Chapter 26 #2
He gives the now-smiling Steve the same forehead kiss that he put on Kelly and then turns back to us, while the smaller man saunters towards what I’m now assuming is the kitchen.
“Garret, would you mind putting Jake out to play for a bit while they’re getting settled in with Shaggbutt?
” All eyes turn to the big dog that’s been sitting beside Teddy, watching the entire scene unfold.
As soon as he hears his name, he perks up, headed for the door we just walked through.
He comes to a sudden halt, tail flopping uncontrollably beside Greg as he tries to peer into Shaggy’s carrier.
Garret slides a finger under his collar and leads him the rest of the way around us.
“Oh no you don’t, slobber monster. You’re going outside before you terrify the bunny.
Let the little guy get settled in before you even think about making friends.
” He opens the door and the big dog bounces down the steps and beelines for our rental van, probably to piss all over the tires.
“No, we won’t let him near Shaggbutt, but it was easier to get him out now than arguing with him. ”
I can’t even say anything about him talking about the dog like a person, because I do the same thing to Shaggy. His only job done, Garret turns towards the kitchen, as if drawn by a magnet, and heads after his mate.
Sam comes over and gives Teddy a quick hug. “Get them settled in; I’m gonna go make sure nobody’s tryin’ to burn down my damned house.” Then he too ambles away.
Teddy smiles, watching him leave before he turns back to us. “So, I kind of tried to show Sam what Shaggy’s run looks like back in the dorms. Hopefully, what he built will work. If not just let us know and he should be able to make adjustments super fast. He’s amazing with wood.”
Greg lets out a short snorting laugh behind me, and Teddy turns an adorable shade of pink as he leads us towards the hallway, to where I’m assuming the guest room is.
It’s fucking amazing because I’ve never seen him this flustered or happy.
I’m really glad that pack life agrees with him so much. One of us had to luck out.
Teddy’s house is a fucking hotbed, and I don’t see myself getting much rest while I’m here.
That’s ok. I could use some time out of my head, but everybody’s always on the move.
We’ve barely had time to eat lunch and get our bags when Garett comes down the stairs.
He’s staring at his phone and yelling, “Hey, I gotta head into the gym real quick. Chris is having some trouble with the computer system setting up a new membership. Kelly, you want to come with me? You normally handle that sort of thing.”
The perky beta comes out of the kitchen, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process, and I can already see why they were planning on moving the pack bedroom downstairs, I wouldn’t trust this girl not to kill herself on a staircase long term.
She makes her way to Garret, wrapping her arms around him and standing on her toes to give him a kiss.
“Gimme just a minute, if you can. I need to—”
We may never find out what she needs because the front door swings open without anyone knocking, and everyone’s attention immediately diverts that way.
A teenager walks in with shaggy blond hair and big brown eyes that remind me a lot of Kelly.
He’s yelling before he even gets the door closed.
“Hey, did you guys finally break down and get a van? Got tired of trying to bang in the front of the truck? Not that I want to think about that, but I don’t see how any of you can get any privacy… ”
His voice trails off as he takes in Greg standing in the hallway from dropping off our luggage.
“Oh! Mom’s gonna be super pissed at you, Kelly.
You promised Dad that Garret was the last one…
I can’t wait to tell ’em!” The look in his eyes is gleeful as he spins back towards the door, reaching for the knob.
“Cripes, Tuck! You don’t even knock now? Greg isn’t…whatever. Why are you here? And who drove, ’cause I know Mom didn’t give you the keys.” The kid spins around, grinning like the cat that got the cream.
“Oh, Sam said I could borrow a couple of games, so Dad brought me over on our way to the library. Not that I need practice kicking y’all’s butts, but Korbyn is coming over this weekend with his sister and I wanted to have the new Mario Kart ready.
He’s not great, but she kicked my ass last time.
” The kid has a shit-eating grin on his face as his eyes wander around the room before landing on me.
“Oh, hey, who’s the mini muscle mommy? She’s cute.
” He starts to sidle my way, grinning like the little shit I now know him to be.
Kelly’s hands come up and her face drops into them with a loud groan.
Her voice is muffled and I can barely make out the “Gods save me from teenage hormones.” She takes a deep breath before turning to me.
“Sarah, this is my baby brother, Tucker. Or just Tuck. He’s fifteen and hormonal.
Please ignore him and that…description.”
She turns back to Tuck, who I can now see is almost her height since he’s moved closer. “Tuck, for gosh sake, knock next time. You know where the games are downstairs. Don’t take more than three and leave the Donkey Kong stuff alone. Teddy and I have a date night planned for those.”
“Yeah, yeah. You and the oversized gorillas, I get it.” The kid smirks at Teddy like he isn’t about to get his ass handed to him.
“I got it, sis, no worries. I only asked Sam about the one, and I don’t have time to mess around if I want to get all the levels unlocked before they get to the house tomorrow.
” He saunters across the room, looking like he knows exactly where he’s going, then looks back at me and throws a wink and an air kiss before disappearing down a set of stairs.
What the actual hell? These people are nuts.
Tomorrow, I’ll check out this gym that they started.
Not that I’m a professional or anything, but I feel restless after being trapped in the plane and van for so long today.
I need to stretch out and get my muscles burning again.
Plus, if lunch is any indication, I’m going to have to be careful, otherwise I’m going to gain twenty pounds this week from Sam’s cooking.