up to his lips for a brief kiss.
I smiled at him before shooting a glance at Reaper, who was simply beaming at us. While I knew logically his parents had no issues with me having other men, I still didn’t want to be inappropriate. Should I pay more attention to Reaper on principle? Or did the fact that they considered Jandro another son nullify that?
“Sit, everyone. Please,” Finn said. “Make yourselves at home.”
“Can I help with anything?” I asked, remembering my manners.
“Absolutely not.” Lis smiled at me from the counter as she chopped fragrant cilantro.
“Mari, do you prefer savory or sweet crepes?” Finn hovered over the small stove with a dish towel over his shoulder, carefully pouring batter into a pan.
“Savory, please.”
“Excellent choice,” he smiled.
I nursed my coffee at the table while our hosts prepared breakfast. Reaper and Jandro accepted bloody Marys from Noelle, who evidently was quite the mixologist. She and her mother both had cheery expressions on, but there was no mistaking how tired they looked. Lis had just learned of her youngest son Daren’s death, and Noelle, her father Carter’s.
The mood was light and easygoing while the family talked, so I chose not to bring up condolences. When Noelle sat next to me, I rubbed and squeezed her hand in sympathy. She met my eyes and mouthed, “Thank you.” Her lips wobbled only a little before taking another sip of her drink.
“So, Mari.” Finn washed his hands and dried them on a dish towel. “How did you have the misfortune of meeting my son?” He shoved Reaper’s head playfully, earning a grunt and a narrow-eyed glare.
I bit back my laugh with a smile. His playfulness reminded me more of Jandro than his birth son.
“We had stopped by the same service center in Old Phoenix,” I said. “I, uh, provided some medical services there. When my work was done, I didn’t have any specific destination in mind. So when his club was leaving, I went with them.”
It wasn’t a complete lie, just an omission of the killing and kidnapping details. Reaper seemed amused by my version of events, sending a lopsided smile my way.
“We heard about the Steel Demons all the way up in Nevada,” Finn said as he began setting plates in front of us. “I always knew my boy loved his motorcycles, but never thought he’d become this mythical vigilante figure.”
“Admit it. You’re proud.” Reaper smirked.
His father sat down, holding his thumb and forefinger close to each other in front of his face. “Just a tiny bit.”
“So Mari, if you don’t mind me asking,” Lis said once everyone was seated with a plate of food. “How strange did you feel about taking multiple husbands? Or was it not strange at all?”
Reaper’s hand came to rest on my knee under the table, squeezing encouragingly. “It took some getting used to,” I answered. “But Re—uh, Rory, was really patient with me and talked me through it. I think what surprised me most was how normal and right it felt.”
“That’s what I hear the most from others.” She smiled across the table at me before sliding a glance to her daughter next to me. “Nellie never really saw the perks, and still doesn’t, from what I hear.”
Noelle huffed, swallowing down her crepe with a slurp of her drink. “Larkan’s still just a prospect,” she glared daggers at her brother, “and it already scares me to death, all the crazy shit they make him do. I can’t imagine being in Mari’s position and worrying about four of these dicks. I’ll drop dead from a heart attack tomorrow.”
“Regardless, I’m glad you’re happy, dear. I’m excited to meet him.” Lis’ gaze returned to me. “And the rest of yours, Mari? How long have you been with that man from the market?”
“Oh, Shadow and I are still newly seeing each other,” I said, a light fluttering traveling up my body at the reminder of him. “We’re taking things a bit slowly, getting to know each other.”
“Jandro found him.” Reaper cocked his head at his best friend on the other side of him. “The guy was in much worse shape back then. He’s a different person now.”
“Yeah.” Jandro finished chewing his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I did a little bit, got him into the club and all that, but it was Mari that made him come out of his shell by leaps and bounds.”
Reaper’s parents listened with fascination to the story of Shadow, the heavily censored one that Jandro knew