time we drew our partners out of a hat, which paired me with Mom, Nicky with Dad, and Allie with Luca. We never used money, and instead simply created a point system based off of the value of the question without all the extra zeros.
I rarely won at game night, so I supposed it was a good thing that I got just as much satisfaction out of seeing my mate and family being happy with their own wins. Mom won even less often, but I was never entirely sure if that was a leftover from letting us win as children, or if she was really just that bad at games.
Watching Allie and Luca collaborate was a treat. I didn’t even care about trying to win because their high-fives and Allie’s shrieks of delight when they claimed points was more than enough entertainment. The two of them beat Dad and Nicky by one point.
“Team Allie and Luca!” My mate and brother double high-fived, both of their faces lit up by thousand-watt smiles. “High-fives all around,” Allie insisted. “You were all very worthy opponents.”
She was too cute. I was the last to get my high-fives and used the opportunity to pull her onto my lap, where she collapsed into laughter.
“I know it wasn’t entirely on purpose,” said Nicky, “but I’m really glad to have you in the family.”
“Seconded!” Luca raised his glass with a grin. “Best sister-in-law ever.”
I could see the gleam in Mom’s eyes, see her desire to ask about a wedding, but I shook my head, and though she pouted, she didn’t say anything about it. There was no rush. We could plan that event anytime, but I wanted to know with absolute surety that Allie was ready for that step. Even so, it hadn’t stopped me from buying a ring and hiding it away after we’d confessed our love to one another.
That red stone was going to look delicious on her finger, with her hand around my throat, and those red-soled shoes pressed against my chest.
Allie’s eyes gleamed as my cock stirred beneath her, and I walked through a mental list of every unsexy thing I could think of so that it would be calm before any of my family noticed. Allie chattered away, showing off pictures of all of the puppies going home with their new parents.
“I feel like I would cry like a baby,” said Nicky. “I raised Spud from the time he was a little potato, and I couldn’t imagine giving him to anyone else to live with.”
“To be fair, that’s because you thought of Spud as yours from the moment you saw him,” I explained. “It’s a bit different when you know you’re raising them to live somewhere else in a matter of weeks.”
“I guess you’re right,” replied Nicky. “Still, I applaud the dedication. I would keep every single baby that came my way.”
“I definitely thought about it,” Allie said with a laugh.
By the time we were ready to head home, I felt considerably lighter, and Allie looked like some of the weight of loss had fallen from her shoulders as well. It lasted until we got home and were met with complete silence.
“Can we sleep at my apartment tonight?”
“Absolutely.” I had a good amount of supplies over there already, but I packed a fresh change of clothes for work, grabbed a couple things out of the fridge for breakfast, and we made the short trip over.
She snuggled down in her nest and beckoned me over, purring contentedly when I wrapped around her. “I love you.” Allie burrowed her face against me.
“I love you too, kitten.”
“I think I’m going to take tomorrow off.”
