Page 136 of Bad Wolf

I was dropping Wren off anyway, it only made sense for Casey to feed us while we were there.

Instead of parking the Demon in the driveway, I pull into one of the empty spaces in his garage like I always do when we leave from here and are heading out on the road.

I kiss Wren soundly, threading my fingers through her thick mane of hair, and cupping her delicate cheek.

“You doing okay?”

She shakes her head, “No, not really, but I’m gonna be.” Wren’s lips tip up in a small sad smile and it tugs at my heart.

I lower my lips to hers again.

“So, your job while I’m off winning you a Stanley Cup champion’s ring is to plan our summer. Me and the boys will still be training, but apart from that, the summer is yours. We can go anywhere and do anything your heart desires. So get plotting, okay?”

Her eyes brighten at that, so I try a little harder to make her smile wider.

“My dream is to fuck our way through the off-season. I don’t care where, I just want you naked for the majority of it.”

She huffs out a little chuckle and nods.

Leaving all my gear, I take Wren’s hand and lead her into the house.

Sounds of laughter and chatter draw us into the kitchen dropping us smack bang into the middle of what can only be described as mayhem.

My eyes sweep the room, startled at how jovial everyone seems for 8 a.m. Smiling faces greet us in a chorus of hellos and about times. Jack comes skidding to an abrupt halt, his face practically splitting in half as he looks up at me.

“It’s go time, baby!” He screeches as I go in for our special handshake. It’s an especially exuberant welcome, because Jack is high as a kite. Biscuit beside him, sitting quietly but his tail is wagging a mile a minute. I bend down to give him a scratch behind the ear.

A clatter has me darting my eyes to the back wall of the kitchen where Hollywood and Callan are helping Coralie pull sheet pans and trays out of the oven.

“Bloody hell Casey, I’m not ill, just pregnant,” Anna chides as Casey tries to corral her into sitting back down at the enormous kitchen table.

“One lump or two?” Gunner asks as he mans the coffee pot. Handing out drinks, as my friends and family shout their orders to him.

It’s total chaos, but along with the squeeze Wren gives our joined hands, it grounds me.

I take it all in. The warmth of Wren’s hand in mine. The smiles on everyone’s faces. The wholesome togetherness of family bonded by blood and friendship.

The way Gunner’s eyes track my sister’s movements around the kitchen from his post at the counter. The way Rex can’t stop touching Chloe as she moves past him with jugs of what looks like fresh fruit juice.

Casey being his usual overprotective self. Callan and Hollywood squabbling like teenagers. Jason and Jack laying cutlery down beside plates and bowls.

It’s a perfect moment. The calm before the proverbial storm. And it catches my breath. This is the life I always dreamed of. And I’m so thankful for it all.

I’ll never be so reckless again. I’ll do anything to keep this feeling of belonging.

To play with Casey and Jason. To play with the men who have become my brothers and to have Wren beside me as I do? It’s everything.

Anna tugs Wren down to sit beside her, pulling her into a hug before her butt has even hit the seat and I finally let her hand go.

“You need anything?” I yell over to my sister.

“No. Right on time, as usual,” she says with a playful roll of her eyes.

“Just sit down. You and Jase are on dishwasher duty.”

At that, everyone descends on the table. Chairs scrape against the hardwood floor. and just as the scrambled eggs are placed down in the middle, I pick up Wren’s plate, reaching for the serving spoon first.

Wren squeezes my thigh, snapping my focus to look at her. A wide grin on her face as her eyes scan the rambunctious table.

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