and put myself at the center of attention. “Let’s do this before I chicken out and run for my car,” I said and held up my keys.
He rose to his feet and ushered me toward the door. “There’s no reason to be nervous. Yeah, a couple of the guys, and maybe one or two of the girls, might give you a little shit, but I promise they’ll only be fucking with you. Everyone here’s excited to meet you.”
“Oh,” I said, exaggerating my surprise. “And what have you told them about me?”
He snorted and gently bounced Blue in his arms. “I didn’t say anything other than I was bringing a friend to the cookout. And now’s probably a good time to mention that the girls don’t know about me fighting. I told them we met at a club, which isn’t a lie.”
“No need to explain to me. I know how things work in worlds like this. Besides, you got a deal as long as you don’t mention my sibling to my brothers or my father. Or anyone for that matter.”
He stopped and held out his hand. “Deal,” he said with a curt nod.
I laughed but shook his hand. “Deal.”
Blue giggled and unexpectedly launched herself at me. Bronze clearly wasn’t expecting the move and fumbled to catch her. Since I was still shaking his hand, I was close enough to reach up and grab her, pulling her safely into my arms.
Bronze’s hands continued to try to catch Blue after she’d been caught by me, and we ended up in a tangled hug while Bronze and I caught our breath.
“She’s never done that before,” he said in disbelief. “Well, not when I’ve been holding her. She does it if I’ve been gone for a while and walk into the room when someone else is holding her.”
“Oh, well, I’m a little flattered, even though it worries me. What if I’m too far away and can’t catch her? I don’t want her to get hurt.”
I felt him place a kiss on the top of my head. “Sweet Sloane,” he murmured and gently pressed his hand against the small of my back to cue me to start walking again, leaving Blue cradled in my arms.
I paused when it became clear we were headed for a set of doors instead of an outdoor area. “I thought you said this was a cookout.”
He laughed. “It is. But for various reasons, many I can’t recall, we set everything out and eat in the common room. One of the guys usually grills right beside the back door.”
“You won’t have any complaints from me. I’d much rather eat inside with air conditioning and without bugs.”
“You don’t like bugs,” he repeated. “I’m guessing that means you don’t like spiders either?”
“Nope, no, and nuh-uh.”
“What about snakes?” he asked slowly.
I shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with snakes as long as they stay in their approved zones.”
“And what are those?” he chuckled.
“Anywhere that isn’t in my house, my car, my swimming pool, or any of the patios, decks, or balconies.”
He nodded. “Good. Then you shouldn’t have a problem with the two snakes that live here.”
“What?” I shrieked and protectively held his daughter against my chest as I scanned the area.
With his hand resting on the knob, he nodded to the door. “Inside. Copper and I each have a ball python. They share a habitat in another brother’s room. You won’t see them unless you open the door to his room and go inside. But, I thought you should know they were there,” he explained, a little too much.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
“I knew I heard voices!” a woman shouted as the door suddenly opened. “What’re y’all doing out here?”
Blue started wiggling two seconds before she started crying. Bronze scooped her from my arms and tried to soothe her. “It’s okay, Blue Bean. Aunt Leigh didn’t mean to scare you. She was just being impatient. We’ll forgive her for some cookies, won’t we?”
“Bronze Black, hush your mouth and get in here so you can introduce us to your friend,” the woman presumed to be Leigh said.
“And be quick about it. She won’t let us eat until ‘everyone has arrived and been properly introduced,’” a large man with strawberry blonde hair and light eyes that danced with a mischievous gleam said.
“Trey, if I learned one thing over my many years, it’s don’t piss off the woman that feeds you,” an older version of Trey said. He stepped forward and smiled kindly. “I’m going to