“Whoa, gremlin,” Tenny said, and caught Violet; swung her up into his arms while she shouted with delight.
“Great,” Shep muttered under his breath. “The human shield has a human shield.”
Cass squeezed his hand, but didn’t have a retort. Was grateful that Reese stepped up beside her.
“Hi!” Axelle came in for a hug.
And then Eden, Abbie giggling between them.
Emmie reached her next, and said, “You look great!” before wrapping both arms around her. When she pulled back, she whispered, “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be fine.” Her gaze cut toward Shep as she retreated, and she shot Cass awell doneglance, brows waggling.
Charlie, she’d noted straight away, was perched on one of the stools at the kitchen island, turned toward the door. He held a drink in one hand, something amber on the rocks, and his posture was deceptively casual, one elbow braced on the counter, shoulders relaxed. She didn’t think he’d blinked once.
King had been on the sofa with Emmie, and he stood now, walked around the end table, and headed toward them.
Fox got all the credit for being the main spook of the family; even Tenny and Reese deferred to him, personally and professionally. But unless Phil was around, King was the head of the family. The patriarch. His usual demeanor was one of cool indifference, and so Cass forgot, sometimes, that he was capable of looking as scary as he did now, when he approached them, hands empty, but face a masterclass of subtle English disapproval.
Shep was a head taller than him, but his hand tightened on Cass’s. She had already decided that if Walsh did something as foolish as try to forbid their union, she was going to run away with Shep, even if she had to coerce him into doing so. She wasn’t going to walk the same path as Ava Lécuyer. She had suffered so that others in a similar position didn’t have to.
Walsh reached them, and halted. Said nothing, gaze fixing on Shep.
“Hello, King,” Cass said. “I’m glad you could make it.”
He stared at Shep.
And Shep, because he was not one of Devin Green’s progeny, and didn’t do stoicism, sighed and said, “Just spit it out, man. If I’m gonna have to stich my own lip in the mirror, I’d rather get it over with.”
Raven, puttering in the kitchen, covered her mouth with one hand and managed to turn a laugh into a cough.
Walsh’s gaze, still pinned on Shep, narrowed. “You were Army?”
“Ranger. Two tours. Medic.”
“You patched up Toly after the bratva mess?”
The man himself stood at the kitchen sink, and Cass saw his shoulders go still and tight at mention of his name.
“Yeah,” Shep said, and Cass waited for him to elaborate, to talk about what a mess it was, how fucked up and scarred Toly’s legs were to this day. That Cass had hovered at his elbow, digging things out of his med kit when he asked for them, flicking a drop of sweat off the end of his nose without prompt while he concentrated on his task, more serious than she’d ever seen him.
But he left it atyeah.
Walsh studied him another long, tense moment. “What’s your favorite thing about Cass?” he asked, finally.
“Oh, please,” Cass muttered.
Emmie said, “King, really?”
From his stool, Fox piped up: “If you say ‘tits,’ fair warning, that’s the wrong answer.”
“Good God,” Eden muttered. “This is ridiculous.”
Albie said, “No. Answer the question.”
Miles started to say something, and Albie shushed him.
Clinging piggyback to Tenny like a little blonde lemur, Violet said, “What’s happening?”
In a bright voice, Tenny said, “Your daddy’s trying to decide if he needs to commit murder.”
