“Oh.” She pursed her lips tight, worry drawing her eyebrows together.
“I’m fine.”
“I know,” she said with a soft smile. “When you’re not, don’t hide, okay?”
He nodded, then turned back into the cabin. Exploring the ins and outs of the jet with vibrant curiosity, Bodie grinned. “Is the landing strip at the ranch big enough for this?”
Bennett leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. “An experienced pilot in a pinch could land there, but you wouldn’t need something this big. I got this to fly the whole team, plus all our gear, anywhere in the world. If you invest in a sturdy prop plane that can handle your Montana winters, you won’t need much.”
“Fair point. Probably not as fast, though.” Bodie bit his lower lip and grinned like the first time he’d driven Bennett’s McLaren.
Unlike Vann and Quinn, who had ragged on him for the lack of subtlety in his toys, like the jet and the car, Bodie had gotten a kick out of all of it. Raised in isolation on his pack’s Montana ranch, Bodie had only recently discovered the joys of fast toys. No wonder he’d taken right to it; as the wolf, Bodie was fearless. The corner of his mouth quirking up, Bennett let the lightness of the moment and Bodie’s easy manner tame his mood. “True.”
On the flight to Eureka, his friends joked and hung out, taking the edge off his angst. Astrid was the eternally attentive student and handled most of the flight herself, sporting an eager grin the entire time. Hell, she didn’t even need him in the cockpit.
The drive to Quinn and Ryan’s home was gorgeous in the chill wind. The isolated structure stood proudly on the hillside, dreamily looking over the Pacific. A year ago, if anyone had told him his girlfriend would dump his ass, declare their relationship as boring, then days later fall for the son of the king of the demon realm and bear his child–after telling Bennett she wasn’t ready for marriage or children? Oh, and let’s not forget his guts getting sliced out of him when he’d convinced the team a little recon wouldn’t hurt, her crying over his dying body before she was blasted across the fricking arctic and into the arms of her soulmate…
He rubbed his hands over his face and shook away the redundant self-torture. He’d known Quinn was right about them. Friends-to-lovers wasn’t always a true love story. Besides, destiny had played a strong hand in bringing it all to pass.
Fate was a bitch like that.
As they parked the SUV, Ryan met them on the front step. Barefooted, dressed in an old white t-shirt and faded jeans, with the bleary eyes of a new dad, Ryan managed a sleepy grin. “Hey guys. Quinn’s been going nuts waiting for you. Of course, she and Skye are passed out now.”
Lana bounced up the steps and spun Ryan for a giddy hug, whether he was ready or not. The rest filtered in a bit more sedately. With high ceilings, massive windows, wood beam ceilings, and plank floors, warmed by plush area rugs and overstuffed furniture and a fire roaring in the hearth, the home was exactly what Quinn had always wanted. The rest of the team had already seen the place, helping with the big move a month or two back, but Bennett had been on a solo recon to investigate a possible leviathan that turned out to be as ridiculous of a rumor as it sounded.
“Fiona and Quentin left this morning?” he asked Ryan.
Nodding as they walked in together, Ryan said, “It’s been a whirlwind, both our moms here for the birth, happy as anything I’ve ever seen, then Quentin flew back from his latest mission last weekend and they stayed until today, then Fiona and my mom will take turns coming to help when I go back out to sea.”
“Bet you guys need some time to yourselves. I think Lana’s planning to move in, but I’ll drag her out with the rest of the team when we leave.”
“As much as Quinn loves the company, yes, please, I’m looking forward to a few days alone with my family before I ship out.”
“Go catch a nap while you can.”
The others were already heading down to the basement, which apparently was filled with bedrooms and a gym dedicated to training. Quinn had wanted a comfortable place for the team to crash anytime and for however long they needed.
Ryan hesitated, his eyes black as midnight, and the circles under were equally dark.
“Go. You’re dead on your feet.”
“I’ve fought monsters for days on end, but up rocking and pacing and changing diapers? Way more exhausting.” Ryan ran a hand over his stubbled beard before turning and heading to the bedroom. “You guys can make yourselves at home, fix whatever you want for lunch.”
Bennett chuckled under his breath. Strolling to the windows, he looked out over the endless ocean, at the fog blurring the horizon and spreading onto the expansive field of yellow grass and wind-sculpted trees. Some might see it as desolate, but it was remarkably soothing. Sunshine, Ryan’s mother, had made an impact, dotting the patio with brightly colored noninvasive plants to bring life to the patio. The others laughed and chatted downstairs, already at home.
Running a hand over his face, Bennett couldn’t decide if he wanted to sit or stand… or run screaming. He wanted to hate Ryan for stealing the life he’d envisioned for himself. But, turns out, Ryan was a tough guy to hate. And loved Quinn in a way that Bennett never could.
With his mother and her father on the same demon hunting team, they’d been best friends since infancy. And they wanted the best for each other, even though that wasn’t together. They’d really only dated two years, so they’d been friends for far longer than they’d been lovers. Still, the downshift was never as easy as the move forward.
Soft steps padded out of the nursery, the sweet whimpers of a newborn and her mother’s soothing coos erasing the anxiety that had clawed at him all morning.
Turning, he caught sight of his ex. “Hey,” he said with a smile.
“Hey.” She grinned back, her sleepy smile about knocking him flat with hundreds of memories of when she’d looked at him like that.
“I made your husband snag a nap. Guy’s a wreck.”
“How’d you get him to take a break? I’ve been trying for days. I honestly don’t think he’s slept in the two weeks since she was born.” Rubbing a sleepy face against her mother’s chest, Skye wound up with a pitiful cry.
