Alek. But the three of them together. She was sure it wouldn’t be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever was.
She held both their hands and they walked down the hall, through the kitchen, and into the large dining room. Her uncle sat at the head of the long, intricately carved table, with Sarah on one side, and Gwen on the other, and the rest of the table was filled with people she didn’t know. Three chairs were empty, one between two males and two next to Gwen. For a moment, no one said anything. They simply stared at the trio in silence for what felt like an eternity but was most likely less than a minute.
A male sitting next to the two empty seats stood and stepped around his seat. Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Alek’s father, James Fallon.”
Jericho introduced himself and her and shook his hand. Then James walked around the table and took the single empty seat, leaving three empty seats together. Alek smiled at her, and they took their seats, her sitting between her mates.
Uncle Don said grace, his voice booming, and then he asked everyone to go around the table and introduce themselves. All the mountain lions introduced themselves in relation to Alek — his uncles and aunt, his brothers and their mate, his cousins, and his father — and then the bears introduced themselves. Food began to be passed around, and the first thing she noticed was that the mated males filled up their female’s and children’s plates and then their own. One of his twin brothers put some of everything on their mate Callie’s plate while the other twin took care of the three young children.
Alek started to fill up her plate, and she felt herself fall in love with him a little bit right then. Jericho had always taken good care of her, because he was a generous and loving male, but Alek put food on her plate as though it was just in his nature to take care of her, to put her needs ahead of his own.
The rich smell of her aunt’s pot roast drove away any thoughts other than eating, and after kissing Alek’s cheek in thanks, she dove in. Conversation around the table was light, and she felt as though the three of them were in their own world as they traded questions back and forth to learn more about each other. She discovered that Alek was a police officer and had grown up in Pennsylvania before he and his pride moved to Ashland, which was south of Bracks.
“Why did you move to Ashland?” she asked, taking a big bite of roast and mashed potatoes.
Alek froze and he lifted his head, looking across the table at his father. When he looked at her, his eyes were troubled. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, okay?”
She nodded and smiled reassuringly, and he switched the topic by asking Jericho what he did for a living.
She raised her brow and looked at Jericho, who looked as much like a deer in headlights as Alek had. After a short pause, Jericho repeated Alek’s statement word for word, and Lachlyn covered her laugh unsuccessfully with a cough. The rest of the meal passed quickly as dinner led to dessert and coffee. As Alek topped her apple pie with ice cream and caramel sauce, he asked with a low voice, “Where are you guys staying?”
Jericho leaned in slightly, and Lachlyn put her hands on both of their shoulders. Her situation was too complicated to discuss over coffee. Until Alek had asked the question, though, she hadn’t considered what might happen at the end of the evening.
“We’re staying here with my aunt and uncle because of a bad situation with our former den. We drove up here in the RV parked out front,” she said.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you in danger?”
Jericho shook his head. “Not at the moment, but this is one of those things that we need to discuss when we have privacy.”
Alek nodded and then he suddenly looked shy, averting his eyes and toying with the fork on his dessert plate. “Do you want to come home with me? I live
She held both their hands and they walked down the hall, through the kitchen, and into the large dining room. Her uncle sat at the head of the long, intricately carved table, with Sarah on one side, and Gwen on the other, and the rest of the table was filled with people she didn’t know. Three chairs were empty, one between two males and two next to Gwen. For a moment, no one said anything. They simply stared at the trio in silence for what felt like an eternity but was most likely less than a minute.
A male sitting next to the two empty seats stood and stepped around his seat. Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Alek’s father, James Fallon.”
Jericho introduced himself and her and shook his hand. Then James walked around the table and took the single empty seat, leaving three empty seats together. Alek smiled at her, and they took their seats, her sitting between her mates.
Uncle Don said grace, his voice booming, and then he asked everyone to go around the table and introduce themselves. All the mountain lions introduced themselves in relation to Alek — his uncles and aunt, his brothers and their mate, his cousins, and his father — and then the bears introduced themselves. Food began to be passed around, and the first thing she noticed was that the mated males filled up their female’s and children’s plates and then their own. One of his twin brothers put some of everything on their mate Callie’s plate while the other twin took care of the three young children.
Alek started to fill up her plate, and she felt herself fall in love with him a little bit right then. Jericho had always taken good care of her, because he was a generous and loving male, but Alek put food on her plate as though it was just in his nature to take care of her, to put her needs ahead of his own.
The rich smell of her aunt’s pot roast drove away any thoughts other than eating, and after kissing Alek’s cheek in thanks, she dove in. Conversation around the table was light, and she felt as though the three of them were in their own world as they traded questions back and forth to learn more about each other. She discovered that Alek was a police officer and had grown up in Pennsylvania before he and his pride moved to Ashland, which was south of Bracks.
“Why did you move to Ashland?” she asked, taking a big bite of roast and mashed potatoes.
Alek froze and he lifted his head, looking across the table at his father. When he looked at her, his eyes were troubled. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later, okay?”
She nodded and smiled reassuringly, and he switched the topic by asking Jericho what he did for a living.
She raised her brow and looked at Jericho, who looked as much like a deer in headlights as Alek had. After a short pause, Jericho repeated Alek’s statement word for word, and Lachlyn covered her laugh unsuccessfully with a cough. The rest of the meal passed quickly as dinner led to dessert and coffee. As Alek topped her apple pie with ice cream and caramel sauce, he asked with a low voice, “Where are you guys staying?”
Jericho leaned in slightly, and Lachlyn put her hands on both of their shoulders. Her situation was too complicated to discuss over coffee. Until Alek had asked the question, though, she hadn’t considered what might happen at the end of the evening.
“We’re staying here with my aunt and uncle because of a bad situation with our former den. We drove up here in the RV parked out front,” she said.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you in danger?”
Jericho shook his head. “Not at the moment, but this is one of those things that we need to discuss when we have privacy.”
Alek nodded and then he suddenly looked shy, averting his eyes and toying with the fork on his dessert plate. “Do you want to come home with me? I live
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