Page 99 of Shattered Trinket
“No fair! Stop that!”
He grins, shaking his head, and turning his attention back to their food, but tendrils of affection still tickle along the bond, effectively killing any frustration or annoyance I was feeling. I sigh, rolling my eyes and glance at Manny last with a raised brow when I catch the way his eyes twinkle with mirth as he sips his beer and watches me from his seat next to Jeremiah. He pats his lap invitingly and I bite my lip, moving over to him and sitting on his thigh. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulls me closer until I’m leaning against his chest, and he kisses my cheek, making me smile as my eyes close briefly.
“You look pretty,Sirenita,” he murmurs in my ear, and I shiver in his hold.
“Thank you,” I whisper back, smiling up at him.
A few minutes later, Micah steps outside, looking around until he finds me curled in Manny’s lap. Closing the distance between us, he wears a pleasant smile and offers his hand to me.
“Ready, Firefly?”
I slip my hand into his with a smile and let him pull me up, tilting my face up for a kiss that he graciously gives me. My heart flutters in my chest when he pulls back and looks down at me with his soft honey eyes and a crooked smile. Before we leave, Ikiss each of my other men, giddy excitement coursing through my veins over a date with one of my alphas.
“Have fun you two! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Ridge calls after us as we make our way around the house.
“That’s no’ much,” I hear Zeke mutter, before a splash drowns him out and I laugh under my breath.
When we make it to the front of the house, Micah leads me to his car, opening the door for me and buckling my seat belt once I’m settled in my seat. He walks around and climbs into the driver’s side, glancing over at me with a sweet smile that gives me butterflies. I practically bounce in my seat as I grin at him.
“Excited?”
“Yes! What are we doing?”
“You’ll see,” he chuckles, starting the car and heading down the driveway.
Micah takes us into town, parking in front of a quaint, family-owned restaurant nestled among charming clothing shops, bakeries, and other nondescript stores. I glance at him quizzically, and he grins at me as he opens his door. He runs around the front of the car and comes to my side, opening it for me and holding his hand out, and I take it, letting him pull me out.
“I figured we’d have dinner first, and this place is within walking distance of where we’re going. It’s also owned and run by one of my dads. I hope it’s okay, but I told my parents we’d be stopping in for a bite and my mother insisted on meeting you,” he says, his cheeks darkening a bit as he gives me an awkward smile.
Nervous energy courses through me until a slight nudge in my bond with Ridge pushes it away as he sends loving and calmenergy through. I take a deep breath and look up at Micah, my heart tripping over itself.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve already told them not to bring up us having kids. They’re just excited to meet you. My mom’s been chomping at the bit since I told her about you.”
His thumb rubs over the back of my hand repeatedly, soothing my worries even more, and I give him a tentative smile.
“Okay.”
We walk inside, the cozy atmosphere inside instantly putting my mind at ease. The food smells incredible as we make our way through the dining area, Micah leading me to a table far enough in the back that we have some privacy. He pulls my chair out for me, making my cheeks heat and my lips twitch as I sit, and he pushes me closer to the table. Once he’s seated on the opposite side of me, a beautiful woman with shiny chestnut hair past her shoulders and the prettiest honey brown eyes comes over to us, vibrating with excitement as she grins at us both.
Micah’s eyes crinkle as he smiles up at her, standing to give her a quick hug.
“Mamá, this is Cozette. Cozy, this is my mom, Lucia,” he says as he sits back down.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say with a smile, holding my hand out.
“Oh, you’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” she says, ignoring my hand and wrapping her arms around me.
She smells like vanilla cupcakes and homemade buttercream frosting and her hug is a mother’s hug, filled with love and patient understanding. Her words are tinged with a delightful accent, setting her apart from Micah and making her even more captivating. I sit frozen for a brief moment, overwhelmed by shock, before tentatively returning her embrace, my eyes instinctively shutting tight. When we pull apart, my cheeks are warm and my heart feels light as she looks me over, her eyes sparkling.
“I just wanted to walk over and meet you. I know you’re on a date, but this one over here has been putting us off on bringing you over to dinner for months now, and I’m impatient. I’ll leave you two, but please come over soon. I’d love to get to know my new daughter, and I’d adore it if you bring the rest of your pack with you. I hear I’ve got myself a few new sons as well,” she teases, and there’s that pesky blush again.
“I’d love that, and I’m sure they would, too,” I tell her softly, loving that she wants to get to know my other alphas as well.
Her answering smile is cheerful, and she kisses Micah on his cheek with the promise she’ll send someone over to get our drink orders. Once she’s gone, it’s just us and I fidget in my seat after the waitress comes and gets our drink orders and leaves.
“I like your mom. She seems really nice,” I tell him with a smile, and he responds with one of his own.
“She can be a bit much sometimes. But she’s a great mother, and she loves all of us kids. Even the ones she didn’t give birth to.”