“It can be.” I take a bite of turkey, which is actually good. “But it’s satisfying work. Bringing people to justice who thought they could escape consequences.”
“Have you ever been shot?” a man in his fifties asks, genuinely curious.
“Twice. Vest caught both rounds.”
“Terrifying,” Hannah murmurs, and her hand finds my thigh under the table.
“What’s the scariest situation you’ve been in?” Sasha again, persistent.
I think for a moment. “Probably the time we tracked someone to an abandoned warehouse. Intel said he was alone. He wasn’t. Had three friends with him, all armed. Turned into a standoff that lasted four hours before backup arrived.”
“How did you stay calm?” another woman asks.
“Training. And trusting my partners. Kane and Chris had my back the entire time.”
“Those Hannah’s other lovers?” an older woman asks. “The ones you mentioned earlier?”
Hannah clears her throat.
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve been working together for years. They’re family.”
Hannah squeezes my hand under the table, and I squeeze back.
“So how long have you and Hannah been together?” Sasha isn’t giving up, eyes sharp enough to cut glass.
I glance at Hannah, letting her take the lead. “A few months,” she says smoothly. “But it feels longer. Like we’ve known each other forever.”
“That’s the scent-match bond,” I add. “When you meet your mate, time doesn’t really matter. You just know.”
“How romantic,” Martha says in the exact tone someone would use to describe mold.
Before I can respond, Lily’s voice fills my ear. “Translation: she thinks you’re lying. She always thinks people are lying. It’s her spiritual gift.”
I hide a smirk with my glass.
“Where did you grow up, Noel?” Rachel tries again.
“Here in the mountains.”
“What do you do for fun?” another aunt asks.
Before I can think, Lily chirps in my ear, “Say hiking. And chopping wood shirtless. They’ll eat that up.”
I blink. “I… hike. And work outdoors a lot.”
Lily adds, “Trust me, they think chopping wood is a form of character development.”
“What did Hannah tell you about our family before tonight?” Martha asks, folding her hands like she’s about to conduct an interrogation.
Lily is already cackling in my ear. “Oh, I’ve got this. Say: she told me you’re all very… enthusiastic hosts. And very opinionated. Especially about other people’s lives.”
I repeat it carefully. “She told me you’re enthusiastic hosts. And… very opinionated.”
Hannah’s eyes go wide. Her father coughs into his hand to hide a laugh.
“Opinionated,” Rachel huffs. “We’re involved.”
“Same thing,”Lily mutters.
