Cass traded a glance with Shep, whose brows slowly lowered, and he frowned in thought. He shrugged. “Your call, kiddo. I’m good with it.”
Of course he would say that. It was a version of what he’d been saying all along, from the very first kiss: he wanted whatever she wanted.
Oh God, she might tear up right here in the kitchen.
“Aw, that’s rather sweet,” Raven said.
Shep shot her a scowl. “Why don’t you can the insincerity, princess?”
“Because I’m the one who’s going to save your sorry hide from the rest of Devin Green’s offspring, all of whom should be arriving here on Thursday.”
“Shit,” Cass said. That seemedsoon. Not too soon to marry her man, but much too soon to watch her brothers attempt to murder him before they even had a chance togetmarried.
“Everyone’scoming,” Raven said, “including the girls and the kids. I think that’s a notch in our favor. King won’t do anythingtooawful in front of Violet.”
“What about Dad? Have you talked to him?”
“Not directly.” She sipped her coffee in a clear deflection.
“What does that mean? Is he already en route?”
“Not…exactly.” She winced delicately. “He’s currently out of the country.”
“Oh.” Cass had spent so much time worrying about how Devin would react to her relationship with Shep that she hadn’t stopped to consider he might not make the wedding.
Raven laid a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, darling. Charlie’s going to reach out. He’s pulled off plenty of miracles. Maybe he can make it.”
“Maybe,” Cass said, and leaned down lower over the counter. She caught Shep’s concerned frown in her periphery.
But if there was anything any of them knew about Devin, it was never to count him out, but never to count on him, either.
“Oh, well,” she said, with a smile she didn’t feel. “Why did Tenny and Reese come so far ahead?”
“To serve as human shields, you ungrateful brat,” Tenny called across the room. His hair was still wet and spotting water onto the shoulders of his white waffle-weave henley. He crossed the living room and climbed onto the stool next to Shep. Cass expected Shep to protest, or at least shoot him a dirty look, but he didn’t. If anything, the glance he slid to the side was thoughtful.
“I want coffee,” Tenny said, like a decree.
“And I want my daughter to sleep through the night,” Raven said. “Get it yourself.”
Tenny made a dramatic shocked face, but eventually slid off his stool and rounded the bar to rummage for mugs.
Shep looked pleased.
Cass took pity and pointed out the creamer and sugar for him. “What’s that supposed to mean? ‘Human shield?’”
“Itmeans.” Not one, but two mugs of coffee doctored, Tenny turned to lean alongside her at the bar and placed the much-paler, cream-heavy mug in front of the stool he’d abandoned, presumably for Reese. “That if Fox, or Walsh, or hell,Tommy, decide to show up early, you’ll need someone with his head on straight to get between them and your ill-chosen mate.”
“What the hell’s your skinny ass gonna shield me from?” Shep asked, affronted. “Human shield. Kiss my ass.”
Cass leaned her shoulder against Tenny’s and said, saccharine, “Aw, Tenny!” Shewastouched, though. “But Raven’s here, and she’s in our corner.”
“Is Raven going to flying tackle Fox to the ground? Put Tommy in a headlock?” He lifted his brows.
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“You’d do that for Shep?”
