She went over to where he stood, wrapped her arms around his neck before jumping and wrapping her legs around his waist. He easily supported her weight, cupping her ass.
“There are definite advantages to living in the Pack house,” she said conversationally. In the background, she heard Bran on his cell phone calling in the Pack to help Caleb move.
“One, you always have people on hand to help you move. Plus, there will always be someone there to watch over the boys. You’ll be able to sleep at night without worrying about someone coming to get them.”
Caleb started to move around the room as if swaying to unheard music. “Is that right? Maybe we should take advantage of one of these babysitters tonight,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
“I second that,” Bran yelled from the sofa as he watched the two of them dance while still on the cell phone.
Kate giggled. “I know the perfect babysitter, though he isn’t pack,” she said, smiling.
“Who?” Caleb asked, curious.
“Rian. He is dying to babysit. He absolutely fell in love with the boys.”
“Do you trust him?” Caleb asked.
She nodded with a serious expression on her face. “More than I trust certain pack members. I swear the Raymonds hates me.” She rested her head on his broad and solid chest. At five feet ten, it was rare to find someone who made her feel delicate and feminine. With his height and strength, Caleb made her feel protected and precious. She felt a low rumble in his chest and looked up.
“They better not give you any issues in front of me,” he said, growling. A second growl was heard as Bran stood and joined him, his cell phone conversation finished.
“It’s an ongoing issue since Kate wasn’t born in the pack. There is a couple, the Raymonds, who are vocal against Kate. I gave them the ultimatum yesterday to adapt or get out.” Bran walked up behind Kate and wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively sandwiching her between them.
“I can’t promise not to hurt someone if they disrespect my mate,” Caleb said.
Bran gave an evil grin. “You don’t have to worry about politics and maintaining the peace between pack members. All I’m going to say is get some good punches in for me and don’t do any permanent damage.” He winked at Caleb, who laughed.
“The pack should be here in an hour or so,” Bran said happily.
Kate jumped down. “Come on, Caleb. We should start packing anything personal you don’t want anyone else handling. We can put all that in the SUV before they get here.” She looked around at the dingy parlor. “Not to be funny, Caleb, but what is actually yours here?”
Caleb rubbed the back of his neck.
“Not much actually. Besides being the only property for sale in the area, I liked it because it came fully furnished.” He gestured to the living room, where most of the furniture was still covered in sheets.
“I was only able to tackle the parlor, the master bedroom and the boys’ room.” He paused.
Kate guessed the reason for the look of sadness that crossed his face. “We can get the murals done again. Who did you get to do them? We can call them tomorrow.” She took his face in her hands. She was surprised when he started to blush clear to his hairline.
“I did them,” he mumbled.
Bran looked up from where he was squatted down, dangling a toy elephant in front of the boys.
“You painted those amazing murals? Why the hell are you working in a bar slinging bottles?” Bran demanded.
“When I moved to town there wasn’t a high demand for art, but there seemed to be a high demand for alcohol. So I did what I had to for the boys.” He shrugged.
“If you could quit working at the bar and concentrate on painting, would you?” Bran asked.
“I won’t let you support me,” Caleb said, shaking his head.
“I’m not saying for you stay at home and eat bon bons, Caleb. But you could raise our sons and dedicate time to your art. You could end up selling pieces and get placed into an art gallery. It’s a waste of your talent to be handing out beers when you could be painting masterpieces like I saw in the nursery,” Bran said passionately.
Caleb blinked and then a slow smile spread on his face.
“Masterpieces, huh?” He seemed to think about it for a long moment. “I won’t leave Mojo high and dry, but if you’re serious about letting me paint, I’d like to give it a try. I was going to resume painting when I was living with the leopards. This isn’t too different. But, Bran, if things get tight, let me know. I’m not afraid of hard work,” Caleb said, seriously.
Bran smiled and clapped a hand on his back. “I don’t think that will ever be an issue.”