“I love you.”
He put her down carefully, kissed her once more and stepped back. “I’ll see you later tonight. I love you too.”
He watched until Aimee opened the door and let her inside, jogging away into the night.
“Looks as good going as he does coming,” she murmured to herself.
“No lie detected there,” Aimee said. “Now shut the door and get on in here. We’re drinking disgusting marshmallow vodka and eating caramel apples.”
“Good lord above,” she said, laughing as she went to join her friends.
* * *
Three days later, Jace approached his grandpa and great uncle as they sat on the dock, their fishing poles in the lake, hats on, beers at the ready.
“You here as Prime or as my grandson?” JJ asked holding a beer out.
Jace took it. “Both, I guess.” He glanced to his great uncle and waved him to keep sitting.
“Grab yourself a chair then. Let’s hear it.”
He did, settling in, glad he had a beer and the sun because the breeze coming off the water was chilly, even for him.
“I’m going to ask Katie Faith to marry me,” he said after a few minutes.
“I expect so.” JJ cackled. “She’s a catch. Your grandma sure does think you did good. I ‘spose I do as well.”
“I was going to wait until Valentine’s Day or something like that. But I don’t want to.”
JJ cackled again. “Even when you was barely out of diapers you hated to be told no. Katie Faith isn’t a pushover. I wasn’t too sure at first. Girl’s flighty as hell. But she’s steadfast. After I saw her at Halloween dinner I knew she’d be good for this pack. Hell, I find it hard not to run when I see Scarlett Pembry out and about and your little scrap of a girl held her own. Marry the girl so you can take over as Patron. It’s time.”
Jace heard the exhaustion in JJ’s tone. He should have stepped down a decade before, but he’d stayed, even while he was sick, to give Jace the time to grow and be ready.
“She’s got a few hot buttons around marriage. Stupid Darrell. It may take a while. I’m going to let her take the lead on the date. I have to ask her first.”
“Did you talk to her daddy yet?”
“That was my next stop. I had dinner with them all last night for Samhain so I talked a bit about it with both her parents then.” They’d been good to him. Even after the way Darrell had treated her, they welcomed him to their feast and to their community.
“It went okay?”
“Nadine Grady has no tolerance for shenanigans with her daughter when it comes to wolves.”
“She’s a scary one. Avery, he’s got some power, but she’s the one with the real ferocity of the two. I like that the girl came back here for family. And I like that she comes from good people. You two are a good match. She’s already brought more to the pack.”
Having powerful witches in a pack meant the shifters were able to change much faster and with far less pain. After the Halloween dinner it had been the Dooleys who’d made the change the quickest and plenty of people noticed and commented on it.
“Be aware that once you announce your engagement, them Pembrys is gonna throw a shit fit,” JJ said.
Jace didn’t much care at that moment. This was about him and the woman he was born to love. Werewolf stuff would always be part of his life, but how Scarlett might feel about him marrying Katie Faith meant absolutely nothing.
“Mac and I had a reasonable talk about reasonable things.” Mac Pembry was up against a mountain of shit because of his moron of a brother and seriously out of control mother.
He didn’t seem particularly interested in making a power play, but Jace expected it all the same. It was how things were with wolves. A hierarchy had to be set and right then it was in flux.
Eventually, he and Mac would have to come head on at one another. But for the next several months as they hunkered down through winter, Jace wanted to strengthen his own position so when he became Patron there’d be little change for their people to have to deal with.
First he needed marriage as part of that new hierarchy for his pack. They needed to know they could trust Katie Faith. Count on her like he already did.
It was a careful line for her to walk and he understood divided loyalties. The more he learned about witches and their real, integral connection to Diablo Lake being such a safe haven for shifters, the more he’d developed a deep sense of loyalty to them.
But he was still going to lead his pack. And that part of him knew that the proposal would bolster his standing against anyone contemplating taking a run at him for Patron.
“Hot button or not, the girl can’t drag her feet too long or it’ll make you look bad.”
Jace knew that too. But he wouldn’t push her. That wasn’t to say he couldn’t woo the hell out of her, though, to speed things up.
“I have some moves, Grandpa. I got this.”
“Go talk to your grandma. She’s got something you might want before you propose.”
And with that, the Patron gave his blessing to the marriage and to Jace taking over the pack.
He stayed a while longer to listen to a story he’d heard a dozen times before but it got better each telling. Jace figured by the time his grandpa hit a hundred or so, there’d be dragons in it.
He’d walked out to the lake from town, so by the time he got back he’d more than burned off his beer. His grandma strolled up, a basket full of books in her arms.
“Hey, darlin’.” She thrust the basket his way. “I’ve just been picking up some things to take out on visits. Tommy Moore has a chest cold. Donnagene is playing nursemaid to him, her mother and two of her kids all down with the same thing as Tommy. Books never go amiss when you’re stuck inside.”
Being isolated meant they were responsible for taking care of their own. Patty had been making visits to all the members of the pack for decades now. It occurred to him he needed to talk with Katie Faith about this side of running a pack.
“If you wait about an hour, I can drive you. I just have an errand to run first. I’m going to talk to Nadine and Avery to tell them I’m going to propose to Katie Faith. I just got back from talking to Grandpa and he said to come see you. I would have done that anyway.”
She directed him on where to load up what in various baskets and plastic tubs and containers with the things she’d take to the people she dropped in on. Food to those who might be struggling in some way. A friendly face with some pretty flowers when someone has been ill. Clothes, diapers, whatever people might need.
And then she led him into the house and bade him to sit while she ran to get something from her room.
Not a difficult task when he noted the heaping plate of cookies there. “Okay,” she told him as she returned to sit next to him. She passed a black velvet ring box his way. “My mother left me these rings and though several of my sons have gotten married, I’ve never felt like these would be right for any of their wives. Katie Faith, though. Well, you take a look and tell me what you think.”
He opened the box to find two rings. A gold band with diamonds set in it and an engagement ring with a solitaire diamond stone. Old fashioned and very feminine but made for a woman who worked with her hands. The rings seemed to hum with energy.
“My Pop made the band himself and my mom wore them every day until she passed. They had a good, strong love. The kind of connection you and Katie Faith have. That connection will serve Dooley well. I’m so pleased for you. She’s a good girl. I surely do like her.”
“This is beautiful. She’s going to love that it came from my great grandmother. Thank you.” He looked up to catch her gaze. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You and your brothers are my boys. I love you all so much. You’re doing such a wonderful job, all
of you. I can’t wait to see what the next decade has in store for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I need to borrow your black pumps.” Aimee came in to Katie Faith’s bedroom barefoot, heading for her closet.
“Did you even give them back after you borrowed them the last time?”
“I can’t believe the things you accuse me of, Katie Faith.” Aimee slid the black pumps on. “So cute. Now you. Damn, girl.”
Katie Faith turned in front of the mirror, making her skirt fly out and then fall gracefully. Deep dark green, the dress hugged her best assets like her boobs, and gave plenty of camouflage to her thighs and butt.
“I hope Jace likes it.”
“He’s a guy. It shows off your tits, makes your butt look good. You’re a hot momma right now. All fecund and gorgeous.”
“Fecund? Ooh, fancy pants. But I like it. Full of life. Yeah. But not ready to start popping out babies just yet, thank you very much.”
“You gonna tell Jace about those jerks you had to kick out of the Counter today?” Aimee asked as she looked through the lipsticks in her makeup bag.
“Not unless I have no other choice. It’s Founder’s Day. I’m going out with my gorgeous boyfriend to a dinner and a dance in a beautiful dress. Like I want to ruin that with some recounting of a bunch of teen boys pushing and shoving over ice cream. It’s dumb. They knew it. I handled it.”
“I’m just sayin’. He’s only going to pout like a big, dumb baby—no lie, he’ll look good doing it—if he finds out from someone else.”
“I’m a business owner. I sell food products to the public. Do you know how many stupid and unpleasant people I have to deal with on a weekly basis?”
The young adult werewolves had a lot more testosterone going on of late. After a quiet, albeit tense, period with no open hostilities between Dooley and Pembry, it had slowly inched its way back. Once they’d had their run after the Halloween dinner without incident it was like they were done being nice and the scuffles and snarls had begun to show up again.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Katie Faith turned on some music and got closer to Aimee. “I’m afraid the dance tonight will blow up into a full on battle if I bring it up.”
“It’s only going to get worse until it explodes. My mom says about every twenty-five years or so they have some sort of kerfuffle.”
They kept their voices low, standing near with the music still playing. Shifters had amazing hearing but they’d be all right if they stayed quiet.
“I don’t want to be in the middle of some stupid turf war between werewolf packs. I didn’t come back here for that. I didn’t fall in love with Jace for that. I’m trying to get used to it.”
“For crying out loud, Katie Faith! Stop it. You’re in or you’re out. Suck it up. You love him and his family. You already chose a side. You’re not in the middle unless you keep resisting where you already are. Which is with Jace.”
She shot Aimee an aggrieved look before putting on her earrings and then her lipstick.
“What if it goes wrong again? You know? What if my judgment is so messed up and I make the same mistake? And here I am having to choose sides? I’m in over my head.”
Aimee hugged her quickly. “Are you so perfect you really see getting dumped at the altar by a guy who never loved you at all as some sort of character flaw you possess? Darrell was just a punk ass loser. You went away. You grew up in Chattanooga. You did it on your own. And then you came back different and better. Smart enough to know Jace isn’t a damned thing like Darrell. They’re barely even the same species. This is forever and I’ve never seen you so utterly certain of anything as you are Jace. You made the decision to love him way back when you first moved in here.”
“I don’t know how to be an alpha! I don’t know how to be a wife like Patty. She seems like all she does is bake and clean but damn, Aimee, she’s a powerhouse. How can I compete with that?”
“Don’t compete with that. She’s his Nana. Everyone fucking loves their Nana,” Aimee said. “She helped make him who he is, but he chose you. For real, your man has faith in you and your ability.”
“No pressure there,” Katie Faith mumbled.
“Oh boohoo. Too late to be worrying about that stuff. Has it ever occurred to you he’s letting you take your time with this even though you both know what’s what? What do you think it costs a guy like him to give you the space you need? Even though if you did marry him he would be stronger and he could take over as Patron with you at his side. The weight would firmly be with Dooley and we could move on to some balance with them in charge a while. No, not them anymore. You. If Jace trusts you, and I trust you, how about you trust yourself?”
Katie Faith had to look up at the ceiling to keep from crying as they hugged. “Thanks for the pep talk. I really needed it,” she said. He wanted them to move in together. Wanted to sleep not in his bed every night, or hers, but theirs.
And she did too, but living together with his grandparents just an acre away and her parents less than two miles in the other direction made her a little nervous. It wasn’t that she didn’t know they figured out she and Jace had sex. It was her hang-up she was sure.
“I want tonight to be fun. I want it to be romantic and wonderful. You’ll dance and I’ll dance and we’ll have a nice dinner and it’ll be great if we can avoid talk about stupid twenty-year-olds measuring their peckers in some sort of dominance display at the Counter. I’ll tell him tomorrow. You’re right, he should know. But let me have tonight as something akin to normal. Please.”
Aimee gave her a hard look before she sighed. “Fine. I’m glad we can agree I’m always right. Let’s eat and have cocktails and look pretty, shall we?”
Jace waited downstairs with his brothers so he didn’t see her right away. It gave her the chance to watch him without his knowing it. His hair needed a trim, but she didn’t really mind. He looked like a pirate. A werewolf pirate. That book so totally needed to be written.
He wore his serious face. He had dozens of versions. This one said he was patiently amused with his brothers but would still kick their asses if they pissed him off.
It made her smile and that’s when he looked up as if she’d said his name out loud.
He broke from the group he’d been with, making his way to her, pulling her close and swaying just a little. “You look gorgeous, little witch.”
She grinned against him. “Says the hot werewolf in a suit.”
“You ready to get going?” he asked as he set her away from him and took a long leisurely tour of her outfit. “Can’t wait to show you off. Damn, darlin’.”
“I’m so hungry,” she muttered as they got there a few minutes later. He’d wanted to walk but she had heels on and nixed that idea right quick.
“Works out nice then, that inside this building will be a lot of food.” He handed over their tickets at the door and then with a hand at the small of her back, guided her to a table already half filled with friends and family.
“I didn’t realize half these people were couples,” she said to Aimee once they’d gotten settled.
“Me either. I’m a little bummed, I can’t lie, to see Mason Braithwaite with a date. I was hoping to snag his attention a while,” Aimee replied as she passed around the bread basket.
Katie Faith buttered a piece of cornbread and tried not to inhale it. It had made sense earlier to save room for all the food at this dinner. But now she was bordering on hangry so she needed to get something in her belly.
Plus, the cornbread was really good. Good enough she had no remorse for choosing it over the rolls in the basket.
The energy in the hall was excited. Humming with holiday cheer, crackling with the tensions between packs.
Sharon, sitting next to Darrell across the way, sent Katie Faith a dirty look, which ruffled her feathers. br />
“I never did a thing to her. It’s all been at me from her and Darrell. She’s got some nerve to give me dirty looks.”
“I feel bad for her.” Aimee turned over her ordering card to the server who’d come to collect them. “I’d hate to think of an ex who was as pretty and talented as you are. It would seriously mess with my head. Plus, he’s a dingus so you know he probably hasn’t said much to reassure her.”
“Aw, I feel so bad.” Her tone was sarcastic, but there was some truth to it. “Having now, you know, found the person I’m meant to be with, I can’t hate her that she found it with the guy I thought was mine. I didn’t have this.” She motioned with a hand over at Jace, who blithely ignored her. “So I couldn’t know the difference. But I do now. If she hadn’t come along, I’d be a different person and not one I’m sure I could have really respected.”
“And you don’t have to worry about him running off with someone else.” Aimee tipped a chin at Jace.
“I’m not a fool, that’s why,” he said. “Stop getting her all worked up.” He frowned at Aimee, who made a rude sound.
Katie Faith grinned. He was so sweet beneath all that grump. Even Aimee saw it to tease him like a big brother.
“She’s going to be worried the whole of her life that he’ll do her the way he did you.” Aimee happily dug into her salad as it arrived. “There’s a very high bacon to salad ratio here. I approve.”
Even though Sharon had been giving her the stink eye, Katie Faith was hit with a bolt of sympathy. Being loved with total surety wasn’t anything she could have understood before Jace. But now, well, she didn’t know if she could claim she wouldn’t do whatever it took to be with Jace.
And if she didn’t have that, she had a man she couldn’t trust. Which was a fate she truly wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Years later, mainly all she had for Sharon was pity. Darrell she had no respect for. He was in the DTM file. Dead to me.
Ignoring him had been a good strategy over the last several weeks since his dumb ass nearly taunted her father back into the hospital. But if she saw him in town she looked right through him. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.