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"Dear god," I breathed out, blushing furiously. "So, what are we going to do today?"
"Nice subject change," Jackson snorted. They all laughed as I flipped him my middle finger. Things were easy with them already, playful; they didn't take offense to my snarky attitude and I appreciated that. I would hate to be in a pack where I walked on eggshells, afraid that everything I said or did would be held against me.
"We were just talking about it," Isaac admitted. "It's hard to narrow things down when it's a group of nine. We'd take up half a restaurant in this town."
"Well, we could drive to the city," Sawyer pointed out. "More space and more to do."
"Lockwood too small for you?" I joked.
"Yes," he deadpanned. "Just wait until we take you on the boat. Your mind will be blown."
"Can't wait," I said. "Some sun and ocean sounds nice."
Everyone threw out new suggestions but nothing was sticking.
"My dad keeps harping at me about having you all over for a family barbecue."
Silas shuddered. "I don't know if I'm ready to meet your dad again."
"I don't really blame you after the last time, but he's nothing like the man you met. That was ‘protective Papa Bear.’ Now that he knows why you came and that we're mates he'll be different. Plus, if I approve of you, he will."
"I can respect somebody who protects their own," Isaac said, Amos nodding in agreement.
"Oh, there's a fair a few towns over. I saw advertisements for it at the inn," Oaks said. "If you're down for a crowd, that is. We'll blend in easily there. We can play some games, eat some horrible food, maybe ride a couple rides. Plus, they have live music tonight."
"That does sound like fun," I said. "I haven't been to one of those since I was a kid."
"Then it's agreed," Isaac said without hesitation, standing up and pulling out his keys. "We'll have to take two cars or invest in a mini bus."
"Oh god, no," I laughed, imagining us showing up everywhere in a yellow bus.
As I looked around the room seeing them talking out plans and joking around with each other, all I could feel was relief. They all talked easily, there were no sparks of jealousy even after Isaac kissed me. The only teasing had been playful. This was exactly what I wanted.
My chest warmed and I felt myself smiling like a lunatic.
Serenity
We made it to the fair by four and it was already bustling with people. The scent of sweets and fried foods filled the air and the sound of chatter and laughter surrounded us.
There was an energy to the place and I felt it building my excitement. I wasn't the only one. Oaks was right next to me practically bouncing on his toes. I loved that he faced everything with open excitement. He grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into the crowd, the rest of the guys trailing behind us.
"Oh my god, how perfect is that? We have to win it," Oaks said, pointing over to one of the games. It had a bunch of plushies hanging over the worker's head, the biggest one a giant sun plush.
"Oh, a challenge," Amos said, rubbing his hands together. "You game, alpha?"
Isaac grinned at him, giving Amos a fist bump. "Hell yea, I'm in. Let's do this. Our sunshine needs a prize."
"Let's go watch the show," Oaks whispered, pulling me with him to the side of the game booth. The queue was small so we waited until it went down before the two alphas stepped up, pulling out bills and handing them over to the worker.
“What gets us that?” Isaac asked, pointing out the prize he had his eye on now.
The worker chuckled. “A perfect game. Three balls, you have to knock down all of the pins. He pointed at the intricate stackwork he had done.
“Done,” Amos said, as determined as Isaac.
“Who’s first?” Isaac pointed to the other alpha. Amos grabbed one of the balls and took a step back, aiming before knocking it right in the middle, taking care of the few around it and the top layer, leaving over half of the pins.
The second throw took another chunk, as did the third, several remaining on the bottom.
