Chapter 45

Athird howl echoed through the forest, and Declan was out of his chair in a heartbeat with Nolan right behind him. We all were. Eyes on the forest, nerves and hopes high.

The final howl.

The final stretch.

For a silly pack game, we were all wholly invested, or maybe we were just invested in our pack winning for the first time. Cole rounded the last bend with Isla on his tail. Literally. Roan and Raven were nowhere to be seen.

“Where the fuck is she?” Cade demanded with an edge of worry in his voice.

“She’s fine,” Killian said. “She’s just not as fast.”

“No, she’s faster,” Declan insisted. She was.

“Final leg strategy,” Nolan told us all. I glanced at him to see a ridiculous smile on his face. Whatever he knew, I wanted to know it too.

Halfway down the path toward us, Raven darted out of the trees and cut off Cole. The lawn erupted in cheers and howls as Raven sprinted the last bit with ease. When she crossed the finish line, the sound grew louder.

“Thats our girl!” Declan shouted and grabbed Nolan around the waist. Despite Nolans protesting, Declan lifted him off the ground shaking.

Me? My face hurt as I beamed. I couldnt clap any harder as I watched my friend slow and come to a stop. Her tail swished happily, and Holly trotted around her as if staking claim.

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ!” Cole panted the moment he was in human form again. “I aint run that fast in fuckin’ years.”

“You didn’t run that fast this time either, big boy,” Cade shot back with a cocky grin. “You good, Isla?”

“Yeah, yeah! I’m good, mo bhràthair,” Isla replied, a little winded but otherwise happy. “Off to find my clothes!”

“Joke’s on you,” he called after her. “I took them!”

“Oh, well, that wouldn’t be fair to Mr. Growly, now would it?” Her laughter hung in the air as she vanished.

I fell quiet as Declan jogged across the lawn with Raven toward the shift shed. Nolan was preoccupied with a conversation with Lucas while Killian managed to take over the entire conversation. I would’ve been lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit in awe of the level of charisma the man had gained over three years. He was confident and engaging—traits he hadn’t easily exuded before.

It left me with questions.

Finn, Sam, and Lucas belting out ‘We Are The Champions’as they gestured across the lawn snapped me out of my head. Declan carried Raven on his back while singing at the top of her lungs with them.

“You, Cole Stone, got Byrne-d!” Raven taunted when Declan dropped her to the grass. Oh, no.

“Oh.” Sam cringed as he shook his head. Declan and Killian sucked in a sharp breath in unison while Nolan groaned.

“Oh, no.” Finn joined him. “No, no, no.”

“You can’t say that,” Lucas said. She frowned, planting her hands on her hips. “Not here.”

“Why not?” she demanded. “It’s a good pun!”

“Bad experience,” Finn told her.

“Six years ago, three lighters, two bags of marshmallows, and a possum. We don’t talk about it.”

“What?” She frowned deeply as she looked to me for help.

“Sorry.” I shook my head as well. We really didn’t talk about the possum. Ever. “We don’t talk about that weekend.”

“Ever,” Nolan agreed solemnly.

“To our graves,” Killian said. He tossed a wink in my direction—a confusing and stupidly sexy wink. What game was he playing with the back-and-forth?

“Sorry, honey,” Declan added, but she waved him off with a disgruntled sound. From the look on her face, she wasn’t going to leave this one alone. At least not until she got the answer. Declan clapped his hands together and faced the woods. “Okay. We’re down one runner.”

“Furry fuck probably got lost,” Killian replies.

“Well, we’re stuck until he shows the fuck up,” Sam told us. He flopped back in one of the lawn chairs. “Get comfortable, folks, and put on some fucking pants, Stone.”

A good thirty or so minutes later, Roan meandered out of the forest. He shifted as he strolled across the lawn, looking quite pleased with himself and a bit disheveled.

“Where the fuck did you go, you furry shit?” Killian asked. “I was about to send the fucking search party out for you.”

“Fuck running. I wasn’t winning anyway, so I took a fucking nap, thank you very much.” He stopped in the middle of everything, his hands bracketing his hips. I knew Roan well enough to know the dang man was drawing attention to his naked dick as he stood there. From the scowl that crossed Killian’s face, he knew it too. Well, that and the fact that he caught me watching the whole exchange.

“Put some fucking pants on,” he snapped. “Shit! No one wants to see that.”

A lot of ladies wanted to see that, considering the number of gazes that followed Roan as he took his sweet time finding his shirt and pants.

“Okay! Before we get this party started, we have two orders of business to take care of,” Declan announced as if there wasn’t already food and drinks across the yard, conversations everywhere, and music going. “First and absolute foremost, Cole, get your furry ass over here and say the words to my fiancé.”

“What fuckin’ words?” Cole demanded.

“You know the words,” Roan taunted. “Just say them, big guy, and the real torture can begin.”

“Come on, Stone.” Raven grinned. God, she was loving every tortured minute of Cole’s misery. “Let me hear you say it.”

“Fuck me,” he grumbled. He scrubbed a hand over his face, annoyed to no end with their antics. Cole wasn’t into the chaos that the rest of them were—I had a feeling it was the age thing. Hands on his hips, he sighed. “Raven Woods—not a fuckin’ Byrne—”

“Rude,” she interrupted, and I stifled a giggle. “But continue.”

“Raven Woods, tonight I’m your bitch,” Cole muttered. The words were barely audible as he said them.

“Louder!” Lucas shouted.

“Say it with your chest, Stone!” Sam taunted. I smiled. These boys. Their chaos and antics were a welcome reprieve from the weird awkwardness that ensued with whatever the hell Killian was doing.

“Fine!” Cole snapped. “Raven Woods, tonight I am your bitch. There? Fuckin’ happy now?”

“I don’t know. Honey?” Declan turned to Raven. “Are you happy?”

“That’ll do, little wolf, that’ll do.” And then she reached out and patted Cole on the head—standing on her tip-toes to do it. Cole’s face burned red with anger. I rotated sharp on my heel and hid my face to keep from laughing at him. Good Lord, she’d dared to pet Cole Stone. The woman had no fear.

The uproar around them was glorious as Byrnes and Ironwoods alike took delight in the exchange. Even Alice got in on it, following her brother around and petting him as he tried to keep her at bay.

“Second order of business!” Sam hollered. “The Byrnes fucking won!”

Thateveryone heard. Anything else Sam was going to say was lost in the sea of excitement. I stood back and watched the Byrne boys all get into it. I was all sorts of conflicted despite how hard I tried to dive into the moment.

Unfortunately, I managed to do so for all of thirty seconds before Nolan realized it and dragged me right back into the group.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered as he dropped an arm around my shoulder. Nolan was too good to me. “We’ll Nemo our way out of this chaos as soon as she bestows upon them her plan.”

“Thank you,” I said, wrapping my arm around his waist and getting comfortable at his side.

“Awkward fish buddies for life,” he promised, eliciting a small smile from me.

“Quiet, you loud shits!” Killian shouted.

“Which means!” Sam continued. “Since she brought home the win, Raven gets to pick any one thing she wants—”

“Within reason,” Declan cut in fast.

“That’s no fun,” Raven said.

“But damn smart,” Cade replied.

“So, Raven,” Lucas began, “winner for the Byrnes, future Mrs. Byrne, bringer of chaos, what’s it going to be?”

“Bringer of chaos… I like that,” she mused. Hip cocked, she tapped a finger to her lips as she hummed to herself. I laughed because I knew exactly what she had planned—mostly because Nolan and I had helped her. As she pointed to each person, she said, “I need… Declan, Lucas, Sam, Killian, Finn, Maverick, Roan, Axel, Cade, and Cole.”

“What the fuck are we doing?” Axel asked.

“We’re going to have a lumber-snack contest!” Raven announced as she clapped her hands together happily.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Declan ran a hand over his face. “Honey—”

“Don’t you honey me,” she interrupted. “I want a shirtless, wood-cutting, lumber-snack contest, and that’s what I’m getting.”

“That’s a safety hazard!”

“Eh, fuck it.” Maverick threw back the last of his beer. “Better than lawn darts.”

“One fucking time!” Sam exclaimed.

“Come on, Stabby McGee,” Killian grabbed Sam by the shoulders, “let’s go chop some fucking wood.”

It was fairly obvious that no one had anticipated Raven’s level of preparedness for this contest. When Raven came to Nolan and me with her idea, Nolan agreed to help if he didn’t have to compete. As a result, we had ten massive blocks of wood and axes lined up on the far end of the house. Everyone had been so preoccupied with the race that no one had noticed the stuff we set up.

After a mess of protesting and excited agreement, Raven managed to get every single one of the guys shirtless and situated behind a block of wood. To say most of the onlookers were female was an understatement, but I didn’t blame them. Good Lord, what a sight the ten of them were.

And Lord help me, I was trying not to stare at him. Why did Killian have to look so damn good? Why couldn’t he have come back fat and balding? I’d always found my husband to be attractive but shoot. The muscles, tattoos, and longer hair were doing it for me. My lady parts were having too much say in the thoughts I had about him. I hugged the winner’s shirt I’d made closer to my chest as if that would hide my sinful thoughts.

“Really this might be the best idea you’ve ever had,” I whispered to Raven.

“I’m having Nolan film it,” she replied with a wicked grin. “I’m keeping this forever.”

“You’ll have to figure out how to top this next year.”

“Naked wood chopping?” Raven suggested with a laugh.

“I don’t think you’ll get Declan to agree to that,” I said. “But I’d love to see you try.”

“I need to put it out there that this isn’t standard safety procedures,” Declan announced loudly. He gestured down the line. “No shoes, no shirts, no sharp objects. That should be how this goes.”

“Okay, Daddy Declan,” Axel scoffed.

“No,” he retorted.

“Your complaint has been heard and thus filed under we don’t give a shit,” Finn said.

“Amen,” Cade agreed.

“When one of you loses a fucking toe, don’t come running to me to bitch,” Declan snapped.

“If they cut off a toe, I don’t think they’ll be running at all,” I commented. Killian snorted while Declan scowled at me. I shrugged. “It’s true!”

“Why can’t I use my own ax—”

“I think you’re stalling because you know you’re going to lose,” Killian interrupted with a wicked grin.

“Don’t you forget who taught you how to do this,” Declan clapped back. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at him. All of them. The entire thing was ridiculous.

“Okay, you gorgeously equipped men.” Raven laughed at her own joke. “The name of the game is simple: first one through the wood is crowned the lumber-snack! Baby, I’m counting on you here. Make it hard for them.”

“It’s my job,” Declan reminded her.

“I vaguely remember that you’re now a retired lumberjack,” Roan cut in. “Probably gone soft in your old age.”

“Oh, fuck you!”

“Bring it on, you furry shit,” he retorted. At the rate they were going, they’d never start. Maybe that was the plan.

“Boys, boys, boys!” Raven chastised loudly. “Take all the hot, masculine aggression and channel it into your wood.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Killian turned around, biting his fist as he tried not to lose it while Lucas practically howled with laughter. Most of us were used to the things Raven said—including her obsession with making wood jokes around Declan. No matter how many she made, he still groaned and turned red at least around the ears. Sometimes he turned a questionably violent shade of red. It was fun to see what would happen whenever she spoke. Killian, however, was experiencing her for the first time. Watching him do so was entertaining—even if I was conflicted about… well, everything.

“Grab your wood, boys!” Raven hollered.

“If he doesn’t marry her, I will!” Axel announced, laughing.

“Honey—”

“I know, I know. That one was a stretch.” She sighed. “Grab your axes, boys, and get chopping! The winner demands it!”

The banter died as they did what she asked. Cheers from the ladies around us rose in the air with the first slam of their axes. I let out a small sound of encouragement, clapping my hands together.

“What do you think of a romance novel where two lumberjacks get into a competition—male, female combination,” Nolan began softly, leaning closer as we watched. “And the woman kicks his ass. Her choice of prize is getting him to take her on a date. Ensue romance.”

“Please, write that,” I replied. “Put Declan in an open flannel on the front. The girls will go wild.”

“I should put Raven on the cover, open flannel, lacy bra,” he said.

“Oh, I want to do that,” Raven interjected. “Let me do that.”

“I’m writing it.” Nolan nodded, and I made a mental note to put that in his writing journal. He’d forget otherwise. Truthfully, he’d forget most things if I didn’t write it down for him.

Granted, the longer I watched Killian chop wood, there was a good chance I’d forget it too. Lord have mercy on my soul, the man was downright sinful. I was captivated by how his biceps bulged and his abs contracted with every sweeping pass of the ax. Every breath was controlled, and his strikes were perfectly timed. The man was a well-oiled machine.

Who cared what anyone else was doing?

I was stuck on him. My skin vibrated and warmed as my gaze trailed down every inch of him I could. It was so easy to get lost in him—this way or any way. My head drifted to the side slowly as I openly ogled him. God bless Raven and her shenanigans. I could fight with the man all I wanted, but there was no denying how turned on watching him chop wood had me.

The intensely dramatic gasp Raven let out startled me back to reality.

Declan’s ax broke.The blade jammed in the wood while the handle broke off.

“Baby!” she exclaimed.

“Son of a bitch!” Declan snapped.

Not even ten seconds later, Killian slammed his ax into the grass, reached down, and tore apart the two halves of his block of wood. My jaw went slack when he did.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus. Lord help my poor panties.

“And that’s how you cut some fucking wood!” Killian taunted, whirling on Declan with a ridiculously level of pride.

“You only won because my ax broke!” Declan shot back in anger.

“Or maybe you’re just getting a little soft in your retirement.” He smacked Declan in the abs.

“Try that again, you little shit, and see where it gets you.”

“Fight, fight, fight!” Roan and Axel chanted in unison. Their volume rose as Finn and Lucas chimed in.

“Why do they always resort to fighting?” Nolan asked.

“Who knows,” Raven replied.

“Ain’t no one fightin’, you fuckin’ morons,” Cole said. He huffed out a quick breath, hands on his hips as he abandoned cutting wood.

“Shit, this is harder than it fucking looks,” Cade stated. “Declan, you make this shit look easy.”

“Okay, I didn’t expect him to lose,” Raven told me as she leaned in closer.

“Me either,” I admitted. Truly, we thought Declan was going to win—heck, I’d even made the winner’s shirt to fit Declan instead of anyone else.

“Hey!” Declan interrupted with frustration, pointing at us. “I only lost because the damn ax broke!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Killian retorted. “That’s what they all say. Equipment failure, right?”

“Okay, well!” She clapped her hands together happily. “That was an unexpected turn of events! So, Mr. Killian Byrne, you get to be this year’s lumber-snack!”

“This year?” Maverick repeated. “We’re not doing this every year.”

“When I kick all your asses every year, we are,” she replied. She held out a hand to me, and I gave her the shirt. “This is the first of many. And there will be a shirt every year.”

Said shirt in question was my creation. The design was simple enough—an ax lodged in a piece of wood with the words lumber-snack king. It was bright red with a black checkered pattern on the sleeves. The thing was stupid and fun to make.

“There’s no way in hell I’m wearing that fucking thing,” Killian told her when she unfolded the shirt. “Not a fucking chance.”

“I thought you were the fucking champion,” Declan scoffed.

“Not enough to wear that shirt.”

“It’s fine,” I said to Raven. “I could probably pawn it off with one of Nolan’s book giveaways. They always appreciate my shirt designs.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Killian cut in. He stepped around the wood block and approached me. “You made the shirt?”

“Yes,” I whispered and hugged it closer to my chest, bracing for whatever backlash was coming my way.

“Give me.” He held out a hand. I just stared at him. I had to have heard him wrong. There was no way he wanted the shirt. “Come on, princess. It’s my shirt fair and square. Hand it over.”

“Okay,” I said and stupidly gave it to him. He pulled the shirt on like I’d handed him a gift worth millions. Instead, it fell loose around his tapered waist and baggy around his shoulders. Still, that look of pride on his face was hard to get past.

“It’s perfect,” he replied and gave me that lopsided grin of his. For a fraction of a second, I felt my heart crack open as I saw the boy I’d fallen in love with looking back at me. I shoved that thought aside and willed the walls around my heart back together.

I wasn’t about to let Killian Byrne take the best parts of me all over again.