Page 22 of Jayce

“When I find my mate, I plan to slobber all over her in front of you both. Payback’s a bitch,” Damian warns.

“I already pity the poor woman, but slobber away, my friend,” I encourage him with a mouthful of toast.

Shay opens my fridge and pulls out the mayo and mustard. Condiments are the few items stored in there. I only hope they’re still good.

She’s smart enough to check the dates on them before setting them on the counter.

Since the family showed up, Shay’s avoided eye contact and has said nothing to me. Throughout the meal, she and Priscilla whisper back and forth at the table. I could shift my ears to listen in, but I’d never invade her privacy like that.

“Shay, these eggs are better than Jayce’s. His are runny or mushy. It’s usually a surprise which.”

“Damian, when is the last time I scrambled eggs for you?”

“I don’t know. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, like when we were twelve, and you were too lazy to make them yourself.”

Shay’s eyes twinkle over the rim of her mimosa.

I wink when she catches me staring. I’d rather kiss her lips, but since I can’t, the occasional gesture will have to suffice. Without taking my eyes away from hers, I ask everyone, “Are y’all staying for the marathon?”

“What marathon?” Nikolaos asks while grabbing another sandwich.

Rage burns behind Shay’s gorgeous green orbs. She’s the one who invited the buffer of friends over. Now it’s time for her to pay the price.

“Apparently, there’s a term for our heifers who hang around throwing themselves at the bulls, hoping to land a mate, even if it’s not their fated mate.”

“And there’s a marathon for this? Oh, I’m in.” Damian would show the most interest. He’s taken home a heifer occasionally, but not as often as I did.

I toss the Firestick box that Shay never finished unpacking last night in Damian’s direction. “Hook it up for us, brother.”

I never arranged my living room to comfortably watch television with a group of people.

Anjal and Nikolaos rearrange my sofa and love seat to face the sixty-five-inch TV I haven’t turned on in close to three years.

With Anjal and Cill curled up on the loveseat, Nikolaos plops down in the middle of the couch while Damian chooses the floor.

“Nik, wouldn’t you prefer an end?” I plead.

He looks up at me with a grin. “I can’t quite figure out what’s going on tonight, but I plan to succeed in my role as buffer.”

Shay laughs, while sitting on the other side of Nikolaos and pulling her legs up with her arms wrapped around them.

Damian hands me a remote, which I pass to Shay. I’m clueless on how to find this Sons of Anarchy that we’re turning into a weird family event. It’s not lost on me I invited everyone to stay when Shay had no intention of sharing this experience with everyone.

It starts with an MA rating for language and violence. Two crows eat at roadkill before a man on a motorcycle passes through them and they fly away.

“Man, I thought we were watching a chic flick. This is even better,” Damian says.

I chuckle, realizing my cousins would have sat through a romantic comedy for me.

“I saw nothing about sweet butts in that episode. I’m sorry. I don’t remember when we meet them,” Shay timidly tells us.

“They’re coming,” Anjal adds.

“You’ve seen this?” I ask.

“Guilty,” he admits.

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