Avenger(19)

“The table,” my mom pointed, “where it always is, every single night.”

“I think Bryce is part alien,” I chuckled, tipping the chair I was sitting in back on two legs.

“He’s something else,” my mom shook her head, grabbing a glass of water and taking her seat.

“Alien standing right here, people,” Bryce pointed to himself, pulling out his chair. “Although, I think I’m okay being called an alien. Aliens are cool…if I’m an alien does that mean I get to probe people?”

My mom spat out her water all over the table. “Bryce!”

“What did I say?” Bryce asked innocently.

“Sometimes I wonder who raised you,” my mom wiped up the mess with a napkin.

“Wolves, mom. Wolves raised me,” Bryce said in a deadpan tone.

“You’re such a smart ass,” I snickered.

“Language, Caeden,” Bryce mimed my tone from earlier.

“Boys!” My mom yelled before we could argue further. I swear, she had to be more of a referee than a mom with us.

“This is delicious, by the way,” I chose to change the subject as I devoured the homemade fried chicken.

“It’s been a while since I made fried chicken, but I was cleaning the kitchen the other day and came across the recipe. I decided to give it a try to see if I could still make it.”

“You definitely succeeded,” I started on my third piece. “Mind if I take some back to Sophie?”

“Not at all. I actually already have some set aside,” she nodded towards the counter.

I stayed to help clean the dishes and then grabbed the food to take home. I cursed when I started my Jeep and saw the time. Christian was so going to kill me—not to mention Sophie.

I parked in the garage and hurried inside.

“Where have you been?” Nolan asked when I entered the house.

“How’s that any of your business?” I growled.

“So testy, Cay-berry,” he raised his hands in surrender as I passed him. I certainly wasn’t giving him an answer to where I’d been. He didn’t deserve one. He was always sneaking off and not telling me where he was going, so why should I tell him?

I made it to the master bedroom and opened the door to find a giggling Christian and Sophie. Christian had Sophie’s feet in her lap was painting the nails a pale pink.

“Caeden,” Sophie gasped, looking over to see me standing in the doorway. “Are you okay? You were gone a while.”

“I’m perfect now,” I stepped forward, placing a light kiss on her lips. I had been desperate to get away, but now, I wanted nothing more than to be right here with Sophie. I’d never thought I’d find the love of my life, but I did, and thank God for that.





Seven.

Sophie

I woke before Caeden, a rarity these days. I rolled to my side, studying the planes of his face. The lids of his closed eyes flickered and I wondered what he was dreaming about. I reached out, unable to stop myself, and traced my fingers over his lips. He let out a moan and my insides squirmed.

His eyes opened slowly and he turned to look at me. “Mornin’,” he smiled crookedly.

I propped my head up on my hand. “I love you. You know that, right?”

“Of course I know,” he reached up and cupped my cheek.

“I almost lost you on this very day a year ago,” I whispered sadly.

His eyes closed and he swallowed thickly as he remembered showing up at Gram’s on Halloween injured from Peter Grimm.

“I thought I was going to lose you before I even had you,” I admitted.

“Aw, Soph,” he gathered me into his arms. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“But you could have.”

“And so could you. I thought for sure Peter and Travis were going to kill you when you were kidnapped. I worried myself sick. It was the worst feeling in the world—thinking you were going to die and there was nothing I could do.” He kissed my forehead and inhaled my scent. Changing the subject, he said, “You have no idea how much I love waking up to the scent of cookies. You’re like my very own dessert.”

“Hardly,” I rolled my eyes. “So…since it’s Halloween and we live in the middle of nowhere, that means no kids trick or treating. But I want to do something.”

“I already decorated the yard and the house, what more do you want?” He smiled.

“I want to carve pumpkins and one for the baby,” my hand ventured down to the small bump my stomach had become. Most people probably couldn’t tell I was pregnant, the bump was so small, but I knew my baby was carefully nestled inside me and it gave me peace.