Free Wolf Moon by A.D. Ryan Page B

didn’t know why anyone would ever really need one of those, and I couldn’t fathom
how much something like that probably cost, but I was definitely going to have
to give it a try.
    Nick
stood at his dresser, putting the last of his clothes away, and when he was
finished, he joined me on the bed. “I am sorry that you had to find out about
Roxanne like that,” he said softly, sounding nervous to be bringing it up
again. “We were never serious, and it hasn’t been going on that long.”
    “Nick,”
I interjected. “You don’t owe me any explanations.”
    “I
know. But I want to be honest with you.” He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck
as if to relieve tension. “I’ve told you how I feel, and I’m pretty sure you
know what that means. I’m willing to wait until you’re ready—whenever
that is—but I want all the cards on the table. No secrets, remember?”
    A
knock at the door interrupted us, and while I initially thought that maybe it
was Roxanne coming to interrupt us—not that we were doing anything, really—my
nose told me it was Corbin.
    “Mom
said dinner’s ready,” he announced through the door before taking off.
    Nick
stood up and held out his hand. “You ready?”
    Smiling,
I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. Before we left the room, he
laced his fingers with mine and looked down at me. “There’s no need to come up
with an elaborate story,” he explained quietly. “Everyone knows about you
already, so we just need to tell them that we found each other again and
decided to give it another try.”
    “Everyone?”
I asked, stunned.
    Nick
smiled, his cheeks turning pink. “I’ve talked about you a lot over the years.”
    “So, we’ve reconnected
and decided to be together,” I repeated.
    “Correct.”
    Understanding, I nodded.
“Okay then. Let’s do this.”
    We walked into the dining
room together, and while not every seat at the elaborate table had been filled
yet, there were several new faces. The head and foot of the table remained
empty—something told me they belonged to Marcus and his wife—and
there were two to the right of the head that remained empty. Nick led us to
them and sat in the one at the corner while I took my place next to him.
    Across from Nick sat Jackson,
and I offered him a small, appreciative smile which he
responded to with a slight nod. Vince was seated next to him and a blonde woman
with dark brown eyes sat across from me. She offered me a warm smile.
    “Hi,” she said in a light
and airy voice. “I’m Layla . Vincent’s
wife. You’re Brooke, right?” I nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
    “You too,” I expressed
honestly as Corbin and the dark-haired girl from earlier walked in with a few
covered casserole dishes. They looked somewhat alike, so I deduced them to be
siblings.
    Nick leaned over, his
hand resting on my thigh and making the skin beneath the denim buzz. I pushed
the feeling away and shifted my leg until Nick pulled his hand back. He looked
a little hurt, but he tried to mask it as he started introductions. “That’s
Colby. Marcus’ seventeen-year-old daughter.”
    The two of them set the
dishes on the table, then went back to the kitchen for more as Marcus walked in
next, carrying a huge platter of ham. Directly behind him was a graceful, chestnut-haired
woman carrying another.
    “And that’s Miranda,
Marcus’ wife.”
    Her hair was stylishly
cropped to her chin, framing her narrow face, and her hazel eyes were bright
and cheerful—like a mother who was happy to have all of her children home
for the holidays.
    A knot formed in my
stomach and slammed around uncomfortably. Nick noticed and gave my thigh
another gentle squeeze, drawing my eyes to him. This time, I didn’t pull away.
I welcomed the affection if it meant I could focus on something other than how
much I missed my family. “You all right?”
    I opened my mouth to say
something as he brought his hand up and tucked a strand of hair behind