Page 135 of The Ruler
It warmed my heart when my mother chuckled. This had to be difficult for her, but she was exceeding my highest hopes of her giving the Nmen a chance.
“You sure you don’t want me to introduce you to a handsome man while you’re here?” Khan teased my mother, who took the bait.
“I’ve already been given a flower,” she said and lifted it again.
Khan turned his head to Finn. “From you?”
“I’m afraid not.” Finn shrugged with mock disappointment. “You said I couldn’t come on to Isobel, otherwise I’d been pulling out my romance repertoire.”
“Your romance repertoire.” Khan grinned.
“That sounds interesting,” my mother said with laughter in her voice. “But I’m way too old for you anyway.”
“Don’t break my heart, Isobel,” Finn said and lifted her hand to kiss it. “A young man can only hope.”
“Finn,” I pushed at him lightly. “Quit while you’re ahead, will you?”
He dropped his head in defeat and winked at me.
“Mom, are you going to be okay for a few minutes? I just want to mingle a little.”
“I’m fine, darling,” my mother said and shot me a genuine smile. “I see Khan’s mother, Erika – I’ll go talk to her.”
Moving on with Khan’s hand in mine, we mingled and later, the party continued with the closest of our friends inside the Gray Manor.
Raven had a blast and when the men put on music and started jumping up and down in what appeared to be their version of dancing, she joined them with her hair bobbing around her head and her face split in a large grin.
She looked like the happiest eleven-year-old girl in the world when Archer, Magni, Boulder, and Khan all danced with her at the same time.
“Awful music, isn’t it?” Christina commented but smiled at the sight of the men and the first little girl they had been allowed to hang out with.
“Yes, the tones are very hard.”
“Boulder calls it rock.”
I blinked because the bass was so dominant, but the men flailed their arms in the air and were bumping into each other in fits of laughter.
“They look as free as children,” Kya said, smiling with us.
“Come join us,” Boulder called and before we knew it the men had dragged us over and were jumping around us. We were laughing and unsure how to dance their way at first, but it didn’t look too complicated.
“I think the trick is to look as ridiculous as possible,” Kya shouted over the music and lifted her arms, imitating Boulder.
Dancing like no one was watching turned out to be the most fun I’d had in years, and it didn’t take me long to let go of all my inhibitions. No points could be given for style but we were sweaty, my lips hurt from smiling, and my belly was sore from laughing.
Even Magni seemed carefree for a change and it hit me how different he looked when he was laughing. I’d never seen Magni laugh, but he had dimples and his blue eyes were gorgeous when he wasn’t scowling at me.
When he went to get something to drink and cool down on the balcony, I saw my chance to approach him about what was on my mind.
“Magni,” I said and waited for him to look back.
“Oh, hey.” He nodded at me and I walked out on the balcony to join him.
“Congratulations,” he said and lifted his glass to me. “Sister-in-law.”
I was expecting to see sarcasm in his eyes, but there was none.
“Sorry about the Jackass Johnny thing,” he said, “Boulder and I just had to be sure where your loyalty was.”
