Page 109 of Ice King

“Tell me about it,” she answered.

I enjoyed spending time with Ford’s family, even though I missed my father terribly. How many times had I almost picked up the phone to call him?

Ford grimaced. “You’re both difficult women.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” his mother said.

“The party is wonderful, Mrs. Kendrick,” I told her while offering my own admonishing glare to my hunky companion.

Both Cole and Beck were making their way to us after grabbing drinks from the bar. Their parents had gone all out for a summer blowout party. I’d been to their house a number of times, the sprawling Spanish-style ranch fronting woods on one side and a lake on the other. The setting was incredible.

And huge.

I’d even been introduced to other pack members, finally realizing how closely knit North Bend truly was as a town. But not just the wolves. The humans who lived in town felt the same sense of longing to protect them as I did. After the night in the rain, I’d sensed there were shifters keeping watch over everyone in town.

There’d been nothing overt, just an innate feeling that I was safe in my surroundings. That had allowed me to become more comfortable, even to forget I was possibly living in a bubble.

At least until the last couple of weeks, the headlines had remained quiet.

I had a feeling they were about to explode and I knew in my heart Ford was ready for anything.

“It’s Margaret, dear. You’re family now. I do wonder when I’m going to hear wedding bells.” She patted Ford on the shoulder before moving away.

“Mom!” Ford laughed, the bad mood broken for now.

“Is Mom pushing you two to get married again?” Beck asked.

“As usual.” Ford grimaced. “Not until I get my shit together.”

I smacked him in the stomach.

“What happened?” Beck glanced in my direction.

Ford hung his head as if embarrassed. “My agent bailed.”

“He wasn’t worth shit anyway.” Beck snorted. “Dickhead.”

“No, but now, I’m out of options. Did you see the latest headlines?”

Cole nodded first. “Yeah, I saw them. You know how excited everyone gets around this time of year. You’ll get a call.” He had a shit-eating grin on his face. “It happens when you least expect it.”

Beck and Ford looked at each other.

“What do you have up your sleeve?” Beck leaned in, lifting his eyebrows.

All they seemed to talk about when they were together was hockey. I’d gotten used to it. I’d been told more than once that’s what happened when there were three boys who played hockey in a family. However, when we were alone, everything was different.

In the weeks we’d known each other, Ford and I had chosen to ignore our respective pasts. While I wanted to know what had occurred years before, the outcome turning him into a grump, he was entirely different than when I’d met him. He was much happier, even if I continued to feel a dark vibe running through him.

“Well, you might want to ask Coach Stryker when you see him.”

“No!” Ford said, excited, but I could see how hard he was trying to hide his disappointment.

I was angry with the entire game of hockey, but the idea I had was digging its way into my brain. I’d read enough on the subject to feel more confident in what I was talking about. Maybe that would help. Or maybe the man behind the designer suit would laugh at me.

Cole shrugged, looking sheepish. “I hope you don’t mind, but I was offered a spot on the Seattle Wild.”

“Mind?” Ford lifted his beer, genuinely happy for his brother. “About damn time. It was the hockey camp. Wasn’t it?”