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I stared at him. “I know he is. One of the best.”
Dante nodded. “I just thought I’d remind you of that.”
“Okay…?”What. The. Fuck?
My dining table wasn’t big enough for all of us, so I set out tray tables in the living room and put on some music. The stew smelled delicious, and everyone took a big helping. I might have put on a shit-eating grin when Liam grabbed a tray table and sat next to me on the sofa. He leaned closer to me and said, “This is really great. I wasn’t expecting it.”
I nudged him with my shoulder. “You’re part of the team. Everyone here likes you.”
A blush tinged his cheeks, and he smiled shyly. “It’s nice because I was worried I wouldn’t fit in with all you big, strong warrior types.”
“But you’re soft and squishy,” Gabe said as he sat on the other side of Liam. “We like that about you. It reminds us what we fight for.”
“Hey!” Liam objected, shoving Gabe playfully. “I amnotsoft and squishy. I go to the gym three times a week and have self-defense training with this one”—he pointed at me—“twice a week.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Gabe asked with a leer.
It was official. I was going to kill him. Liam’s face paled. “What…?”
Gabe had the grace to look embarrassed. “It’s nothing, Liam. I was just kidding around.” He squeezed Liam’s shoulder and quickly got up before I could murder him with my eyes. Liam turned to look at me, his eyes wide and expression anxious. “I didn’t say anything,” he whispered. “I swear.”
“I know,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.” I got up and started collecting dishes. “Everybody bring your dishes into the kitchen. It’s time for cake.”
“And presents!” Dante shouted.
Liam stood to help, but I shooed him away. “You’re the birthday boy. No work for you tonight.”
Andrea came to Liam and put her arm around his shoulders. “Don’t mind the soft and squishy comment,” she said. “Think of it like playing D&D.”
His brows rose all the way to his hairline. “Youplay D&D?”
“Sure do,” she replied. “Me and Dante play every week. Sometimes Pete joins us. Think of it like this: we are all fighters, and you’re like a mage. Powerful in your own way, but not a lot of hit points.”
Liam threw back his head and laughed. “Okay, I get it.” He hugged. “Thanks, Andrea.”
“All right, let’s get to these dishes so we can open presents!” Pete shouted.
As we walked into the kitchen, Andrea leaned close to me and said quietly, “Please be nice to him, Sarge.”
Once again.What. The. Fuck?
Pretty soon, all the dishes were in the dishwasher and the presents were set on an end table. I grabbed the envelope I had for Liam from on top of the refrigerator after handing the cake to Andrea. We all decided Liam deserved to have all twenty-nine candles lit for his birthday, which led to Pete jokingly bringing my fire extinguisher in from the kitchen when Andrea carefully set the conflagration on the coffee table.
“Ha-ha,” Liam groused. “You’re just jealous because you’re all older than me.”
“All right, youngster,” Gabe teased. “Let’s see how good your blowing skills are.”
Liam raised a brow and smirked. “I’ve been told my blowing skills are exceptional.”
There were a bunch of “oooohhhs” and catcalls from the group, and Liam’s cheeks went pink. I just wanted to grab him and take him to my bedroom so he could use those exceptional skills on my cock. We all sang “Happy Birthday,” mostly off-key, and then Liam blew out all twenty-nine candles in one breath.
“Damn,” Dante commented. “I’m impressed. Didn’t you have pneumonia last year?”
Liam nodded. “I did. After I got back from Lebanon. Now I do breathing exercises every day to keep my lungs strong and healthy.”
“Present time,” Pete sing-songed.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re worse than my nephew. And he’s three.”
