"Thanks for having me," Rafe said, stopping in front of Dex. Hudson had told Dex all about Rafe coming to him in defense of Nina, and how hard the guy was trying to patch things up with Hudson. Despite everything that had happened, Hudson and Rafe were both working toward being a family, and Dex respected that. He smiled brightly and held out his hand to Rafe.
"Of course. You're always welcome, man."
Rafe's eyes got a little glassy, and he nodded. "Thank you, Dex."
Nina kissed Dex's cheek before waving excitedly at Hudson. She pulled Rafe along with her, and he simply chuckled, following happily. It was obvious the guy was crazy about Nina. Maybe there was hope for Rafe yet.
"Hey, Daley!"
Dex turned, grinning wide at Taylor and Angel. His matchmaking radar went nuts around these two. Sloane kept telling him to mind his own business, but Dex couldn't help it.
"Hey, guys." Dex put his hand on Taylor's shoulder. "Good to see you, buddy. How are you feeling?" Taylor had been discharged by TIN and cleared for duty at the THIRDS just a little over a month ago. He'd been riding a desk since, but he was happy to have his life back.
"I'm doing good. Thanks, Dex." Taylor was looking happier than he had been in a long time, and Dex was glad. "Excuse me. I'm going to go say hi to Sloane."
Taylor walked off, and Dex turned to Angel, talking quietly. "How's he really doing?"
Angel's smile faded, his sigh heavy. "He's not sleeping so well. He keeps having nightmares about what happened, but he refuses to talk about it."
Dex nodded. "If you guys need anything, you let me know. In the meantime, you look after him for me, okay?"
Angel beamed at him. "You got it."
Taylor called Angel over to where he was chatting with some of the guys. Angel excused himself and jogged off to join his friend. Asking Angel to look after Taylor gave Angel the perfect excuse to be around Taylor as much as he wanted. Taylor wouldn't say no to Dex, especially when it concerned his well-being. It wasn't matchmaking, just nudging them in the right direction.
Dom's arrival was marked by his boisterous laughter and booming voice. Dex shook his head and chuckled. He never had to see the guy to know he was around. West gave Dex a cheerful hello and a hug before darting off to talk nerd with Cael. Austen sprang up beside him like the annoying little ninja he was.
"So, it's finally happening, huh?"
"Yep. Six months from now."
Austen shoved his hands into his pockets, quite a feat, considering his skinny jeans looked like they were painted on. He cleared his throat and seemed to have trouble looking Dex in the eye, which was odd. Austen never had trouble saying what was on his mind.
"You be good to him."
Dex's expression softened. He put his hand on Austen's shoulder. "Hey, you know I will."
Austen nodded. "Shit's just gonna get harder from here on out, you know." Austen finally met his gaze. There was an intensity behind his amber eyes that Dex hadn't seen before. What was Austen not telling him? Who was Dex kidding? This was Austen. The amount of information he didn't give was unfathomable. No doubt in this instance, Austen was referring to TIN.
"I know," Dex replied. "We're ready."
Austen frowned. He shook his head. "No. You're not. You might think you are, but you're not. This is gonna test the both of you in ways you can't even imagine. I know you're mates, but even that bond is going to be pushed beyond its limits." Austen studied him for a moment, sadness coming into his eyes. "You're his whole world. Don't forget that."
Austen patted Dex's shoulder before turning to walk away. He paused, his expression turning guarded.
"Zach RSVP'd."
Was Austen asking or telling him? Dex couldn't tell. A cab pulled up, and Dex smiled. "And there's our favorite bear Therian now." Dex didn't miss the way Austen's eyes slightly widened, or how he licked his bottom lip. Austen took a step closer to Dex, as if Dex might shield him from whatever it was Zach might do--like maybe try to steal Austen's heart?
Zach loomed over them, and Dex grinned. "Hey, big guy. Glad you could make it."
"Thanks for inviting me," Zach said, his voice low and gravelly. He turned his attention to Austen, and holy shit, Dex wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it. Zach smiled. A genuine smile that reached his eyes.
"Hi."
Austen was all but plastered against Dex from behind, his voice muffled when he replied, "Hey."
Silence.