Page 32 of Nico

“That's because you filled the containers too early.”

“You filled them too,” Tony pointed out, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. “So this time, we need to be strategic. Only one or two containers at a time. Then, when people start leaving, that's when we move in. We offer to take home the leftovers.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “That’s actually a good plan.”

There were always leftovers at these barbecues anyway. Everyone seemed determined to bring enough food to feed the entire pack twice over, only to somehow take home barely any of it.

I wondered if we were doing these barbecues too often. Maybe people were starting to get tired of the food. The company certainly didn't seem to be a problem.

Everyone looked perfectly happy to be here, talking and laughing. I made a mental note to suggest changing things up at the next pack meeting.

“See? What did I tell you?” Michael appeared with Mason beside him and nudged him toward our table.

Mason leaned over to peek into my tote bag. “I wouldn't have believed you if I hadn't seen it myself.”

I folded my arms. “We wouldn't have had to do this if you hadn't moved out.”

Mason laughed. “I don't think you guys would've liked Levi moving into your house.”

Mason had lived with Tony and me for a while before finally moving in with Levi, his mate and one of our pack's trackers. I missed having his cooking around, although I would never admit that to him.

Before I could say anything else, something collided with my back.

“Thank you so much for inviting us!” Logan wrapped both arms around me in a tight hug.

Tony gave me a look, and I knew exactly what it meant. It was the same one he'd given me plenty of times before whenever he thought I'd become too familiar with a client.

He was reminding me to keep my distance, to detach and keep things professional. I tapped Logan's arm until he finally loosened his hold on me. Once he released me, I introduced him to the others.

“It's good to meet you,” Michael said.

“Yeah,” Mason added, looking considerably more excited. “I love your movies.”

Tony, meanwhile, looked even more reserved than usual. It was strange.

He was almost as big a fan of Shadowfall as I was, so I'd expected him to be the one asking Logan a dozen questions about the movie. He barely said anything.

I decided not to think too much about it and looked around the clearing, searching for Isaac.

I'd assumed he'd come here with Logan, but there was also a good chance he'd stayed behind at their cabin to go through more of the fan mail. Given how seriously he took his job, I wouldn't have been surprised.

Instead, he was near the barbecue pits, standing beside Cooper and several other pack members. He looked more relaxed than I'd seen him since they'd arrived in Pecan Pines.

I could just make out their conversation. They were arguing about whether charcoal or gas made better barbecue, and judging by the way Isaac kept shaking his head, he clearly had an opinion.

I couldn't stop smiling.

“I haven't seen him like this in a while.” Logan had a small, almost wistful smile on his face as he watched his brother.

“What do you mean?”

Logan was quiet for a moment before continuing. “I know Isaac left our old pack because of me and I'll always be grateful for that. I honestly can't imagine doing any of this without him. We’ve been doing this together for so long that I don't even remember what it was like before he was around.”

He gave a quiet laugh. “But sometimes I secretly hope he'll just quit one day.”

“Quit?”

“Being my bodyguard. The whole thing.” Logan shrugged, his gaze still fixed on Isaac. “Find a pack. Settle down somewhere. Do something that makes him happy.”