excited to have the surprise pizza and friends. Rooker stays pretty quiet, maybe because he’s worked all day with Finn and me or maybe because he can tell Lucan and I are a bit distracted so he’s giving us space, as much as he’s able to.
Finn talks to the kids, winks at me, and inhales three pizzas in the time it takes me to shake off the calorie guilt and finish three slices.
When I feel eyes on me, I glance over and meet Lucan’s gaze.
“Hey,” I murmur to him. We’re seated kitty-corner to each other, close enough to talk, but with only three people in the house having human ears, there’s not a whole lot either of us are going to feel comfortable saying. Not here.
I bite my lip. “So… Do you want to head to the dens for the weekend?” I add quickly, “All of us, I mean. We can all go, and maybe you and I can find a few minutes to talk about… things.”
Lucan’s gaze doesn’t shy away from contact; but it strays over my face, reading me. “I’d like that. I need to talk to you.”
My belly flips, just hearing him say this.
His eyes meet mine again, and hold. “There’s a quiet place at the dens I want to show you.”
I don’t glance away to check the wall clock or my phone. Because it doesn’t matter what time it is. I stare into Lucan’s eyes and say, “Then let’s go together.”
CHAPTER 43
LUCAN
When we arrive at the dens, Ginny and Charlotte give me significant, gleeful looks as they take Maggie’s hands and haul her into a game of tag with several other children in both forms.
With a grateful nod to them, I take Susan’s hand. My gaze is drawn to her fingernails, which are done in alternating colors: a lemony-bright hue from a bottle labeled Hay There, and a royal scarlet shade called Can’t Be Beet!
Ginny and Charlotte were grinning as they surprised her with the latter bottle of polish the other night. And Susan laughed.
I was amused at the name too. When I examined all the little bottles of polish the girls had brought out to the coffee table in the living room, I found myself chuckling softly at all the color names. Tickle my France-y. To Infinity & Blue-Yond! Teal The Cows Come Home. And my favorite: Alpaca My Bags.
The girls began giggling at how much fun I was having with the inventive shade names. “You’re such a dork,” Ginny had wheezed. But she said it fondly, and I felt the friendship in the words.
The nail polish smell and polish remover stench are hell on my nose, but the girls all sit down and paint each other’s nails on a weekly basis. It’s all so… domestic. Bafflingly, Ginny has been part of the family’s nail care days for years. It makes me wonder how her sensitive wolf’s nose hasn’t been burned away. It’s one more thing on a list of things I’ve started chalking up to the mystery of feminine creatures.
And speaking of feminine creatures, I’m gearing up to declare my intentions to one. I clear my throat and ask Susan, “What's the difference between a cat and a comma?”
She gives me a slow, slow blink.
“One has claws at the end of its paws and the other is a pause at the end of a clause,” I blurt.
“Lucan…”
Before I lose my nerve, I tell her, “While there’s still some daylight, there’s somewhere I want you to see.”
Her eyes are on me, searching me, but I can’t meet her gaze. In a tone that reveals her understanding, she asks, “Is this the quiet place you promised?”
Her fingers squeeze mine.
“Yes,” I say, my hand tightening around hers, returning her affectionate squeeze. “Come with me.”
I watch her lips curve up sweetly. “Lead the way.”
We’re almost to the church—our destination—when I realize that she’s grimacing to herself.
I stop, and now I do manage to meet her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
She gives me an abashed smile. “It’s my feet. They’re complaining.”
I look down at her sneakers. “You have been on them all day.”
“Yep,” she agrees. She tugs my hand. “Let’s keep going. I’ll power through.”
I slide my hand from hers only to take her elbow. “You don’t have to suffer. Let me help.” With no hesitation, I step close beside her, wrap my arm around her back and bend down to catch her under her thighs. I pop her up into my arms and tell her, “Put your arms around my