“We spent four days in France and then four days in London,” Sawyer said, sipping his beer.
“We even got to spend a whole day with his family at their house outside Leeds,” Harley added. “His mother was thrilled he was finally settling down with someone, although less thrilled he was doing it here in America.”
“Oh please.” Sawyer snorted. “She absolutely loved you. Dad, too. Of course, neither one of them can figure out how we ended up together.” He gave the twins a grin. “I think they believe she’s out of my league. I didn’t bother telling them they’re right.”
Zoe and Chloe giggled, sharing another of those secretive glances.
“Did MI6 make it hard for you to leave?” Zoe asked, first to recover and get back to the practical questions.
“They didn’t try to convince Harley to join MI6 instead, did they?” Chloe asked, her face betraying how nervous she was that might have been a possibility.
Sawyer slipped his arm around Harley. “After my boss there realized I’m a werewolf and that Harley and I are together, he fell all over himself trying to get both of us to stay. And while I wouldn’t have minded continuing to work for MI6, I couldn’t ask Harley to leave her pack.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Chloe smiled. “Because she’s part of the family. And now, so are you.”
They all laughed at that, but it wasn’t lost on Harley how important it was that her pack mates had welcomed Sawyer into the fold. And while she would have left to be with him, she was relieved he hadn’t asked that of her. She’d longed to find a family for years and had found it in her pack. She was just glad McKay had been open to having Sawyer join STAT.
The doorbell rang shortly after that, Misty, Forrest, and Caleb coming in and immediately making their way straight across the living room over to where Sam and Dean, two adorable black lab mix puppies, were relaxing on the floor.
“Don’t get them spun up, Caleb,” Jes warned from the kitchen. “Jake took them both out for a long run this morning just so they’d be calm for the party. If you get them all crazy again, you’ll be the one who takes them for a walk while we eat dinner.”
Harley laughed as Caleb stood there with a pout on his face, looking like a kid told he wouldn’t be able to open his Christmas presents if he didn’t behave. It didn’t stop him from crouching down beside the puppies, both of whom greeted him excitedly.
Jake came in from the small balcony where the grill was, plates piled high with cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and steak in his hands. “Okay, who’s hungry?”
That had to be a rhetorical question, Harley thought, her stomach growling at the aroma of all that grilled perfection.
“Did you get all of your stuff moved into Harley’s place?” Jake asked after they’d all filled their plates and spread out around the living room to eat.
“I did,” Sawyer said after pausing to swallow the bite he’d taken from his burger. “Although I didn’t have much to worry about. A couple of suitcases full of clothes we flew back with and a few boxes of stuff from my flat in London. Harley and I are thinking of getting a slightly larger place now that there are two of us.”
Harley smiled, amazed at how happy the simple notion of getting a place together made her. Since they both loved to read, they wanted one with a room they could designate as a library, where they could showcase all the knickknacks and mementos they’d pick up on their future travels in addition to books. The idea of a home gym was also intriguing. Truthfully, though, it wasn’t the particular details of what they were looking for in a home that interested her. It was living with Sawyer that had her excited.
Still, she nodded her head at all the right times as everyone gave suggestions on where they might look for a place and what price range might be best for them. Jake was focused on practicality, saying they should try to find a place close to STAT headquarters so they could get through DC traffic quickly when they got called in on a mission on short notice. Jes and the twins wanted them to move into their apartment building. Misty and Forrest suggested a brownstone near them in Mount Vernon Square. Caleb thought they should get an RV. Harley had no idea if he was serious or not.
They laughed and talked about anything and everything while they ate, and once again, Harley was struck by how easily Sawyer fit in with her pack.
“Did McKay ever tell you what happened with Adriana and Kristoff?” Forrest asked curiously as he reached for another burger. “I know he was trying to get Adriana to join STAT, but I haven’t heard whether he was able to pull it off or not.”
“Weatherford was working her pretty hard, too.” Jake took a long sip of beer. “But I don’t think Adriana was interested in either offer. She told me before we left Calais that she and Kristoff wanted to spend time together without
