Lily replied as if Jane hadn’t spoken. “Kai was the same with baths as a toddler. I half expected potatoes to start growing out of his ears.”
Jane glanced at Kai and he shrugged. “I don’t remember it.”
She opened her mouth to ask for details, but Nikki’s voice boomed into the room. “Stop it, Rafe. I mean it. Ask me again if I’m okay and I swear I’ll cut off one of your balls tonight.”
“You’re the one huffing up the stairs. Me asking about your health is to be expected,” Rafe stated.
Her dad’s calm voice came next. “Son, I’d leave it be if I were you. I think she’s serious.”
Nikki replied, “Of course I am. And thank you, Tom, for noticing when I need a break.”
“That isn’t fair, Nikki,” Rafe replied. “I’m allowed to be protective when your health is concerned, per our agreement.”
“I think maybe we should revisit that agreement, to include you need to leave me be when you’re being a pain in my arse.”
Her dad’s stern voice interjected, “I think this argument can wait. Otherwise, we may never be invited back here.”
Rafe and Nikki murmured their apologies.
Kai whispered, “Your dad may not be a dragon-shifter, but he knows how to put dominance in his voice.”
Jane looked askance at her mate. “Do you blame him? He had to live with the three of us.”
Kai grinned. “Fair point.”
Nikki, Rafe, and her dad came into the room. Her dad’s tall, gray-haired form walked between Nikki and Rafe, no doubt to act as a buffer. He’d done the same thing many times in the past to keep Jane and Rafe from killing each other as children.
Jane stood and Kai followed suit. Jane motioned toward her dad. “Everyone, this is my dad, Tom Hartley.” She pointed to each member of Kai’s family in turn and introduced them. Her dad nodded when she finished.
Lily clapped her hands. “Right, now that everyone is here, let’s head into the kitchen and dining room. I have snacks laid out and I’ll put the kettle on for some tea.”
Rafe muttered, “I need something stronger if you have it.”
Nikki shot her mate a glance and then walked toward Jane. Threading her arm through hers, Nikki said, “I think it’s time for us to chat a bit, Jane. It seems my presence has driven my mate to drinking.”
Sighing, Rafe said, “Nikki, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Jane glanced at Kai and he reluctantly went to Rafe and her father. Kai slapped Rafe’s shoulder. “Come, I think there’s some larger in the kitchen. My mum might even have a secret stash of whiskey, too.”
When Rafe merely nodded, Jane knew her brother was stressed. She leaned to Nikki’s ear and whispered, “He might be a pain in your arse, but it’s a sign of how much he loves you.”
“I know that rationally. But carrying Rafe’s spawn is making me irritable and cranky. The next two or three months can’t go by fast enough.”
Jane drew Nikki’s arm closer and squeezed. “Then let’s try distracting you. Your second-in-command duties have helped, but once you have some of Lily’s cooking, you’ll forget about everything else but filling your plate whilst you still can.”
Nikki grinned. “I remember from my last visit to Snowridge.” She tugged on Jane’s arm. “Come on. Let’s hurry and snap up as much as we can before the males get to it.”
Fully on board with the plan, Jane walked into the kitchen and past the males. As she and Nikki loaded up their plates, Jane glanced to Kai standing at the other side of the kitchen. The sight of him and his stepdad drinking beer with her dad and brother made her smile. As much as she loved the passion and love of her relationship with Kai, the little things made it that much dearer.
And for the first time, she didn’t doubt that they’d be old and gray one day, making more memories with those that they loved. Kai was her future, and she couldn’t wait to see what it held.
*~*~*