“The practical ones, you mean?” Billy didn’t have any choice but to be practical – fending for himself hadn’t been easy. “If he’s just visiting from out of town, I might have to move. I need to know these things.”
“Those are the matters you talk to your mate about after the claim,” Tristan insisted. “Don’t you want to hear how tall or handsome he is?”
I’d be more interested in where we might live once the claim is done before it’s done.But Billy sighed and rolled his eyes. “Go on, tell me how tall he is and how handsome.”
“He’s big,” Cece said, leaning forward in excitement. “Not quite as big as Anthony, but just as tall.”
“He’s pure wolf shifter, you can just tell,” Tristan added, fanning himself with his hand. “He was really graceful on the dancefloor, but did you notice, Cece, he never danced with anyone specific, being really respectful of everyone around him.”
“Oh, I know.” Cece giggled. “That little trip he did might not have been so accidental on my part. I just wanted to hear his voice. He had a lovely deep voice when he asked me if I was all right.”
“You can’t help yourself, can you?” But Billy was smiling. Cece loved the idea that alphas would fall all over themselves to speak to him… even if he sometimes had to give said alpha a bit of a nudge.
“It worked.” Cece was unrepentant. “He might not have been my alpha, but look, he’s yours. That makes him family.”
Billy swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “This really changes things, doesn’t it, guys? Once I go to lunch…” Tears pricked his eyes, although he wasn’t sure why.
It didn’t matter. Tristan and Cece were up out of their chairs in a flash, surrounding him, hugging him tight, reminding him he wasn’t alone.
“You are going to have the best life,” Cece said fiercely. “You’re never going to have to worry about making rent again or working every hour under the sun. No more being scared at night when the house makes strange noises or worrying about who to call when your sink starts leaking.”
“And no matter what, we’ll always be your family.” Tristan was just as determined. “We’ll all be mated soon enough, but evenbefore that, we’ll be expecting invites to dinner, we’ll all go out for lunches, all the things.”
“And you’ll be able to come this time under the arm of a doting alpha.” Cece gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.
“We’ll be uncles,” Tristan said to Cece. “When Billy starts popping out puppies, we’ll be the best uncles ever.”
“Oh, my gods,” Billy’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t even thought about babies.”
Tristan and Cece both straightened, sharing a look of concern. “Er… Billy. Did your parents get a chance to explain to you about… you know, all the sex stuff before they turned into bastards?”
Billy got up, clearing away the empty food boxes. “Dad said something about me probably never fathering a baby with a lady alpha. As for mom… She said…” Billy shook his head, hurrying to the trashcan with the boxes and stuffing them in. “I can’t repeat what she said, not even to my best friends, because what she said was evil and wrong, I’m sure of it. She thinks males getting pregnant is unnatural.”
“Maybe I should call my mom,” Cece said. “I can’t see Anthony wanting to have ‘the talk,’ but maybe my mom…”
“No, please don’t do that,” Billy pleaded, turning to face his friends. “This is already surreal enough. I am about to get ready to meet a man who will probably give me plenty of sex education before the day is over. I don’t think I could suffer the embarrassment of your poor mom having to explain about ruts and heats and omega slick. I’d never be able to face her again. Can we focus on my hair and the presents you guys brought with you, please?”
There was a moment’s silence and then Tristan and Cece exploded in a flurry of action. “You get the bags. I’ll see what he’s got in the closet,” Cece yelled, running off down the hall.
Phew.
Chapter Seven
Cord knew he would remember the first time he saw Billy for the rest of his life. He was seated in the restaurant, Bullet sitting next to him, a hand on his arm – apparently Cord’s wolf didn’t care they were in a public place where other people were eating and wanted to come out the moment Bullet murmured, “They’re here.”
His eyes were focused on the large picture window, watching Cece get out of a taxi, quickly followed by Tristan. Cord noticed how Cece ducked his head back into the cab again, presumably to talk to Billy and seconds later a young man with dark hair got out of the car.
Cord’s heart stuttered, and his wolf started panting. It wasn’t the dark hair, the black rimmed glasses, or the slender build that got Cord’s attention. It was the hesitation, the tightness in the man’s shoulders, the way Billy’s head darted one way and then the other.
He was clearly nervous, his smile tentative as Cece and Tristan flanked him, encouraging him to the door. And yes, Cord was falling into a fantasy abyss, but he would swear to his dying day that the way the sun fell on Billy’s hair in that moment, Cord could see his mate’s innocence and immediately wanted to tuck him under his arm and protect him.
Just as Bullet had said he’d felt earlier that day when he mentioned seeing Billy in passing. There was something about that face, but for Cord it was more. He was on his feet before the young men had even made their way inside, tripping over the pile of gifts he’d bought Billy in his haste to greet him.
“It’s okay, we’re expected,” Cece said brightly as they passed the hostess. “As you can tell by the alpha on the floor.”
“Oh, no, are you all right?”
Cord realized the soft voice was speaking to him… That somehow he was lying flat on his belly on the floor – he hadn’t even felt the impact. “I think I fell,” he said, too caught up in Billy’s eyes to feel any embarrassment. “I should probably get up now.” He pressed his hands into the carpet – it wasn’t a hardship getting up. But Billy had already grabbed his bicep…He’s helping me.Cord wanted to collapse into the carpet just so Billy would keep touching him.
