Chapter Seven
Chris looked around the table. Drake was to his right, next to Jennifer. Chris was slightly worried because those two together could probably destroy the world, but he wasn’t about to stick his nose into their conversation.
On his right was his brother. Dennis was sitting on Kyle’s other side, and like Jennifer and Drake, the two of them were talking. They also kept kissing, which Chris would make sure to tease them for. They would tease back because he was always kissing Drake, but he didn’t care.
Who wouldn’t kiss his mate if they were in his place?
His grandfather sat in front of him, and Agatha was next to him. Annabelle was there, too, because where Jennifer was, she generally was, too. Jacob, Taylor, and Eddie were present, too, since they were Drake’s family.
And all of them together were Chris’s.
It was still strange to see that Chris’s life included so many people now. Before, he’d only had a handful of them—his grandfather and his siblings, and when she’d been alive, his mother. He’d never felt like he was part of something bigger the way he did now, and it was a complicated feeling to deal with.
“Everything all right?” Drake asked, leaning against Chris’s side.
Chris’s first instinct was to wrap an arm around him, so he did. He leaned down to kiss Drake, who tasted of tomato sauce and garlic since he’d chosen the lasagna. It wasn’t unpleasant, so Chris kissed him again.
When he leaned back, Drake’s cheeks were flushed. It always made Chris smile when he managed to get that reaction out of his mate.
“I’m fine,” he promised. “More than fine, actually.” He glanced around the table again. Dennis had chosen the restaurant, and the food was as good as he’d promised it would be.
“I feel the same way,” Drake murmured. “It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
“It is, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I wouldn’t, either. I like my life, and I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve felt that way. It’s been a while, and I’m a bit bewildered.”
“Well, I like my life, too, so don’t worry too much. We can be bewildered together.”
That earned Chris a wide smile that he wanted to kiss. Since he could, he leaned down again, but someone slapped his forearm.
He looked around Drake and glared at his sister, who stuck her tongue out at him.
“Very mature,” he teased.
“At least I’m not making out with my mate at the dinner table. Is it really necessary? Because I don’t want to watch my brother slobber all over his mate while I’m trying to eat.”
“Leave them alone,” Annabelle said. “They’re cute.”
Jennifer made a retching sound. Chris wasn’t offended, because he knew how happy she was for him and Drake. She was teasing him the way she always had. He was glad that nothing had changed, at least not between him and his family. Everything else was different, but their love would always be the backbone of their family, and Chris wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Have you two talked about bonding yet?” Chris’s grandfather asked.
Drake squeaked and pushed away from Chris. “Not yet, William. It’s way too soon.”
Chris’s grandfather waved his fork in the direction of Kyle and Dennis. “What about these two? Do you know if they’re planning anything?”
Kyle groaned. “Do we really have to talk about that? Dennis and I agreed that it’s too soon, and we’re fine with that. Our family is still settling down in Green Hill, and I want to get to know Dennis and date him.” His gaze strayed to Agatha. “Not all of us rush into marriage.”
Because that was a thing now. William had asked Agatha to marry him, and she’d said yes. Chris had wanted to ask his grandfather if he was sure, since they hadn’t known each other long, but he hadn’t dared. Besides, he could guess his grandfather’s answer.
He’d been bonded to his mate, Chris’s grandmother, for decades. She’d died, and he’d been left behind to raise three children with his daughter. He’d put everything he had into it, but he didn’t have to worry about them anymore. Often, he spoke as if he already had one foot in the grave, which was ridiculous, but Chris understood wanting to make the most of the time he had left. If he wished to marry Agatha, Chris wasn’t going to argue. His grandfather knew what he was doing, and it was clear the two of them cared about each other.
“We’re not rushing,” William grumbled.
“Maybe not, but we haven’t said anything about it, so you don’t have a say in our relationships.”
“I’m just worried about my grandsons. Is that so bad?”
Agatha leaned closer to him, and Chris looked away. He was happy that his grandfather had found love, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see them making out at the dinner table.
Shit. Maybe he and Jennifer were more similar than he’d thought.
“We haven’t talked about bonding,” Drake said. “I haven’t even moved into the pride house yet.”
“Maybe you should start with that, then,” Chris’s grandfather said as he stared at Chris. “If the problem is that my grandson hasn’t asked, he should.”
“Was he so nosy even before we moved to Green Hill?” Chris asked Kyle.
“I think he was too busy being worried about everything else. Now that he doesn’t have anything to do anymore, he’s focused on us.”
“We need to do something. Do you think that Gal could start a war with a nearby pack just so our grandfather can stop bothering us?”
“Very funny,” William said, but he was smiling, so Chris wasn’t too worried.
“Oh, Jennifer, you could do something. Have you met your mate? Are you hiding them?”
Jennifer rolled her eyes and threw a piece of bread at Chris’s head.
“Children,” Chris’s grandfather scolded.
“I agree with William,” Jacob declared, narrowing his eyes at Chris. “I think Drake should move in with Chris.”
Chris wouldn’t say he and Jacob were close, but he knew that Jacob was keeping an eye on him. For some reason, he was convinced that Chris would hurt Drake, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Drake was happy, and Chris intended to keep him that way. He had no intention of running away or dumping him. They weren’t ready to bond yet, but they would be eventually, and neither of them had a problem waiting. They were enjoying their relationship as it was, taking steps forward as slowly as they wished.
“Leave them alone,” Dennis said.
“You know I’m fine with things the way they are, right?” Drake whispered as he leaned closer to Chris.
Chris kissed his forehead. “I know.”
“You shouldn’t listen to my friends. Jacob especially has been bothering me, but I know it’s because he loves me.”
And that was important to Drake. For a long time, he hadn’t thought anyone could love him because of the way he was. The people who should have had broken up with him because he was too much, but Chris wondered if that really was what had happened. He didn’t know Drake’s exes, and it was a good thing because if he did, he’d knock them to the ground, but he suspected they’d been afraid.
Drake was a lot. There was no denying that. He worried when Chris didn’t answer his texts, clung to him any opportunity he had, and when they were together, he was always in arm’s reach. It was as if he was afraid that Chris would vanish if he couldn’t see him, and Chris understood that for some people, that could be a lot.
Not for him. He’d yearned for this kind of love when he’d been alone. He was fine reassuring Drake any time he needed to be reassured. He’d already promised that he wasn’t going anywhere, and he was planning to keep that promise. If initially Drake needed to see him at all times, Chris would be happy to humor him.
He could never be too much for Chris because he was perfect for him, and Chris had every intention of showing him until he finally believed him.