She laughed again. “Of course. Do you think he’d just sit by while I took off with the kids without knowing where he could find us? He’d come chasing after us to make sure we’re OK. I don’t need that kind of stress in my life. Two fifteen-month-old twins trying to climb over everything are enough to keep any person on the brink of insanity. Not that I ever claimed to be sane. Anyway we’ll see you in a bit. I just wanted to make sure you were home.”
The line went dead before he got a chance to say anything else. He chuckled. Ever since the hyena episode two years back, Sophia said he was her new, adopted brother. She always made sure to find out what he was up to and bring him to family gatherings. She and her sister, Julia, loved calling on him for all kinds of favors. Their favorite was for him to babysit while they went shopping, but he didn’t mind. Especially when he got to spend time with all the kids at the same time. Shane, Selena, and Jasen were his favorite kids. There was never a dull moment when those three were nearby.
“Sophia, huh?” Troy grinned.
Everyone got a kick out of her. She had gone from quiet scientist to outspoken leader in the blink of an eye. They loved watching her when she got big pack Alpha Chase to do whatever she wanted without batting a lash.
Riel nodded. “Yeah. She’s coming this way. Says she wants to discuss something.”
Troy laughed. “Uh-oh. It sounds like you’re going to be babysitting again. How much shopping can those two women do?”
Riel headed toward his kitchen. “I don’t know, but I can tell you this. There’s one room in each of their houses dedicated to shoes. Only shoes. I don’t understand why all the shoes. They can only wear them one pair at a time, but they must have a collection. It’s scary.” He pulled two soda cans out of his fridge and threw one to Troy.
“Yeah.” Troy smirked. “Just wait until you figure out what Sam’s weird shopping joy is.”
Riel thought back. Ginny never mentioned Sam having a preference for shopping sprees. “I don’t think she has one.”
Troy gulped down the soda. “Trust me, she has one. They all have something they like to buy. Shoes, clothes, bags, hats, books, trinkets, et cetera. I don’t know why, but they love to buy stuff.”
Riel doubted all women had that. Sam didn’t seem like the type to spend mindless hours shopping. But if she did like shopping, he had more than enough space in his house for all the shoes she wanted to buy.
Troy dumped the empty soda can in the recycling bin. “I’m going to check on the teens around the area. You have fun with the little ones. Don’t think I don’t know you love being surrounded by babies. I’ve never met a man that liked kids as much as you.”
“Don’t hate. You’re just jealous because they like me better.” Riel laughed and pushed his friend out the front door. So what if he liked kids. Until he had some of his own, he could enjoy Shane and Selena.
“I’m not jealous.” Troy flushed.
Ry laughed. “Oh, I know what this is about. You’re embarrassed aren’t you?”
“You’re crazy. Didn’t you just ask for my help?”
“Hang on a second.” He studied Troy’s features. Color rose to the other man’s face. “Is this still over her first turn?”
Troy folded his arms over his chest, glaring at Ry. “She bit me!”
Ry couldn’t stop the laughter as he remembered the episode. “You should’ve stayed out of the yard.”
“You were there.” Troy’s voice rivaled that of a petulant child. “She didn’t bite you.”
Ry shrugged. “Chase warned everyone to stay out of his yard.”
“But you got to be there.”
Riel remembered how Chase had dragged Sophia out of the house to the yard to get her to finally embrace the two animals she had inside. She had been scared to shift, unsure of how painful it would feel. The alpha had sent everyone away from his house, and only Julia and Riel remained. Sophia had ordered Riel to “keep his ass put” when he was about to leave, and Chase had allowed it.
It had been a thing of beauty. Chase had instructed her the entire time to close her eyes and see her wolf, to touch it and allow it to roam free. She’d torn through the dress as the shift took over. It had been the fastest shift he’d ever seen, almost as if her wolf had been dying to get out. Moments later she was a petite gray wolf. She took off on a run instantly. Chase tore through his clothes and let his wolf chase after his mate. It was a while before they returned from their run in the attached forest. At the time, Ry had been sitting in the yard with the kids, and Troy showed up.