CHAPTER 31

F our days of damn near solid sleep did a hunter good. I barely crawled my ass out of bed, the exhaustion and healing tanking my ability to do anything. But for the most part, I was healed. Everything left was mostly cosmetic—bruises looking weeks old and fading fast.

Gray kept in contact with my family. He knew the gritty details about the aftermath with my father, but I didn’t want to know. He and Mal went back and forth about whether Boise was safe for us to stay and meet up. I kept out of the conversation. I trusted Gray to make the best decision while I took care of myself.

Which was how we ended up in a fifties-themed diner after four days to meet my family for lunch.

We were having a fucking family lunch.

That sentence was surreal to me. And nauseating. And fucking stressful.

Fuck, I was a wreck.

“Nervous, baby?” Gray asked, grinning as he watched the cheap silverware bounce around the table. My leg bounced with endless anxious energy no matter how hard I tried to stop it. He reached across the table and took my hand. His thumb traced the ridges of my knuckles—simple and soothing.

“Ask me the last time we did a family… anything,” I said under my breath.

The day Zeke died. That was when.

“It ain’t goin’ to be like that,” he replied. “You got me. And fuck, baby, you’re gettin’ better at this control thing too when you think about it. You know I’m right.”

“It’s not enough,” I muttered. The door jingled, and I tensed, watching as a family of five walked in, laughing and having a great time. We weren’t like that. We never had been. “This was a mistake. We shouldn’t—”

“Take a deep breath for me, baby,” he cut me off. Those honey-chocolate eyes glared at me until I did as he asked. News flash: it didn’t help. “This ain’t goin’ to be like last time. They’re goin’ to come hang out, we’re goin’ to eat some fuckin’ epic bacon cheeseburgers, and you’re goin’ to have fun because you ain’t had any real time with them in almost a fuckin’ decade. You deserve to spend some time with your family.”

“But what if it’s not safe?” I replied.

“It ain’t safe.” He shrugged. “Baby, we live in a world of fuckin’ superpowers and demons. And that ain’t includin’ all the stupid humans and the stupid shit they do. I watch the news. Humans are fuckin’ morons. No one is safe.”

“That’s not helping.”

“My point is… I spent the last forty-eight hours arguin’ with a man I ain’t even datin’ about stupid lunch plans. If it wasn’t safe, we wouldn’t be here. I ain’t riskin’ you. Mal and Tessa ain’t either. Okay?”

Grayson Harper, the voice of reason. Sometimes. I gave his hand an appreciative squeeze.

“Okay.” I needed something to distract myself. For four days, Gray had been wearing my dog tags, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. Until now. “Why are you still wearing my dog tags?”

“Without Sergeant Josiah Hartford I wouldn’t have Ryder Collins. And I’m real damn happy I have you, baby.” He said it so simply—like I should’ ve known he’d cling to whatever parts of me I gave him.

We fell silent as we waited for my family to show up. I wanted to say my nerves went away, but they didn’t. If anything, they got worse as the time passed. Thankfully, Gray didn’t say a word. All he did was grab the silverware and put it on the window ledge so it’d stop bouncing around the table. When the waitress brought glasses of water, he promptly put those on the ledge as well.

“They’re late,” I said quietly after almost half an hour passed.

“They’re travelin’ with a child,” Gray retorted. He smirked, adding, “And Jo.”

“You’re making fun of my brother, aren’t you?”

“He makes it so damn easy.”

As if summoned, the door jingled, and my brother walked in—big ass smile, Star Wars shirt, flannel, and all. That smile only got bigger as we made eye contact.

“Fuck, is it good to see you!” Mal exclaimed for everyone in the diner to hear as he approached. I was on my feet all of half a second before he hauled me in for a hug. No amount of walls or defenses could keep out the happiness that melted into my skin. “I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah,” I whispered. Okay, as a family of empaths, we weren’t always great at expressing ourselves, but the feelings were there. “Where’s Tess?”

“I don’t have children,” he announced as he let me go. “Which means I can get out of the car without three hundred tasks first. Gray! You look alive!”

Gray chuckled as he got to his feet to greet my brother. Mal bypassed the hand he offered and hugged him.

“We’re a hugging family,” Mal said.

“Since when?” I demanded.

“Since I had a baby, and I get emotional over everything,” Tessa cut in. I smiled as she joined us with Jo propped on her hip. I smiled because damn it, my niece was adorable. Big blue eyes, little auburn pigtails, and chubby cheeks in a pair of pink overalls. It was like looking at old pictures of Tessa all over again right down to the two fingers she sucked on.

“She definitely takes after you,” I told her. I didn’t have a clue what to do with a one-year-old. Did I talk to her? Wave at her?

Demons, sure. Hunt them, stab them, kill them. That shit was easy. Toddlers, no fucking clue. My only experience with small children came from being a kid once. As an adult pushing forty… this was a whole different experience. Shit, I felt awkward as I gave her a little wave. Her happy face broke into a giant, one-tooth smile, and she waved, sending saliva flying.

I was in with the toddler. Why did that shit make me happy?

Ah, fuck it. Who cared?

I reached for her, going for some uncoordinated attempt to take her from my sister. Jo was more than happy to abandon Tessa in favor of some stranger—a fact I wasn’t thrilled with.

Note to self: talk to Tessa about stranger danger conversations. It was never too early for that shit. People sucked.

“Be careful,” Tessa said as she steadied Jo with a hand on her back. “She likes to bite.”

“So, she’s like her mama was,” I commented as I held Jo close. Those big blue eyes glared at me as if offended by my comment— yeah, that look was all Tessa. “You know, your mama used to bite everyone.”

“Used to?” Jake teased with a grin.

“Still my baby sister, Jake,” I retorted gruffly. Was just filing that under shit I didn’t need to know about my sister. “We’re sticking with used to and that’s that.”

“Why the fuck is she so small?” Gray demanded, changing the conversation. His hand touched the small of my back as he poked Jo in the cheek. Was it bad form to poke babies? She didn’t seem to mind at all as she giggled. When he did it again to the other cheek, she giggled harder and practically tumbled back out of my arms as she wiggled. I scrambled to keep her upright and tightened my arms around her. He chastised, “Don’t drop the baby, Ryder. ”

Poking babies was apparently a good thing. Dropping babies definitely was not.

“I’m not trying to,” I muttered. “Stop poking the baby, and she won’t try to throw herself around.”

“Nah, I’m the cool uncle, remember?” He laughed. Jo laughed. It was a dangerous friendship in the making. “I’m goin’ to teach her all the best shit.”

And then he fucking poked her all over again. At least I was ready for the flopping giggles this time.

“Stop taking pictures, Tess.” I glanced to where she shamelessly had her phone out taking pictures.

“Can’t and won’t,” she replied. Even still, I smiled—not at her. I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. No, it was everything else. My siblings, my niece, Gray. It was lunch in a stupid fifties-themed diner.

It all felt so normal.

And I liked it.

“All right, I hear this place has the best bacon cheeseburger around,” Jake said as he joined us, a diaper bag over his shoulder and a big grin on his face. I glanced down at Jo, watching while she continued to giggle at Gray’s antics. Okay, the smile was all Jake.

“See!” Gray exclaimed happily. “I ain’t the only one lookin’ forward to a damn good burger.”

“Oh, we don’t swear in front of Jo,” Jake told him. I scoffed, turning away to hide my quiet laughter. Good luck getting Gray not to swear .

“No can do,” he replied. “The cool uncle gets to teach her all the good swears.”

“I’m the cool uncle,” Mal cut in.

“I’ll fight you,” Gray said. Good Lord.

“Here.” She held her arms out to take Jo as Mal slid to the corner of their bench. “Let me take her.”

“No,” I said. Instead, I nodded for Gray to get in before me. I propped Jo on the table in front of me, sliding one arm around her. “She’s mine. ”

“Ours,” Gray corrected. “For lunch and anythin’ not related to her diaper.”

“Why do they get out of diaper duty and I don’t?” Mal cut in.

“Because you live with us and don’t pay rent. You two sure you don’t want kids?” Jake asked. I frowned, but he merely shrugged. “Sorry, Tess told me.”

“We like this crotch goblin,” Gray retorted.

“Don’t you call my daughter a crotch goblin!” Tessa snapped.

“At least she’s a cute one,” he said. He held out a hand to Jo, and she promptly put his finger in her mouth, chewing on him. For as much as he didn’t like kids, Gray was damn good with them. “Feisty fucker. At least she ain’t like some of those ugly babies you see out there.”

“Please, tell me those hands are clean.” Tessa cringed as Jo blubbered around Gray’s finger.

“Darlin’, I do all sorts of dirty things with these hands,” he teased. “Ask your brother.”

“Gray!” I exclaimed at the same time as Tessa. Her expression was horrified.

“Don’t worry.” Gray laughed. “My hands are clean.”

I shook my head because only Gray. As banter and food discussions cycled around the table, I made faces at Jo. The steady swell and sway of good emotions seeped through my skin, and I let myself lean into it.