Colonel snorted. “This isn’t my son. Tobias would never have joined a biker club. He would have gone into the army like Crispin—” He nodded at the man beside him. “—and Trent. Instead, he’s chosen to break the law and ride around with a bunch of leather bunnies.”
“Leather bunnies?” I laughed before I could stop myself and all gazes flew to me. “You’re thinking about the cut sluts. They’re the leather chasers, if you know what I mean.”
Thor groaned and nudged me with his elbow, but I didn’t miss the brief, amused smile that flitted across his face.
“And you are?” Colonel asked, his irritated stare running up and down my body.
“Loki, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Colonel Sir!” I saluted him and stamped my feet like I imagined army men would.
Crispin, the brother beside Colonel, cleared his throat, and a smile similar to Thor’s made its way onto his mouth. Jeanie chuckled, too, but Colonel didn’t seem entertained. His mouth twisted and he stepped closer to me, but to my surprise, Thor got between us, and they sized each other up.
“You can talk to me however you want, Colonel, but Loki is mine. I’m not going to let you try to intimidate him,” Thor said roughly.
I snorted. “Intimidate me? Right. We’ve had some of the biggest crime bosses in Pleasant Beach and not to mention our home. An army colonel sure as hell isn’t going to scare me.” Touching Thor’s arm, I tried to push him out of the way, but he wouldn’t budge. Whatever was happening between him and his father had nothing to do with me.
Colonel pressed his lips together and grunted. “Tell me when he goes, Jeanie.” He gave Thor a glare before he turned and stormed out of the kitchen. Footsteps echoed up the stairs and then he was gone.
Jeanie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Dear Lord, help me. These men.”
Crispin stepped forward and whacked Thor on the shoulder. He smiled, lines crinkling around his eyes. “It’s good to see you again, Toby.” Slapping Thor on the upper arm, he got a good grip on his deltoid. “You lift? You’re fucking ripped, bro.”
Thor laughed and relief settled into me when he relaxed. “Yeah, I head to the gym about five days a week.”
“Nice. If you want to go to Power Up with me, give me a call. I go there every morning to use the weights. Could use a spotter.”
They started discussing what they lifted, and the atmosphere shifted to a happier one. Jeanie grabbed my arm and led me over to the kitchen table again, and I went. The boys followed and took seats, continuing to try to one up each other with the various points of their gym regimen, before moving on to discussions about the army, where Crispin once worked. Apparently he’d recently quit and moved home to be a mechanic. I divided my time between Jeanie, Thor, and Crispin, and the entire thing felt very homey. Like a real family.
By the time Thor decided to leave, it was almost lunchtime and I was starving.
Thor hesitated when Jeanie led us to the front door. “Tell the Colonel it was good to see him again.”
Jeanie’s smile was sad when she nodded and hugged him. “He loves you, Toby.”
He made a noise like he didn’t quite believe it.
“Listen to me.” She cradled his face between her small hands. “It was your father who hired the private investigator after you left. He was… sick to the stomach with the thought of what happened to you. He was so scared you would do something silly, so he took our savings and hired that PI and spent thousands of dollars to find you.”
Thor blanched and his shoulders sagged. “I should have called you when I settled in.”
She shook her head roughly. “No. You were angry at us, and you had every right to be. We weren’t the parents you deserved.” Her gaze slid to me and her kind smile beamed in my direction. “But you found your home now with people you obviously care a lot about. That’s all we could have ever hoped for.”
When she came to hug me, I accepted it with a surprise, and she held on so tightly I thought she was suffocating me. After she was done, she kissed me on the cheek before doing the same to Thor. We said our goodbyes and headed to our bikes.
Thor paused at the Harley, laying his hands on the black padded seat and leaning forward, as though trying to catch his breath.
I moved closer, placing my hand on his shoulder. “Want to talk about it?”
“No,” he said, his voice shaky as he straightened again and turned to me. He grabbed my face and slammed his mouth against mine, uncaring that we were still standing in front of his childhood home. I arched into him, wrapping my arms around his neck and sighing into his kiss. His scent tickled my nose and the warmth of his body pressed into mine. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I gave him a mischievous grin. “Charming your mom? I liked her.”
“No. For everything.” He brushed his knuckles over my cheek. “You’re amazing, Loki. There’s so many different parts of you, and I like every single one of them.”
“Yeah?” My heart rattled against my ribs and my lungs squeezed at his words.
“Yeah.” He cupped my face and dragged me a little closer again. “When we go home, I want to tell Odin.”
My eyes widened. “But you were worried about what he’d think.”
