Page 55 of Clash of Kings

Bas took the spoon for the eggs and shrugged. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

Dakota’s hand hovered over the bacon tongs. “So you do know. Is that what your earlier text was about?”

“Maybe,” Bas teased, bumping her hip with his thigh.

Dakota let it go. If her mate wanted to surprise her, she wouldn’t ruin it by pressing the issue. Whatever it was couldn’t be anything extravagant considering Lydia and Tony only had a couple hours before meeting them. Instead, she asked about the property surrounding the lodge.

“If the Macons agree to your offer, what type of house are you going to build?”

“That’s something you and I will decide on together.” As soon as they were seated, Bas tapped on his phone before sliding it across the table. “I have designed several that I think would be perfect for a wooded setting. They are all scalable. If you want something smaller or you’d prefer them to have more room, I can structure them to your tastes. Or, if you don’t like any of them, I can design whatever you would like.”

Dakota took a bite of bacon as she scrolled through the photos. She already knew Sebastian was successful from looking at Stone, Inc.’s website, but these designs were amazing. There were renderings of the exteriors along with floor plans for the interiors. It was as though someone asked Dakota to describe her dream home, and Bas had made it happen, at least digitally. All the designs were on the large side, but if they were to have children, they would need the room. Then there were extra bedrooms if his family or friends visited. Dakota loved that idea. She had already found a new friend in Lydia, and Tony was like a goofy older brother.

“How old is Tony?”

Bas narrowed his eyes at her. “Where did that come from?”

“Oh,” Dakota laughed and explained her thought process. “I was thinking of him as a goofy older brother.”

“He and Tabby are your age. With his attitude, he comes off as immature, so you thinking he’s older is a shock.”

“It’s more that he appears older than twenty-five than acts it. Is Tabby as laid back?”

Sebastian glanced over at the older couple, then lowered his voice. “Not really. Anthony got Tessa’s attitude, and while Tabby is her mother’s spitting image, she is the serious one. By the time she was a teen, Tabby had already developed a unique sense of style. Most days she dresses like a fashion model, but there are times she’s dressed down like a biker. She and Tony are seasoned riders. When we were younger, the twins had those little motorized bikes, then they rode mini-bikes, and progressed to motorcycles as they got older. Growing up as we did, we were all taught defensive driving and how to ride motorcycles along with our combat training. Tony also got his pilot’s license. Papa’s cousin, Frey, has a couple of helicopters, and Tony learned to fly those when he was a teen.”

“That’s so cool.”

“It is. Did you change the subject to avoid talking about the designs?” Bas tapped his phone. “Please be honest.”

“I didn’t change the subject on purpose. My mind wandered when thinking about the spare bedrooms and having friends and family come for a visit. Each one of the designs is spectacular.” Dakota scrolled through the photos and pointed. “That’s my favorite. It’s like you dipped inside my head and came up with my dream home. I like that the master bedroom is on the first level, and I love the open floor plan. If I’m in the kitchen cooking, I’ll be able to look out into the living room and see you while you’re watching TV.”

“What makes you think I won’t be in the kitchen with you?”

Dakota took a sip of coffee before responding. “You can’t be glued to my side twenty-four seven.”

“Wanna bet?” Bas set his fork down and reached for her hand, threading their fingers. “If I start to smother you, just tell me to back off. I can’t promise I’ll listen every time, at least not for a while. It’s a Gargoyle thing.”

Dakota squeezed his fingers. “And I’m a wolf. We’re pack animals. That’s why I’m so excited about having your family come visit. It’s also the main reason I loved being a bartender. Other than a few females who hated me, I enjoyed being around so many of my pack every night. I lived alone in my cabin away from my father for self-preservation. Lone wolves aren’t the norm.”

Bas leaned over and kissed Dakota. “You’ll never be alone again.”

When they finished eating, they sipped coffee and talked for a bit until it was time to meet the cousins. Bas and Dakota had a few minutes, so they went ahead and got their marriage license. Thankfully, they only needed to present their driver’s licenses. If they’d needed birth certificates as well, they would have had to wait. By the time they had the license in hand, Lydia and Anthony arrived, and they weren’t alone.

“Momma? Papa? What are you doing here?” Sebastian asked, rushing to his parents. Rafael was an older version of Bas, and Kaya was a beautiful blonde. When Kaya held out her hand, Dakota found her feet and moved into the female’s embrace. That was what a parent’s love should feel like, and Dakota vowed then and there to be the type of mother to have her child’s back, no matter what.

“You didn’t think we’d miss your wedding, did you?” Rafael asked, cupping the side of Sebastian’s neck. When he turned his son loose, he focused on Dakota. Rafael placed a fist over his heart, bowed his head, and said, “On my honor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dakota.”

Dakota rushed to the male and hugged him tightly, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “The pleasure is mine. I’m so happy you’re here with us.” When she realized she was still holding onto Bas’s father, Dakota cleared her throat and released him and turned to Kaya who had her arms open. Dakota leaned into the female’s embrace. “Sorry for mauling your mate,” she whispered.

“No need to apologize, Sweetheart.” Kaya kissed Dakota’s temple, and Dakota wanted to cry for real.

When Dakota stepped back, she said, “We aren’t having a wedding.”

“The size of the crowd and venue isn’t important. You are exchanging vows, and we wanted to be here as witnesses.” Rafael’s smile turned to a frown when he gripped Sebastian’s shoulder. “And we wouldn’t have been aware if Lydia hadn’t called last night. We would have flown in then, but we had to wait on Bryce to bring the jet.”

“I’m sorry, Papa.” Bas looked around and lowered his voice. “We’ve run into a bit of trouble. Someone, and we’re assuming it was Dakota’s father, called the Atlanta PD to have me arrested for kidnapping Dakota. A detective showed up looking for me, and Grace told him I was in West Virginia looking at property, so the detective must have contacted the local agencies because Dakota was pulled over when she and Lydia were seen in my Jeep. Dakota had to give a sworn statement, and the deputy said he would handle filing the false report. Instead of having the Trio manipulate Dakota’s information, we decided to do it the legal way.”

“I’m going to kick that male’s ass,” Rafael promised. Kaya moved to her mate, settling his ire with a hand to his cheek.

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