The boys were downstairs in the great room talking while Wade stitched up Grey’s side where Rodrigo had torn into him. It looked painful, but either it wasn’t, or Grey was getting used to pain because he laughed and joked with the others like he was having a back massage. When Morgan’s light footfall hit a creak in the stairs, his eyes lifted straight to her. A grin lit up his entire face. He was captivating when he was like this.
“Come here,” he rumbled. Motioning her over to his chair, he waited for her to approach, then pulled her onto his lap. “Did you mean it?”
The big wolfy grin on his face made it impossible to keep hers straight. She flashed her ring for all of the waiting wolves and nodded. “I think it’s about time, don’t you? I was thinking this Saturday before the Full Moon Hunt and the branding ceremony. We’ll make it all official in one day.”
Grey opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He rubbed his hand through his hair once. Twice. The man was speechless, and she delighted in it. So rarely was he caught without a quick remark ready on his tongue. He sat there smiling at her for a long moment, and then he pulled her in and kissed her. For the first time since she had moved in, she didn’t feel petrified by his unexpected touch. A lazy warmth filled her like a drug. He was safety. She nuzzled closer to his capable, muscular frame. He pulled back gently, but whatever emotion he saw on her face put him at ease. She could almost smell his happiness.
They stood to heartfelt congratulations and hugs. Jason headed for the kitchen, pulled a six-pack of Coors Light out of the refrigerator and bought it back to the great room for a toast.
“Are those men gone?” she asked.
“Yes, and they aren’t coming back. You are safe,” Grey promised.
Marissa sat at the bottom of the stairs with Lana. Her shoulders slumped as if the tension had disappeared with Grey’s reassuring words.
The tops of the beers hit the tile floor one by one as Jason opened and passed them out. Marissa and Lana got bottled waters, and when they’d popped the caps, Jason held his libation high. “To Grey being a badass.”
“Language,” Morgan admonished.
“Oops, sorry.” He didn’t look sorry. “And to Morgan. Welcome home.”
Grey pulled her in close against his side as they sipped.
The front door swung open and Rachel stood there scanning the room with a bewildered look. “What’s going on?” She hugged Marissa and Lana as they hopped off the bottom of the stairs. “I passed a truckload of sad-looking werewolves on the way in. Did Grey fight the challenger?”
Marissa grinned from ear to ear. “Oops, I forgot to tell you that on the phone. Of course, he took care of it! But guess what else? Morgan and Grey are getting married on Saturday!”
“You are not,” she said.
“It’s true,” Morgan said, laughing.
“Oh! Congratulations you guys.” Rachel pulled Morgan into a hug. Wiping moisture from her eyes, she said, “Sorry, but weddings always make me cry, and you two have come so far. You deserve to be happy together.”
Morgan shook her head in panic. No one cried alone in her presence, and she was an ugly crier. She blinked back burning tears. “Okay, okay. Now for the most important part of the day, Marissa’s birthday dinner. Where do you want to go?”
She knew the answer already, and likely, so did everyone else in the room. Marissa had a deep love and devotion for Chinese food, and a well-stocked buffet was the perfect eatery for a pack of hungry werewolves.
When Wade clipped the suture of his last stitch, Grey lowered his arm. “Are you all right with Jason going to your dinner?”
“Yeah, it’s okay with me. If he behaves,” Marissa added.
She seemed to find more confidence in saying what she wanted around Grey. Unlike her adopted father, Dean, he didn’t have to try to keep Logan and Jason happy as part of his pack. Grey would boot him out the second Marissa said Jason was bothering her. He’d done it before and would likely do it again. Because of that, the boys tended to be on better behavior around her now. If they didn’t, they were left out, simple as that.
Grey shot Jason a warning look to behave. Jason dropped his head, but a smile crept along his lips. Morgan rolled her eyes at Jason, who looked like he had won the lottery. Marissa’s birthday dinner with no competition from Logan? He was just about dancing on Logan’s bad luck.
His tenacity was astounding. Marissa was completely uninterested, and for whatever pigheaded reason, they didn’t care. They kept competing as if they would never give up the prize that would never be theirs. Rodrigo had harbored the same determination, and even if her wolf understood it perfectly well, the human in Morgan was offended.
They headed to dinner, split between the Range Rover that Rachel had driven and Morgan’s truck. Marissa had decided to ride with her and Grey, since Jason was in the other vehicle and would no doubt finagle his way into sitting beside her. Stubborn as a mule in a mud hole, that man.
Plates full of food and seated at a large table at the local China Buffet, Grey watched with a smirk as Marissa loudly slurped egg drop soup. She probably did that kind of thing in front of Jason and Logan to try to discourage them. After the idiotic way Rodrigo acted tonight, it was clear it wouldn’t matter what Marissa did. They wouldn’t be deterred by her trying to make herself less appealing. The boys were after her for the wrong reasons. They didn’t care about Marissa as much as the idea of her, just like Rodrigo was only after a trophy mate, not Morgan.
Marissa came back to the table with her fourth helping and said, “So, I think you should have Wade officiate the wedding. Rachel said he did her and Dean’s wedding. There is my first official maid of honor suggestion.”
“You should,” Rachel chimed in. “He did a wonderful job at ours. He would be perfect if you wanted to do it at the cabin, too. Less people to bring in.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Wade offered.
A little weight lifted off Morgan’s chest. She and Grey hadn’t really talked about the size of their wedding, but she would rather keep it small. An intimate ceremony with their closest friends. The cabin would be ideal. Grey watched her with a steady blue gaze, and she arched her eyebrows in question. He nodded.
“Perfect. Thanks, Wade,” she said. “That’s one less thing we have to do this week. I guess first, we’ll have to see about getting a marriage license.”
“There is a rental company near my office,” Rachel said. “I could reserve white chairs if you’d like. I can pick them up on my way home from work on Friday so we don’t have to make an extra trip.”
Morgan nodded, mouth full of food. “How many do you think we need?” she asked when she finished chewing.
“How many people do you want to invite?”
“Not many. The Dallas pack and my mom. I don’t want a bunch of people at the cabin. I’d rather it be just us and whatever family Grey wants to invite.” She swung her gaze to him. “Did you want to invite your dad?”
His look darkened, eyes turning as ominous as storm clouds. He shook his head. “That’s the fastest way to ruin our wedding. Let’s go ahead and leave him off the guest list.”
Wedding plans came to a halt as Marissa’s birthday cake came out.
“What did you wish for?” Rachel asked after she blew out the candles.
Marissa shrugged. “Nothing. I have everything I want.”