Page 70 of Knotty, Nice, & Holiday Lights
She turns wide eyes up at him, and the moment their gazes lock, she blinks. Then, it’s like a switch is flipped, and Bec is right back to her usual self-assured ways, grinning seductively at my dad and taking the drink from him.
And I don’t know what is going on, but if it’s what it looks like, I am going to have the hottest gossip to share with my pack tonight.
Chapter Forty-Nine
“No freaking way.”
That’s my reaction when all three of my Alphas report to me that Roman and Christian had been chatting Bec up all night. Or trying to.
“I talked to Bec a thousand times today, and she never mentioned any of this.”
Will smiles warmly. “She probably didn’t want to steal the party thunder.”
“‘Party thunder’?” Asher repeats with a laugh.
“Yeah, like, it’s Izzy’s party and she didn’t want to be the focus.”
“Still,” I say with a frown. “She could have told me.”
“She’s staying a few more days, Iz,” Matthew chimes. “Give the woman a chance.”
He’s right, of course. But that’s not going to stop me interrogating her tomorrow.
With extreme prejudice.
“I did catch my brother eye-balling her,” I mutter. “I just thought he was being his usual womanizing self.”
Will looks a touch concerned. “Is Christian really like that?”
I wince. “Well, he was. In high school and college. And at least a few years after.” Sigh. “Once he moved to New York, I just stopped paying attention. He never got into trouble, and he’s an adult who can take care of himself.” I hope.
“We should exchange gifts,” Asher offers with a grin, and I’m thankful for the distraction.
A few days ago, Will put up the cutest, tiniest tree in our downstairs living room and placed it on the coffee table with little battery-powered lights. Beneath it are several wrapped gifts with small tags.
Asher rises, pulls three gifts from under the tree that are all wrapped in the same paper, and hands one to Will, then Matthew, then me.
In my family, we always opened one gift at a time, allowing each person to revel in their prize before the next was given the same opportunity, and so I wait, as does Matthew, who’s smiling beside me.
Will waits for us to gesture for him to continue before carefully running his finger along the seam of the wrapping paper, then popping the tape off one end, then the other.
“Bloody hell, mate,” Asher says through a laugh. “We’ll be here all night with you going on like that.”
Matthew and I laugh, too, especially when I see Will’s embarrassed expression.
“Will, open the gifts however you want,” I tell him. “We’re all adults here. There’s no bedtime to worry about.”
He grins at me, then tears the paper with glee, revealing a fancy electric slicer for the kitchen.
“Oh, no way,” he breathes, unable to take his eyes off it for a long time, then peering up at Asher. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
Asher’s smile is so warm, I can feel it in my chest. “Of course I remembered.” Then, breaking the heavy moment, he turns to Matthew. “I believe you’re next.”
Matthew tears the paper off in record time, unveiling a framed art print that looks signed, and from a first-person shooter that Matthew loves to stream.
“Ah, bro,” Matthew is in awe, his eyes darting from his gift to Asher and back. “How did you get this?”
Asher’s smile is like the Cheshire Cat's. “I’ll never tell.”
