“I don’t care. I prefer the days when all I had to worry about was spit-up instead of boys ... and hormones ... and that mouth she inherited from her mother.”
Lily laughed at his reaction as she landed on his lap, overjoyed at whatever she saw inside his busy brain.
Curious, Zoe tilted her head and leaned closer to the baby. “She’s interesting, huh?”
I watched the mage for a sign that she recognized what Lily was. “Do you see something in her?”
“She’s magical,” Zoe replied, briefly running her fingertips over the baby’s soft hair. “It’s only mild, though. It’s all mind magic.”
“You can just pick that up?” Aisling looked intrigued. “I’m not magical — other than being a reaper, I mean. And Griffin isn’t at all. We’re not sure how she got this way.”
“What is she?” Zoe queried. “I mean ... what can she do?”
“She’s an empath,” I answered. “She picks up on the emotions of others, so when the people she loves are happy, she’s happy.”
“Oh, well, that sounds dangerous.” Zoe laughed when Lily let loose a belly chuckle. “If Sami had picked up on our moods when she was a kid she would’ve burnt the house down to the ground.”
“She’s wasn’t that bad,” Aric argued, swaying back and forth as he offered Lily a series of ridiculous smiles.
“Don’t get attached to that baby,” Zoe warned. “We’re not having another one.”
“I know.” His smile never wavered. “I just want to spend five minutes looking at an innocent face that doesn’t spout the words ‘lady parts,’ if that’s all right with you.”
Zoe’s smile was mischievous. “Knock yourself out.”
“Thank you.”
“Just don’t get attached to that baby. We’re done.”
“I’m well aware.”
When I risked a glance at Sami, I found her watching Cillian with wonder. “What do you guys put in the water here?” she asked when she finally found her voice. “You should bottle it and put it up for sale on Etsy.”
Now there was an idea.
Five
“Now this is what I call dinner.”
Sami’s enthusiasm only grew when she realized that the Grimlocks found her delightful. Honestly, she was like a sixth child, a younger sister they’d only recently discovered. Even Aisling, who didn’t always play well with others, adored the girl.
Cormack held the platter of prime rib in front of Sami so she could take as many slices as she desired. “You don’t get prime rib at home?”
Sami snorted. “Mom can’t cook.”
Zoe shot her offspring a warning look. “I can cook.”
Aric snorted, and then quickly tried to cover the sound with a cough. When Zoe switched her ire to him, he became fascinated with the mashed potatoes.
“I can cook,” Zoe repeated. “I just don’t happen to believe that a woman has to cook. I’m an advocate for female empowerment.”
“You’re a wonderful advocate, baby,” Aric reassured her. “Nobody is a better advocate than you.”
“Mom orders takeout like a champ,” Sami offered as she used the gravy bowl to douse her food. “She loves tacos.”
“Who doesn’t love tacos?” Aisling challenged. “Tacos are the best.”
“Tacos are good,” Griffin agreed, his gaze moving to the infant chair in the corner. After thirty minutes straight of laughing and clapping, Lily had passed out from exhaustion. Rather than move her upstairs to her crib, it was decided she could stay with the family. She slept soundly now, something that wasn’t always a given, and nobody worried about waking her.
“This is better,” Sami insisted, shoving a huge hunk of prime rib into her mouth. She proceeded to chew, but didn’t stop talking. “We only get food like this in a restaurant.”
“Oh, I’ve never been prouder,” Zoe intoned, shaking her head. “Sami, don’t talk with your mouth full of food.”
“I’m not,” Sami protested around the prime beef.
“Aw, she’s kind of cute,” Aric enthused. “I want to keep her just like this. No more boys or dances or stupid highlanders in kilts.”
“Highlanders?” Redmond looked around. “Who’s wearing a kilt? Did I miss something?”
“Kilts are a smart look,” Jerry offered. “I’ve been considering them for our wedding.”
Aidan vehemently shook his head. “No, you haven’t.”
“You don’t know,” Jerry challenged. “I could be thinking about a kilt.”
“I’m not wearing a kilt.”
“Nobody asked you to wear a kilt,” Jerry sniffed. “I was talking about me. I want to look like Jamie Fraser on Outlander.”
Sami seemed so excited at the mention of the show, she choked.
“Smaller bites,” Cormack insisted, lightly tapping her back. “The food isn’t going to go anywhere. I have five children, and most of them have significant others now. I make sure there’s enough food for everyone. You never have to worry about that in this house.”
Sami finally swallowed the bite. “This is how I normally eat.”
“Now you see why we’re so proud,” Aric said. His plate was absolutely overflowing with food and he didn’t look all that apologetic. Since the other men at the table had matching helpings, he fit right in, much like his daughter.
Zoe was another story. She wasn’t exactly holding back but it was obvious she was still trying to get a feel for the family dynamics. It was for that reason I decided to focus on her.
“You didn’t come from a big family,” I noted as she dug into her smaller portion.
She shook her head. “I’m an only child. I grew up entertaining myself. The first time I lived with other people close to my age was at college. It wasn’t always a smooth fit.”
“And your husband?”
“He’s an only child, too, but he grew up playing with other pack members.” Her eyes flicked to the Grimlock brothers, all of whom seemed to be happy to engage in sports talk with the alpha wolf. “He seems pretty happy, despite the fact that the men here stir Sami’s lady bits.”
Aric kept his eyes on Cillian, who was in the middle of a story, but jabbed his finger toward Zoe. “Don’t ever bring that up again.”
Zoe ignored him.
