131. It’s the weekend
131
IT’S THE WEEKEND
Daire
We all need a break , I texted to the Sunshine Manor chat group on Friday morning.
It’d been a month since Kellan had donated bone marrow and the doctors were pleased with Ryder’s progress. It would be a while before he was back to the alpha we knew and loved but compared to how he was before the procedure, the differences were night and day.
Let’s take off to the lake house for the weekend.
It was awkward leaving Anthony out of our shifter fun but also from the chat group because he was human and unlike Neil, wasn’t aware shifters existed. But luckily he was having a fling with a guy who lived in a huge house on the other side of town, so our human friend spent each weekend there.
We deserve a couple of days where we do nothing but eat good food, shift, sleep, and enjoy one another’s company .
Micah chimed in with, And sex. Lots of sex .
Now it was Archer’s turn. Right. With two small children in tow like that’s going to happen .
I can dream, was his mate’s reply.
Everyone meet out front at five this afternoon , I instructed.
“Weird how we used to all be able to fit in the van,” Neil noted. He had Charlie by the hand while Toby and Martin had their bags.
“I remember that first Friday Night I was here and Ryder?—”
Micah cut off his mate. “Ryder was on the roof with us.” He glared at Archer whose mouth resembled a huge O, before he mouthed, “Sorry. ”
“It’s okay,” Ryder added. “I was drunk and Kellan had just left me.” He took Ivor’s hand and kissed it. “We can say his name now.”
“Mmmm not too often, though I’ll be forever grateful to the guy.” Ivor kissed his mate’s brow.
Micah and I had put together a small trust fund for Kellan’s baby and made sure Kellan couldn’t take anything from it. We had a trustee manage it. We’d wanted to thank him for everything he did for our friend, but knowing the guy as we did, we figured he’d blow it on a fancy car or a holiday. Putting it away for his child seemed like the best approach.
Archer, Micah, and family had their own car while Ryder and co would come in the van with me and Nate. We didn’t want our stag shifter friend exerting himself. He’d been itching to get back to work, but with Archer running the app business and Martin taking care of his original company, there was no hurry.
I understood why he wanted to work. It was a sign of normalcy, something that had been missing from his, Ivor, and Dyani’s lives for a while now. Guys who went to work every day might be bored and dislike their job, but they didn’t have cancer. That was his thinking, but the doctors had warned him getting his strength back wouldn’t happen overnight.
“See you at the lake,” Neil yelled as he put Charlie in his car seat and Martin started their car.
“This is nice,” Ivor said as I maneuvered around traffic and into the countryside. “Remember last time we were here, love?”
I met Ryder’s gaze in the rear view mirror. I recalled but wondered if he did. “Yeah. it was the day we discovered the cancer treatment wasn’t working.” The silence in the van threatened to take over the “It’s the weekend” atmosphere of a few minutes before. “But that’s in the past. I’m getting better and cancer isn’t allowed to intrude on this weekend.
Dyani squealed and pointed to a rabbit on the side of the road. Ivor and Archer were probably thinking the same thing or their beasts were when they saw rabbits. Dinner.
Fish !
Yeah, I know you prefer them . My beast would have ample opportunity to hunt over the next two days.
Everyone piled out when we reached the house as Micah and Martin drove up. “It’d be nice to live here full time,” Neil mused. “It’s close enough to town.”
I gazed at the huge house and the lake beyond. Nate and I had talked about it and we’d considered living at the beach estate. But we liked being surrounded by our found family. And while we no longer lived in the manor itself, we were on one side, Archer and Micah on the other. It was a Sunshine Manor sandwich.
“Only one problem,” I told Neil.
He sighed. “Yeah, I don’t have enough money to buy it. Not even one corner of the estate. ”
“Nope. It’s too far to have Thai food delivered.” My human friend had to eat pad Thai, green chicken curry, or spicy beef salad at least twice a week.
“True,” he nodded.
“Just as well I brought dinner with us.” I brought out two big coolers with tonight’s food and Nate got everyone organized to carry bags and boxes of fruit and vegetables into the house. The fridge and pantry were stocked with drinks and dry goods and there was meat and fish in the freezer, though we could catch our own fish in the lake.
Me .
Yes . My beast was hankering for a meal of fish.
It was a beautiful night and we sat outside sipping beers and gulping water as the food I’d ordered was extra spicy.
“One of my first memories of you, Neil, is sharing Thai food.”
“Always.” My human friend wasn’t bothered by the chili-laden food and was tucking in.
“I recall that shirt you wore, Micah. Archer’s first night on the roof,” Ivor said as he sipped on a beer.
“Oh right. I’d forgotten about that. Archer’s scent was driving me crazy and I wasn’t sure whether to hug him or get as far away as possible.” The unicorn shifter squeezed his mate’s hand as Elune begged him to play hide and seek.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if when we all reached retirement age, we lived here,” Archer suggested. “It’d be our own small senior center.”
“Retirement,” I repeated.
“Senior center,” Martin said.
“Nothing wrong with getting older,” Archer noted as he took another helping of the curry.
“It’s not a bad idea, babe.” Nate tucked his arm in mine. “Assuming your parents would allow it. They don’t like this place much.”
It was true they preferred the beach which was odd for a couple of bear shifters.
“Maybe early retirement,” my mate suggested.
“And perhaps you could bring a few of your friends along.” Archer grinned. “Hint. Hint.”
Now the wolf shifter had planted the idea in my head, I could think of little else. “But of course I’d want all of you here too.” Everyone clapped.
After we’d finished eating and the younger kids were asleep, Ryder went to bed, and Neil settled on the sofa with a book. Ivor and Archer checked he had their baby monitor apps downloaded.
I got a little teary eyed, wishing Nate and I were parents and had an app just like theirs. My mate stood behind and whispered in my ear. “I can guess what you’re thinking, babe. Maybe after the weekend we could discuss the subject of babies again.”
But as shifters had excellent hearing everyone stared at us. “What did I miss?” Neil asked. “I hate that you all can share things and I miss out. ”
“We’re talking about the future, Neil,” Nate explained. “If we have anything to announce, Daire will shout it from the Sunshine Manor roof.”
My mate draped his arms around my shoulders. “This weekend isn’t for serious discussions. Let’s leave it until we get home.”
If my beast hadn’t been pushing me to shift, I would have taken my mate to bed, but he was right. The next two days were for family.
“Let’s go,” Micah said and we all stripped off.
Watching my friend transform into a unicorn and gallop into the woods never got old, while Archer and Ivor’s wolves raced off together chasing rabbits. Martin and Toby’s foxes headed in the other direction, while my grizzly insisted we waded into the lake. It was what we always did. He didn’t need to ride my ass about it but he did.
As Nate was a hedgehog and enjoyed eating insects, we didn’t stay together once we’d shifted. He was happy to stay close to the house while my grizzly enjoyed the freedom of hunting.
Once he’d eaten his fill, I took my skin and joined Neil. “Nate’s showering,” he told me as he patted the sofa while the others were still hunting. “I may not have shifter hearing but I guessed you and your mate were discussing the future.”
“Nothing’s definite.”
“Well, if you make the decision to try, you’ll be an amazing dad.” He’d told me that many times in the past.
“Being around Charlie has shown me how much I want my own kids. Mine and Nate’s. I can’t wait to see them playing with the other manor children.”
He patted my hand. “Me too.”