Page 68 of Alpha Jax

Quinn’s seated between me and my sister Jenna, and I’m glad for it. Jenna’s my middle sister- she’s seventeen and the sweetest of the three. She shouldn’t give Quinn too much trouble. Juliet and Jade, on the other hand… I glance at them across the table, and I can tell they’re plotting.

“So Quinn, are you on the squad, then?” Mom asks as she dishes out the lasagna.

“Yeah, I just joined recently, actually,” Quinn replies. “I came on because they needed more IT staff, but I’m training with the fighters as well. Kind of a hybrid thing.”

We pass the plates down, and as soon as mine’s in front of me, I dig in.

“How do you like it so far?” Dad asks from his seat beside me at the head of the table.

“It’s good! Busy, but good.” Quinn takes a bite of lasagna into her mouth, her eyes sliding closed. “Mmm,” she hums, chewing and swallowing. “This is incredible, Mrs. Anderson.”

Mom chuckles, waving her off like it’s no big deal- but I don’t miss the way she’s beaming. She takes a lot of pride in her cooking. “Please, call me Lyla. And I’m glad you like it.”

“It’s amazing,” Quinn gushes, digging into another forkful.

“Old family recipe,” Mom says with a wink.

I swallow down my own bite of food, laughing. “Sure it is. Because we’d totally pass for being Italian.” I look around at the six heads of fair hair at the table.

Mom makes a face at me, sticking out her tongue, and we both chuckle.

“So how long have you two been hanging out?” Juliet asks, narrowing her eyes and pointing her fork between Quinn and me.

Quinn shrugs, side-eyeing me. “Not long. I just moved up to the complex a few weeks ago, so I’m still settling in and getting to know everyone.”

She’s so cool, so nonchalant about the whole thing. Like we’re just passing acquaintances. Maybe I’ve been reading too much into what’s going on between the two of us, building it up into a bigger deal than it is.

“Jax hasn’t brought a girl home before,” Jade blurts, and I drop my fork, heaving an exasperated sigh.

“And they wonder why,” I scoff, rolling my eyes.

The conversation through dinner is much of the same- Juliet and Jade keep trying to pry about me and Quinn’s relationship while she artfully dodges their questions, keeping things lighthearted. Like every family dinner, we talk a lot, laugh a lot, and eat a lot- I have two more pieces of mom’s lasagna, only stopping when I feel like I’m gonna burst. Quinn fits right in with the family, like she’s been coming to Sunday dinner for ages. I can tell that Mom and Dad really like her- they keep exchanging glances with one another and they’re less than subtle.

I shouldn’t be surprised how quickly my sisters take to Quinn, too. After all, what’s not to like? Following dinner, they drag her upstairs to get her opinion on dresses for a high school dance that Jade and Jenna are attending, and I can only hope that they aren’t regaling her with all kinds of embarrassing stories from our childhood. Dad fills me in on some pack business, and when the girls come back downstairs, we all sit around in the living room and chat for a while.

I usually don’t stick around for long after Sunday dinner, but we’re all talking and laughing so much that I lose track of time, only realizing how late it’s getting when the clock in the hall chimes.

“You ready to head back?” I ask Quinn. She’s seated beside me on one of the couches in the living room, and I hadn’t even realized how comfortable we’d gotten over the course of the evening- I’ve got an arm slung over the back of the couch behind her, and she’s right next to me, leaning into my side with one leg pulled up under her. It’s like we both notice it at the same time, awkwardly scooting away from one another and rising to stand.

My parents and sisters get up, too, to say goodbye and walk us out, and we all make our way over to the foyer.

“You should come back next week,” Jade implores Quinn as we shuffle toward the door.

“Ah, I’m not sure…” she replies, combing her fingers through the ends of her long dark hair. “I’ll probably be back in Summervale since the full moon’s next Monday.”

Jade sticks out her bottom lip in a pout, folding her arms. “The week after, then.”

“Maybe,” Quinn laughs. “This was fun. It was really nice meeting you all.”

“Oh!” Mom exclaims, rushing off to the kitchen. “Before you go,” she calls, disappearing through the doorway and reappearing moments later with a plastic container in hand. She strides back over and holds it out to Quinn with a wink. “Since you liked the lasagna so much, here’s a piece for later.”

Quinn’s eyes go wide as she takes the container, looking from it back up to my mom. “Oh wow, that’s so nice, thank you.”

“How come you never give me leftovers to take back?” I tease, and my mom just gives me a look and ruffles my hair.

Quinn and I say our goodbyes, giving everybody hugs before we finally make our exit. She’s quiet when we get in the truck, but I don’t think anything of it until we’re pulling out of the town of Westfield and she still hasn’t said anything. I glance over at her, and she’s got one knee pulled up into her chest, staring out the passenger window like she’s lost in thought.

“Everything alright?” I ask tentatively, turning onto the forest road to head toward the complex.

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