17. Riley
Hearing Claire getting completely wrecked by Vance had given me such a damn hard on I was surprised I was still able to walk to the car.
Adrien’s hand closed over mine, taking the keys to the truck, and opening the door for me as Vance scooped Claire up on the other side.
“Good?” He asked me, with a wicked smile.
I pouted. “If I must be.”
I mean, it wasn’t like the alpha hadn’t completely obliterated me when we were inside. He’d taken me in his hand and whispered all the filthy things that Vance was probably doing to Claire, commenting on what he felt through their bond, until I was gasping and groaning and coming all over him.
I know he’s a skilled chef, but the man was a god damn technician. No one should be allowed to be that good with their hands and still be able to keep their head.
Especially not with Claire’s sweet slick basically coating our tongues.
“Ri?” Claire asked, seeming to sense my preoccupation and lifting her head off of Vance’s shoulder as Adrien pulled out of their driveway.
“I really don’t want to show up to my mom’s with a hard-on, Claire Bear,” I said with a groan. “You’re cute as fuck, and I want you always just as you are, but could you tone down the come fuck me vibes so we don’t crash off the road?”
A pink blush blossomed across her cheeks. “I’ll just have to save them for later.”
“You bet your sweet ass on that,” I said under my breath, leaning my head against Adrien’s shoulder.
His hand came to rest along my knee, his touch calm and reassuring.
“So give us a run down on everyone who is going to be there again,” Adrien said.
Awe, he wanted to make a good impression. From the purr that left Claire’s chest, she could sense it as well.
“The most important thing is to just be yourselves,” Claire said.
“If you’re not, or if they think you have some kind of nefarious plot laid out for us, then they’ll eat you alive,” I said, nodding along.
“Oh, we have nefarious plots for you,” Adrien said. “Just a decade worth of fantasies to carry out in the bedroom, though.”
I had initially thought Adrien was the reserved brooding type, but now I realized that was just who he was with others. He still had this fierceness about him that came off stern at times, but it was more protective than anything else.
Plus by gods, both he and Vance had wicked tongues on them. I still couldn’t believe that not only had Claire been as in love with me as I was her, but that we had found two alphas who wanted us both.
I always knew in my bones Claire was my soulmate, and there was something about Vance the first time I’d seen him too. With Adrien, it had come that first night we had dinner together, and the gracious way he had helped without completely dominating the entire thing.
If Claire’s reaction to Vance’s scent was any indicator, they were our destined mates as well, something my family was no doubt going to lose their shit over when they found out.
“Okay, so my mom is more or less a female version of Riley,” Claire started.
“Don’t let Blaire hear you say that,” I laughed. “She’ll send Josh and Nick to get you.”
“And Josh and Nick are my alpha whipped dads who adore her and my omega dad Charlie completely,” Claire said with a shake of her head.
“Ah, so kind of like how we adore the two of you,” Vance said with a wide grin, the happiness radiating from him.
“I didn’t even realize the parallels,” she laughed. “They’re going to have a field day.”
“It’s my mom you need to watch out for,” I said truthfully. “I’m pretty sure she can stop my dads, my siblings, and I with one carefully arched eyebrow. I know for a fact she was staring the two of you down at the ceremony.”
“I thought that was her,” Vance confirmed with a nod of his head. “How can we get on her good side?”
“Eat all of your food, compliment her cooking, and give her grandbabies,” I said seriously.
“Oh my god, Ri,” Claire wheezed out.
“What? It’s completely true,” I said. “None of them have popped out babies yet.”
“Two of your sisters still live at home!”
“Well, yes, but Alex has a few years on me, and he still hasn”t. Forget the fact that Maria doesn’t want to have kids and is the least maternal person I know, and Alex can’t flirt to save his life. Plus, Lettie is nowhere near ready. I’m their only hope.”
“Are you really trying to make a case to knock me up right now?”
“All I’m saying is that you’d look really fucking hot swollen with our kid and dancing in the kitchen while you bake those sweets of yours, Claire Bear.”
Growls filled the cabin, Vance and Claire’s scent becoming more pronounced at my words.
“Fuck,” Claire said, adjusting where she was sitting on Vance’s lap. “You’ve got to stop talking about knocking me up or something tells me we’re not going to make it to dinner.”
“Roll down the windows,” Vance said with a groan.
Adrien’s grip tightened on my thigh as he did what his mate requested.
“You’re going to pay for that later, mon feu,” he warned.
The rest of the drive was over quickly, before we knew it, we were in front of my parent’s place.
As soon as I was out of the car, Vance came over to me, pulling me into his arms and rubbing his face against mine, scent marking me.
I had no jealousy over his and Claire’s moment together, in fact I wanted them to spoil her completely rotten and satisfy her needs with me by their side, but there was something special about the notion before we went into the house.
The only way I could truly describe my parents’ house was cozy and welcoming. Mom loved bright colors, so everything from her art on the walls to the throw pillows were perfectly placed to create an inviting atmosphere.
But it was the music that really screamed home. Mom and Blaire were in the kitchen, blasting some of their favorite songs and singing along, extremely loud and off key with laughter in between.
It smelled like tamales, if I had to guess from the level of spice in the air. My dads loved to make it hot enough that their eyes would water. It was some strange pack bonding ritual at this point.
“Mom, we’re here!” I called out. Both of our moms poked their heads out to greet us. My mom was the more serious of the two, but Claire’s mom rushed forward and threw her arms around her daughter. They seemed more like sisters than anything, between their youthful looks, bright eyes, and wild red curls.
“I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you two!” She said in mock annoyance, moving on to hug me and then giving each alpha their own hug. For a moment I froze, worried it would be too much for them, but both returned the gesture with a smile.
“Welcome, hope you’re hungry,” my mom said, raising one manicured eyebrow to wait for their response.
“Starving,” Adrien promised dutifully. It was adorable watching these strong alphas bow to my feisty omega mom.
“Ravenous,” Vance agreed. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“No,” my mom said quickly as she dragged Blaire back to their space. “We’ll eat in twenty minutes.”
“She always says that,” Maria said as she walked in. “And we never eat in twenty. An hour, minimum.”
“I heard that! Twenty minutes!” mom shouted back. Maria rolled her eyes and hooked her arm through mine, leading our group outside.
“The cousins already have the little ones running in circles, and the dads are trying some chip challenge thing,” she summarized. “If you guys don’t like spicy, tell them no. Don’t let them bully you.”
“Noted,” Adrien said as he took in the entire backyard. It was beautiful chaos. Talking, laughter, music, and the sound of a bonfire roaring filled the air. They’d already set up several rows of tables and chairs, lining everything with red and pink decor. Likely from early Valentine’s Day sales because neither of our moms could resist every store’s sales in town to nab candy and decorations at lower prices, a tradition they kept for every holiday known to man.
“There they are!” my cousin Ava shouted. The next twenty minutes were a blur of greetings, giving names the alphas had no hope of remembering for the next year, at least, and promises to hang out soon.
The dads all watched it from the sidelines, not doing a damn thing to help. It was as if this were some sort of family hazing ritual.
Finally, the cousins were torn away by someone pulling out a fresh case of drinks. That left it open for my alpha dad, Hector, to swoop in. He was possibly the most un-alpha-like alpha of all time. He was a huge teddy bear and hated macho bullshit. The man was always impeccably dressed and welcoming to everyone.
“It’s a lot at first, but they grow on you,” he promised Adrien as they shook hands.
“That’s my dad, Hector,” I introduced. “Next to him is Elias, my other dad.”
The beta gave a friendly clap on their shoulders and held up a chip that was so red it looked fake.
“You like spicy food?” he asked excitedly.
“I’ll have to ease into that,” Vance said with a laugh that had everyone else joining in.
Claire reached for my hand and I glanced over, both of us smiling. It felt like the alphas belonged here and they were already fitting in well. Hell, I’d even say the dads took to them quicker than anyone.
“Food!” Blaire’s voice was loud enough that everyone heard, the tables filling up quickly. Of course, they automatically sat our pack with our parents for the normal twenty questions to commence.
We’d barely made it through the first few bites before the normal questions went around. Tell us about your jobs, what do you do for fun, what brought you to Holiday Hollow?
“Did you know Adrien makes amazing chocolate? And Vance writes complex fantasy worlds? I can’t wait to read them,” Claire said quickly, redirecting the conversation before they could dive too far into their pasts. That wasn’t a first meeting conversation, and Adrien was getting visibly tense. He shot her a grateful smile as everyone started asking about the business.
Soon he had a promise from at least ten family members to come by and check out the business, while Vance now had a line of people who would no doubt be calling up the bookstore to order his book, even if they weren’t necessarily readers.
“So, how did you meet?” Maria asked, leaning forward to see us around my parents. “Is it an adorable, swoon-worthy story?”
“Vance came into my shop,” Claire said. “He became a regular I couldn’t help but check out. There was something so magnetic about him, and I looked forward to seeing him every day and coming up with new drinks for him to try.”
“But she may have needed a push from the bestest friend ever,” I said with a smirk. “So you can basically thank me for getting us all together.”
“I’d like to think I played a part in it too by calling Adrien,” she said in faux mock outrage. “Adrien and I weren’t as smooth, but he was truly a knight in shining armor.”
She launched into the story of the burst pipes and his dashing save. Maria and Blaire were sighing happily by the end. They already loved the alphas.
And honestly, there’s nothing more reassuring than your picky, crazy family, accepting your pack as one of their own.
By the time dessert hit, the twenty questions were over, and it felt like any other gathering. I’d given updates on the orchard, dad talked about business changes, and Blaire was talking about taking a new pottery class.
I couldn’t help but glance over at the alphas as the night wore on. They went from uneasy to more relaxed, smiling and laughing, showing they were actually enjoying themselves.
As the sky started to darken and most had escaped, my alpha dad moved us over to the fire and pulled out a box.
“Now I’m not supposed to let you all off this easy, but I figured that meeting the entire family should qualify you all for gaining your first item,” Hector said.
“Wait, we completed the first line?” Claire asked, pulling out that list Janet had given us.
To go forward you must go back, learn each other and take a page from the rack.
“How is bringing them to family dinner completing that?” I asked my dad.
“It’s all about learning who each other is and where you come from, building a good foundational knowledge of each other,” Hector said before turning to Vance and Adrien. “Look, boys, I’m not one to pry, something clearly led you to Holiday Hollow, and as long as you’re open with Claire and Riley about it, then it’s none of my business. Unless I need to go sic the whole Ortiz clan on them.”
“You’ve just met us,” Adrien said slowly.
“I don’t have to have known you to see how you treat my kids, to see how you look at them,” Hector says, his voice dead serious. “Me and every other member in this house have watched all four of you the entire night, and you know what variation I got from everyone? They all commented on how all of you fit together, how happy and well Claire and Riley seem to be. I don’t need any other reason other than that to be on your side, Adrien. We’re all rooting for you.”
Claire took Adrien’s hand in hers as he blew out a breath, his hand running over his goatee.
“Thank you,” he said finally. “That means a lot to me.”
Hector handed the box over to me and Vance that were closest to him and I peeked inside to find a set of thick wooden planks. Of course, they couldn’t just give us an obvious clue as to what the final piece would be. Then again, this was one of five and hopefully, along the way, we’d figure it out.
It couldn’t be that difficult. Tons of packs had gone through this before us. I was hardly the romantic type, but for once, I was excited to go through these steps together and see what Holiday Hollow threw our way.