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Kylie’s laughter taunts me as I awkwardly fumble through the motions. Benson is apparently just as terrible as I am. But Bill—the reason we’re even having to dance like this—looks like he was born to be Lord of the Dance.
Penny swoons as she watches him, her hands over her heart as she stares dreamily at her husband dancing on top of a picnic table.
Everyone out at this unholy hour is dancing like it’s just a part of life, and most of them are actually good at it.
Fuckers.
When the song cuts off, I flip Kylie off over my shoulder as she continues to laugh at me and mock my terrible dancing. My arm drops around her shoulders when she steps into my side, still fucking laughing.
George looks like he’s on cloud nine, and he winks at Greta Wilder as she casts him a secretive smile.
They’re really not terribly discreet.
“What’s going on?” I ask as Kylie guides me toward the town hall.
“Custody battle gets settled today,” she says as though it should be obvious.
“Custody battle?” I ask, confused.
“Yes. Two custody battles, actually.”
“Sure,” I say with a shrug, trying not to humorlessly laugh at how my Saturday is starting off. “Sounds like fun.”
She pats my chest, and I pull her closer.
“You owe me body heat. I need to warm up,” I tell her as I lean down to her ear, nipping her earlobe.
She shudders a little, but presses closer.
“I’m all yours as soon as Vick gives us sole custody,” she says, kissing my jaw.
I’m so distracted by her lips that I don’t really hear her until someone is breaking us up and pushing us inside the hall.
“Wait. What?” I ask, but George is shoving me toward a seat, and Kylie takes a seat right in my lap, distracting me again.
My lips immediately go to her neck, and I’m thankful her father and cousins don’t have an issue with me touching her all the time. Or her touching me.
It’s not until a loud banging disrupts us that I look up, seeing the town hall is full, and Vick is the one making the banging noise as he slams a gavel down over and over.
“Let’s hurry this along. You know how I feel about all of you in one place,” he says loudly, then points a threatening gavel toward George. “And you broke the rules. Don’t think that went unnoticed. I know about your unsanctioned party three weeks ago that had all the Wild Ones in attendance.”
I don’t even remember the party.
Like at all.
I remember Kai Wilder getting there early, and saying, drink this, before handing me a mason jar with clear liquid. It was lights out for me after that, and I woke up floating in front of my house with Kylie on top of me.
She hit the mason jar too.
George holds his hands up innocently. “My daughter has only ever fallen in love once. Seemed sanctioned enough to me to have a party,” he says, not really using the word correctly.
Vick rolls his eyes.
“That’s all?” Chester Perkins demands from the back as he leaps to his feet. “That’s all you’re going to say to him about the one cardinal rule this town has?!”
“Chester, sit down,” Vick says on a groan. “We can’t delay. We need to move on to the two custody disputes at hand that involve Liam Harper.”
I sit up straighter, casting a questioning glance toward the Malones, who say nothing.
“First of all, his family’s lawyer has been sniffing around town. At George’s request, the town has been held in silence, but someone slipped and said Liam was here,” Vick goes on, casting a pointed look toward Chester.
“My family’s lawyer?” I hiss.
Kylie nods absently and pats my arm.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because we have it under control,” George tells me absently.
“I just said I heard some city boy lives here. I wasn’t going to lie. Goes against my religion,” Chester says haughtily.
Vick rolls his eyes. “Anyway, we’re here to hear what Liam has to say on the matter concerning his family. Are you considering going back to the Harpers and your city life, or do you intend on letting the Wild Ones handle it?”
His eyes train on me expectantly, and a small grin curves my lips.
“The Wild Ones are welcome to handle it,” I say evenly.
Vick nods like he completely expected that answer. “Now onto the more complicated custody dispute. Hale Vincent, you have the floor.”
Hale stands up across the room, clears his throat dramatically as he unfolds a speech he seems to have prepared, and “scratches” his eyebrow with his middle finger that is turned toward the Malones and me.
“We took in Liam Harper, and he started out on our side of the lake,” Hale says, confusing me. “We groomed him, prepped him, helped him ease into his transition. We even fought alongside him when the Malones came to attack him en masse. Bottom line, he’s a Vincent.”
