Maia smiled at him as she took a frozen peach cobbler out of the freezer. “And that is why you’ll win her over. You see her, not the image she puts out for everybody that indicates they’re interested in her.”
“I hope I don’t have to kill anybody because they’re too interested.”
Riley and Maia both laughed.
“Sounds like me, chasing you down,” Riley said to Maia.
Chapter 11
About eleven o’clock, the Pride started arriving. The first was Lazarus, and his family.
Riley and Remi were busy checking their masterpieces and deciding if it was time to pull them off the grill when the back door flung open and Lazarus stepped out onto the back porch. “I, am here!” he announced, as he struck a pose with a beer in one hand and his fist resting on his hip as he looked off into the sky.
Riley and Remi both looked up at him and laughed.
“Now the fun begins,” Riley said.
“That’s what I’m saying,” Lazarus said. He stepped down off the porch and walked over to the massive barbecue grill. He fist bumped Riley, then held out his hand for Remi to take hold of.
Remi took hold of his hand, then Laz pulled him and bumped shoulders with him.
“How you doing, my friend?” Laz asked.
“I’m good,” Remi said.
“Oh, so you two know each other?” Riley asked.
“Oh, yeah. We buddies,” Lazarus said. “Me and Roman met him at Havoc’s wedding, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right,” Riley said.
Lazarus glanced back at the door when it opened again and his mate was standing there. “Come out and say hi to Remi, baby,” he called out.
A tall blonde stepped off the porch and walked over to Laz.
“Remi, you remember Alex, don’t you?”
“I do, and I’m glad to see you again. It’s always easier in a new place when you see some familiar faces.”
“It is good to see you again,” Alex said.
“I thought you were waiting for us,” Lucas called out from the back door, as he shouldered the door open and turned sideways to get his big frame through it with the four six packs of the apple flavored soda Remi loved.
“I knew you knew where it was and the Mrs. and the child were anxious to get here,” Lazarus said.
“I have the opposite problem. Kind of. My Mrs. is here, the girls are late, as usual. I left them at home getting ready. They’ll get here when they get here.” Lucas said, then made a beeline for the set of ice chests Riley kept for when everyone came over so people could grab their drinks from there rather than opening Maia’s fridge non-stop all day. “I got you four six packs of that apple crap you and Roman like.”
“Thank you, Lucas,” Remi said, walking over to accept one of them as Lucas held it out to him.
“You’re welcome. Laz said he would, but I was going by the store, so I just grabbed them.”
“Does it matter who grabs them, as long as they’re grabbed?” Lazarus asked.
“I got four because I figured Roman is going to help you drink them,” Lucas said.
“I’m going to do what?” Roman asked as he joined them in the backyard.
“Help Remi drink that apple crap,” Lucas said.
