Charley steps beside her husband.
“And family.”
Daria's lip trembles.
“I...”
She looks at me.
Then back at them.
“I've never really had a big family.”
“You do now,” Charley says simply.
Daria throws her arms around the Alpha fem.
The women hug tightly.
I look away for a second.
Not because I'm embarrassed.Because my own eyes are burning.
Rafe notices.There’s little the Alpha misses.
“Told you.”
I clear my throat.
“Shut up.”
He laughs.
An hour later, we're back at the farmhouse.The late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the property.
Daria stands in the field behind the house, staring at the weathered old barn.
“It needs a lot of work.”
“It does.”
“The roof leaks.”
“I noticed.”
“The foundation probably needs reinforcing.”
“I can fix that.”
She looks at me.
“You can?”
“Honey.”
I smile.
“I'm a mechanic.I weld.I fabricate.I build.”
