After that, things got messy. Demarien focused on his own alphahole, moving quickly to kick the man in the back of the knee when he tried to grab Milo.
The man turned around, crying out in pain, and Demarien kneed him in the balls.
Puck quickly dispatched another of the alphas with a couple of punches while Felix jumped onto the last one’s back when he grabbed Puck. Felix screamed loudly and pulled the man’s hair.
“For the love of beer, again?” Phil hurried over to their corner. The bar owner was a large, muscled alpha with steel grey hair. “What have I told you all about fighting with alphas?”
Felix looked up from where he was chewing on one of the alpha’s ears. “You said if anyone bothers us, we should come get you so that you can kick their asses out of here.”
“Exactly.” Phil sighed. “Dahlia would be laughing her ass off at you boys.”
Milo glared at the alpha lying on the floor in front of him. “They touched us first. Aunt Dahlia taught us to take care of ourselves.”
Phil’s round face softened. “That she did. Finish your drinks, boys. I’ll take out the garbage.”
Demarienaccidentallystepped on the man he’d taken down before finding his seat. Phil’s husband, Ben, came over and helped Phil carry the alphas outside.
“With alphas like that, we’re never having babies,” Puck said, pulling Felix into a hug. “You did well, kid.”
“I’m older than you,” Felix said, snuggling into Puck’s side. “You’re lucky I like hugs.”
Milo gave the door a furious look. “Who the hell needs an alpha anyway? We each have savings set aside, right?”
Demarien nodded along with the others. He had been saving up for his own restaurant for years.Now, I might actually get my dream, he thought, smiling.
Milo leaned forward. “What if we all got pregnant? We could get artificially inseminated and help one another raise the babies.”
Puck’s brows rose. “Whoa, what now? Is this the grief talking, Milo?”
Milo shook his head. “I’m tired of tolerating life. Aunt Dahlia and you all are the only good things I have. I want us happy, and I’m tired of waiting.”
Demarien bit his lip. “Dahlia always said we should grab life by the balls.”
Felix's eyes widened in excitement. “Demarien could teach our kids to cook, and Puck could teach them how not to kill plants.”
“You could teach our kids how to change a tire and all that other mechanical stuff,” Milo said, grinning.
Felix gave him a look. “You really need to learn some of thatmechanical stuffyourself.”
Demarien could see it. Four kids, just like them, growing up together as the best of friends. An intense ache settled in his gut.“Guys, I want this. I didn’t know I wanted it, but I do. I want our kids to grow up together. I want Milo to boss them around and make them eat healthy. I want to sneak them treats. I want Puck to take them on adventures in the woods. I want Felix to be their confidant.” He looked around the table, his own longing echoed in his friends’ faces. “Let’s do this. We could even use the same alpha donor, so our babies will be blood.”
Milo let out a slow breath and raised his almost empty glass. “Okay. Let’s get pregnant and open an inn together.”
Demarien and the others clicked their glasses to Milo’s. “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 2
October
Boone Harding took a deep breath as he stepped out into the bustling streets of Myrtlewood Bay. This was what he missed most while he was overseas.You don’t get refreshing breezes in the desert, he thought. No, instead of stinging sand and gunpowder, the breeze blowing down the lanes brought the salty scent of the sea, tinged with smoked meats and spruce trees.
It had been a long while since he had felt so at peace. What could be better than the Oregon coast?
“Boone, you still there? You’ve seriously gotta help me, man. Send a damn rescue squad to Florida if you have to.”
Boone jumped, almost dropping his phone as his best friend’s voice blasted through the speaker. Of course, the daydream had to come to an end at some point.You don’t simply ignore Patrick McGowan.
“What happened now?” Boone pulled the door shut behind him, fishing for his keys. “You didn’t get another call about a poor, little squirrel stuck on top of a telephone pole, did you? Or wait, was it about the duck who wasn’t quacking again?”
