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"Pick your poison, Summer," he requested with an adorable grin still in place. He managed to melt through my defenses faster than anyone I'd ever met, especially with that little extra lilt to his voice that came out sometimes. Man, I was in trouble here.
"Purple," I said, watching as he tossed the blue aside and unscrewed the lid on mine before handing it over.
"Drink up, m'lady," he said as he gave a formal bow that had a giggle escaping me. Apparently, Miles had a goofy side I hadn't seen yet. It was just the thing to lighten the mood, the other guys shaking their heads at him in exasperation.
"Miles, you're a dork," Bash said fondly. Their friendship was perfect. The opposites attract rule definitely applying. Miles was shy and quiet to Bash's loud and exuberant personality. Bash liked bright colors, and Miles' wardrobe was more neutral and casual.
"Dork!" Theo cheered excitedly before getting distracted by the plate Miller slid in front of him. Of course the alpha turned to me, giving me a pointed look that said 'he's fed, now eat'.
This time I didn't have to be told again, I picked up my burger and took a big bite. It was the perfect amount of spice and fresh veggies on top, and I was in heaven. My hum of appreciation had Dean grinning.
"See, I know my way around a grill," he said, offering a wink before flipping the last of the burgers. Everyone else joined the table as he pulled the last of them off the grill, placing them on the table. The front door closed loudly, and a few moments later, my grandma was poking her head out.
"It's nice to see this table being put to use," she said, nodding in approval.
"Thanks for letting us crash your place," Dean said respectfully. She rolled her eyes in response.
"Don't sass me with that polite bullshit, young man," she challenged, wagging a crooked finger at him. He raised his hands to ward off the impending tongue-lashing.
"You're right," he said with a chuckle. "Join us?"
"I'd love to," she said, sitting down in the empty seat next to Theo. The pack worked together to fill her plate and she looked at me with a smug grin. "They're a good pack, aren't they?"
"They are," I hedged, dragging out my words to see where she was going with this. The entire time I was repeating in my head 'please don't embarrass me'.
"You'll be the perfect fit. They'll have you more exhausted than ever." She finished her words with a saucy wink, poor Miles choking on his bite, so Miller had to pound his back to save him. Everyone else was fighting back laughter, but Bash didn't bother. He let out an exuberant laugh that filled the yard, Theo joining in though he had no idea why.
"Grandma," I groaned. "Why? Why do you hate me?"
"Oh, I love you, that's why I say what you won't," she said as she finally took a bite. I'd never been so happy to see someone eat, so they couldn't talk. That woman would be the death of me.
The rest of dinner thankfully passed with minimal amounts of embarrassment. Beatty took her leave and promised to get Theo tucked in. He didn't even protest, just putting his small hand in hers and letting her lead him inside. The two of them really were thick as thieves nowadays. I was going to have to watch my back, or they’d have everyone besotted and planning a pack ceremony before I could even breathe.
"Meddling old woman," I mumbled as the door closed behind them.
"That's unsurprising. I remember a certain old lady that insisted we go to the same school and may or may not have bullied college scouts to come to my football games," Cole said with a snort.
"What, really?" Bash asked, losing it at the idea. "She's my hero."
"They weren't planning on coming to such a small school, but she sent a letter twice a week for three months before the season. He was there opening day and she not so subtly made sure he paid attention. Thank god I didn't know or I would have ruined that game," Cole said with a shake of his head.
"She has good intentions," I agreed. "She's just not afraid to cross some boundaries."
We cleaned up together, everyone pitching in. I liked the way that they worked so seamlessly, there wasn't a single person shirking responsibility, and they did it without thought. It was refreshing. I'd seen far too many packs come in when I was working as a waitress during high school. The alpha commanded attention but let his omega struggle alone with their kids.
I couldn't imagine Miller allowing that in his pack at all. Hell, none of them would.
"We have an early day, we better head out," Miller announced as we finished and they loaded the car. "Thanks for a wonderful evening."
"Thanks for making it happen," I countered with a smile.
"My pleasure. You going to be alright?" His eyebrows furrowed with concern.
"I will," I promised. After all, my headache had gone away today. I just probably needed to eat more consistently than picking after Theo’s leftovers.
One by one, they said their goodbyes, finally leaving Cole and me alone.
"I loved spending time with you two," he said, his voice husky as he leaned in, brushing a kiss over my lips.
