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“Why would I want to kick your ass?” Lana said from outside.
The door opened, and Marley and Lana came inside. “Lana, what the hell are you talking about?” she asked.
“She heard me telling Travis not to get drunk because I’m afraid of his girlfriend,” I said.
“As you should be,” Lana said.
Marley shrugged as she set the bags of food down on the dining table. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be at the business end of her rage.”
“I have such smart friends,” Lana said pridefully. “How many beers in are you?”
“Just the one,” I said. “A little something to take the edge off. He just, uh, was drinking it a little more enthusiastically than I was expecting.”
Lana walked over to Travis and wrapped her arms around his middle, stepping onto her toes to give him a kiss. “You sure you still want to do this?” she asked him as he let his hand drift to the small of her back.
He smiled and nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Just nervous. Not getting cold feet.”
Lana smiled up at him and kissed his cheek again before glaring at me. “You’re lucky it took us a while to get here with all the traffic downtown. When I smelled Marley, I was about to skin you alive.”
I shrugged. “I’m sorry. The next time I feel like making a decision that’s between me and my partner, I’ll be sure to run it by you,” I said caustically.
“Good,” Lana said.
“Marmalade, what is she talking about?” Jack asked.
“Nothing important,” Marley said, trying to sound casual about it.
“Oh, fuck off. I know when you’re lying,” Jack said.
“Could we just not right now, please?” Marley griped. “I’ve got enough going on today without having to worry about this conversation. We can talk about it later.”
“You might as well get it out of the way,” I said. “Every shifter coming over is going to smell it on you.”
“Then we’ll address it all at once,” Marley grumbled. “If I realized it was going to be such a big deal...actually, no, that’s not true. But I’d rather get all the embarrassment out of the way at once, thank you very much.”
Jack sent a sour look my way, and I gave yet another shrug. “What the lady says goes,” I said.
Evening was approaching, and one by one, our friends arrived at our condo for the much-awaited pack meeting. The excitement in the air was palpable, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation as each familiar face appeared at the door.
First to arrive was Houston, wearing his trademark confident smile and a nice but rumpled gray suit. “Hey, man, how’s it going?” he asked, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “Nice to see you for something other than a psychotic ex and a tortured artist.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said.
“Where’s your mate?” Houston asked.
“I’m making our takeout look like I cooked it!” she called from the kitchen.
“See? That’s a woman who knows how to do it,” Houston said, poking my chest.
“You bet,” I replied. “Thanks again for coming, man.”
As Houston settled in, Rosie walked in next, her arms filled with a tray of cupcakes, which I was admittedly surprised to see from the owner of a shifter gym. “I couldn’t come empty-handed,” she said. “And I have really been craving cupcakes, so...”
“You won’t hear me complaining,” I said, taking the tray before she risked dropping it. I hugged her with my free arm. “Though, I think you can eat a cupcake whenever you want.”
“I totally can, but I sleep better when other people are eating them with me,” she said with a sheepish grin.
“We don’t want you to lose any sleep over cupcakes,” I said. Make yourself comfortable. We’re waiting for just a couple more folks.”
