Fighting for her Mate

14

Paul seemed worried at Jake’s secrecy, so Nic shared with the group. “He wants to have a guys’ night out at the casino.” The brothers high-fived and the gals just groaned remembering the last time they were all in Vegas.

Turner, the quiet one of the two enforcers, smiled. “I think you’ll make a great alpha.”

Nicole shrugged. “Maybe, but that,” she said, referring to her answer to Jake, “was based on knowing how my mate acts in Vegas.”

Paul set a file folder on the low table in front of them. “Sounds great. Here are your plane tickets for tonight. We’ll meet you at the gate.” Both men stood.

“Wait a minute.” Barbara stood, seeming flustered. “That’s it? You’re going away? Just like that? When are you coming back?” Tristan took her in his arms. “They can’t just leave. It’s…it’s too quick.”

Jake and Nicole shared a look. She gave him a smiling nod. Jake went to his mother and hugged her. “It’s okay, Mom. Nic and I are just going to visit. We’ll be back before you know it.”

His mother sniffled and pulled away. “I know. It’s just…you’re the first to leave the nest. I guess I’m not ready for it yet.”

Nic ran to Barbara and hugged her. She was the mother Nic had gained once she’d married Jake. There was no way in hell they’d be separated for long.

Ellie came back into the living room with Caleb close behind. After Jake and Nicole left to pack, the group took a bathroom break before getting back into the things at hand.

After seeing the coffee table covered in cookies, brownies and buttery crackers, Ellie turned to Caleb with a sad smile. “I wasn’t expecting Mom to take Jake’s leaving so hard.”

Caleb frowned. “How can you tell?”

Ellie knew this was a girl thing, so she let his manhood remain intact for such a stupid question. “All the snacks on the table are mom’s comfort foods. If she had time, she’d make spaghetti.”

Caleb was quiet, contemplating. “Is this something I need to know about you before we live together?”

Ellie smirked. “You bet your sweet ass you better know. And make sure to have a supply on hand. You may be dishing out the goodies to get out of the doghouse and back into my bed.”

Caleb pulled out his phone and typed, every so often glancing at the table. They made their way toward a living room chair. Mason sat next to them, waiting for Emma. Caleb leaned over and whispered, “Hey, man. I gotta thing you need to know to prevent blue balls. I need to make sure the other guys know this.”

“s**t, that’s important. What is it?” Mason asked.

“There’s this thing called comfort food. Apparently, when women are upset, if you give them sweets and spaghetti, they’ll be happy again.”

“Seriously? I can do that.” He pulled out his phone as Ellie’s father walked in and once again, took his place in the worn brown recliner.

Ellie rolled her eyes at the guys’ silliness and let out a long sigh. The two guys’ eyes met. Caleb mouthed, “What does that mean?”

Their dad reached for a cookie. “That, son-in-law, is how a woman says you’re an i***t, but she loves you anyway.”

Mason and Caleb typed furiously on their phones. Mason looked up. “What does it mean when they say fine. I’m always in trouble after that.”

Aric came in and his brows lowered. “What are you all talking about? This looks serious. Should I call the women from the kitchen?”

“No,” universally rang out.

“Sit down, man. This is important,” Caleb said.

Ellie laughed at her husband. He was so cute when serious. “I gotta hear this. Keep going, Dad. Tell them what fine means.”

Her father nodded and winked at her. “Right. It’s used to end an argument when she is right, and you need to shut up.”

“Oh, crap.” Aric whipped his phone out. “I need to remember that. What does it mean when they say nothing when you ask what’s wrong?”

“Ah, yes,” their dad nodded with a pensive look before he once again met Ellie’s gaze with a twinkle of humor in his gaze. “That’s a classic. It means something is wrong and you’d better figure it out fast. Here are some others: sometimes yes means no, no means yes, and maybe means no.”

Ellie bit her tongue to keep from bursting into giggles.

“You said sometimes,” Aric said. “How will we know?”

“You won’t.” Ellie’s father continued. “Sure, go ahead is a dare. Don’t do it. I’ll be ready in a minute means sit back and relax with the remote. And if she asks are you listening to me, then it’s too late. You might as well head for the doghouse with your blanket and pillow.” Ellie’s dad glanced at her. “How am I doing so far?”

She pressed her lips together to keep from choking on her laughter and raised her brows. “Not too bad. Some could get you slapped. But let me ask you guys what you mean on stuff.”

Caleb shrugged. “Sure, sweetheart, but men are usually pretty easy to understand. We say what we mean.”

Ellie crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh yeah? When you say you like my dress, that means nice boobs.” The men feigned gasps.

“We would never!” Nate exclaimed.

“Right,” Ellie said. “When I asked if you liked my haircut, and you said ‘I love it,’ that meant you hadn’t even noticed the change.”

“Hey,” Caleb spoke up, “I did love it.” Ellie raised her brows at him. “All right, I hadn’t noticed it yet. You just got home.”

Ellie snorted. “I had been home for hours. We even had supper.” Ellie’s mom and the other ladies came in, mugs in hand.

Her mom frowned. “What are you all talking about? The men look guilty. What did they do, Ellie?”

“We’re talking about what men mean when they say things like nice dress.”

Her mom handed a cup to her dad. “That means nice boobs.” Her dad looked incredulous. “Sorry, dear. I don’t mean you, of course.” She took her chair. “You ladies know what let’s go out to eat dinner means, right? It translates to you don’t have to cook or clean the kitchen so we can have s*x. Twice.” The men’s eyes widened and they suddenly found the carpet very interesting to look at.