Chapter 24
Tabitha was in love with Natalia. Platonically, but still.
Having a mom like Tessa set the bar high for awesomeness, and Natalia met that bar.
It was evident in her actions that she loved Major and Marshall as much as she did her girls, and that spoke volumes to Tabitha about the kind of woman she was.
It was hard to imagine the lavender-haired pixie as an assassin, but looks could be deceiving.
With Maveryck and Natalia living in a small community of Hounds, the birthday party turned into a gathering of aunts, uncles, and close friends.
Tabitha felt right at home, being used to her own large family.
Some of them knew her parents since they had helped when Major’s cousin, Lucy, had been taken by a rogue GIA agent.
Lucy was mated to Tabitha’s uncle Tamian and was Harlow’s mother.
Having grown up hearing Harlow talk about her relatives, Tabitha felt as though she already knew them.
When they first arrived, Natalia had opened the door in her pajamas. Her kids yelled, “Surprise!” Natalia turned and yelled something at Maveryck in Russian before smiling at her children, hugging them all. After Major introduced her to Tabitha, Natalia apologized for her appearance.
“We did spring a surprise on you, so no apologies needed.”
Natalia excused herself to get dressed, and that’s when Maveryck informed them the small party was going to be much larger than planned. The siblings took it in stride, especially since the clubhouse had been transformed into a party room filled with all kinds of food and decorations.
Before joining the others, the kids gave Natalia her gift. Natalia was speechless as she gently touched each of her children’s likeness. Then she pointed at the artist’s signature at the bottom. “This is a Rico Di. How can you afford that, even if you pooled your money?”
Major tugged Tabitha against his chest. “Tabitha knows him. All she did was send him the picture and ask for a favor.”
Natalia handed the painting to Mav, then pulled Tabitha away from Major, hugging her tightly. “Thank you, Solnyshko.” That was the moment Tabitha fell in love with her. She had a wonderful mother, a host of aunts, and now, another mom. Tabitha was truly blessed.
There was snow on the ground, but that didn’t seem to matter.
There were a several sets of corn hole boards set up.
The Hounds were a competitive group, and the partners were interesting.
Natalia didn’t choose Mav. She and Nahla were a team, while Maveryck and Nadya partnered up.
Tabitha opted to watch against Major’s wishes.
He and his aunt Kerrigan were fierce against Marshall and War, Kerrigan’s mate.
There was a lot of trash talking and even more laughter.
Sadie sat with Tabitha, while Hayden made sure she always had a drink.
Once the tournament was over with Natalia and Nahla kicking everyone’s ass, they moved inside the clubhouse to eat.
Then a poker tournament ensued. That Tabitha sat in on.
Natalia opted out, moving between the tables to cheer on her kids.
Seeing her love for them all was a thing of beauty.
When Tabitha wiped the table clean, Natalia cheered her on too.
The party went on well into the night. Music poured from large speakers, and everyone danced.
Seeing these tough bikers let loose with their mates on the dance floor was one of the best parts of the night.
Marshall danced with his mom, and Mav took turns with the demons.
At one point, an impromptu sing-along was led by Rhiannon.
A huge bonfire was lit when the sun went down, and the fixings for s’mores were brought out.
Being around Major’s family made Tabitha miss her own aunts and uncles.
She missed being able to pop over to Lydia’s and hang out with Sophia.
She missed spending time with Amelia and watching Abbi teach dance lessons.
That’s what happened when you became an adult, though.
Lives no longer intersected as often as they used to.
The couples retreated to their houses a few at a time until it was Tabitha and Major with his parents and siblings remaining.
The demons kept the drinks flowing as Natalia asked about their time with the actors.
She and Major took turns filling his family in on everything that happened.
When Tabitha recounted getting in a shootout, Natalia cursed in Russian as she placed her palm on Tabitha’s face.
Instead of driving home late, or early as it were, they all stayed over.
Mav and Natalia’s house wasn’t large enough to accommodate them all, so the demons bunked with War and Kerrigan, and Marshall stayed with Mateo’s parents, Hayden and Sadie.
The next morning, Tabitha helped Natalia and the demons cook breakfast since Major had asked for her biscuits.
She taught Natalia the secret to making them fluffy.
After they stuffed themselves, they sat around talking a bit before driving back to Troy.
Tabitha’s phone rang when they were about ten minutes away from the house.
“Hey, Boss.”
“It sounds like you’re in the car. Is Major with you?”
“Yes. You’re on speaker. We’re on our way back from visiting his family.”
“I hope you had a good time. Are the two of you ready to get back to work?”
She wasn’t, but she didn’t admit it to Mason. “Yes, sir. What do you have for us?”
“I need you both in Atlanta.” Mason described the jobs he had for each of them. “I figured with you being newly mated, you’d want to stay close to each other for now. Gabe’s on standby to bring you back.”
“And we appreciate that. Flying commercial sucks,” Major added.
“That it does. I’ll see you both in the office. Have a safe flight.”
After disconnecting, Tabitha groaned. “I am so not ready to go back to work. This week went by too quickly.”
“It did, but at least we’ll be in the same city working instead of a thousand miles apart. Think we have time for sex before we pack?”
Tabitha scratched her nails through Major’s hair. “We’ll make time.”
With his family being in the area, they didn’t have to worry about closing up Major’s house for the duration.
Since Marshall made better money than their sisters, Major texted the demons and told them they were welcome to the food in the fridge.
Tabitha texted Cailín, letting her know they were on their way south, so she and Carleigh dropped Tabitha’s Audi at the airport.
When they deplaned, they said goodbye to Gabe, and Tabitha asked Major if he wanted to drive.
“Nope. Not yet anyway. Once I get used to the area, I’ll be more than happy to take the wheel, but for now, I’d love it if you would chauffer me.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Tabitha joked.
Tabitha was grateful they had their own small airport instead of having to fly in and out of the large public one.
When Tabitha pulled up at her gate, she lowered the window and said, “Major is a hottie.” He laughed as the gate rolled back.
Tabitha eased down her long driveway, and when the house came into view, Major whistled low.
“Nice place, Sweetness.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d called her that, and Tabitha quite liked it.
“I’m glad you think so because it’s now yours too.
” She parked in the detached garage since she was in the Audi.
She didn’t leave it out in the elements if she could help it.
They grabbed all their luggage and passed through the covered walkway to the side door.
Tabitha placed her hand on the scanner, and the locks disengaged.
“We’ll add you to the scanner after I give you the tour. ”
Instead of stopping in the kitchen, Tabitha led him on through the house to the bedroom. “I’ll have to move some of my clothes around to make room for yours. When I left, I never expected to come home with a mate.”
Major placed his bags on the floor at the foot of the bed, and as soon as Tabitha’s hands were free, he grabbed her by the waist and hauled her close.
“Me neither, but I can’t imagine my life without you in it now.
” He kissed her languidly and when they paused for a breath, he said, “Come on. Show me around.”
“This is the bedroom,” Tabitha deadpanned. Major rolled his eyes, and she grinned up at him. “I bet you were expecting lots of pink lace.”
“Not really. I know you’re all female, but I can’t remember ever seeing you in pink. You’re more about stark colors with your clothes.”
“You would be correct. As for my décor, I prefer more neutral tones.” Her bedroom wasn’t girly at all.
The walls were a light blueish gray, and her bedding was striped with blues, grays, and beige.
Her carpeting was light gray. The rest of her house was also painted the same color scheme.
Tabitha showed him each room, ending up in the living room.
Like his, it had a large fireplace. Her TV wasn’t quite as big as his, but it would do for when they wanted to watch movies or stream a series.
“Now for outside.” Tabitha gestured to the French doors at the back of the room.
They opened onto a spacious deck that overlooked her property.
“Wow. I could live out here.” Major inhaled deeply. “Maybe I can talk Marshall and the demons into moving south one day. This place is great, Tabby.”
“I’m glad you like it. There’s plenty of space, so they can visit anytime they want. I’m rather fond of your siblings.”
“And they adore you, especially the demons. You made quite the impression on them.”