“They’ll be here,” I told her, grinning.
“You know your Mom is going to get them to try and lock down a wedding date,” Skye mumbled.
“They’re young,” I replied. “They’re having fun with their mate and trying to establish a new pack.”
“I’m just glad they finally stopped fighting over her. That was a tough year when Dax and Sam were at each other’s throats.”
I looked at her in the mirror. “I can’t imagine sharing a mate.”
She looked down at her stomach. “Do you think these two will have the same problem?”
“Only if they bond to the same person,” I replied. “It’s not out of the realm of possible.”
Skye made a face. “I just don’t want them fighting like Sam and Dax did.”
“That was rough,” I agreed. Their feud had divided our family for almost a year before they realized sharing their mate was the best thing for all parties.
“But they knew it was a possibility since they’re twins. Look at Kyle and Konnor. They made it work with Ainsley.”
“Kyle and Konnor aren’t Alphas, babe,” I pointed out. “Alphas aren’t known for sharing.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Whatever. I’m just glad it’s behind us. If they started another fight at one of the kid’s birthday parties, I would be the one going Alpha on their asses.”
“I love it when you go all Mama Wolf. It’s hot.”
“I’m, like, a million pounds,” she spluttered. “There’s a planet between us when you hug me.”
I closed the distance between us in two strides, my hand sliding around the back of her neck firmly. “I don’t care if there’s a universe between us, you’re still mine and the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”
The way she melted a little, her green eyes turning liquidy, made me feel like more of an Alpha than when I was commanding our pack of a thousand.
Her eyes jerked to the bed. “I guess I can’t get any more pregnant.”
I grinned. “What about the people coming?”
“They can wait,” she replied smugly. “We’ll blame it on my hormones. Right now, I need you.”
I felt Rhodes tense up beside me again and I almost slapped him with the spatula in my hand. “Dude, would you chill out?”
“Sorry,” he muttered. “Larkin’s been inside for awhile.”
I smirked and flipped the burgers on the grill as the sounds of a kid shrieking with laughter filled the air of the backyard.
“Think she finally got smart and realized she can do better than you?” I teased.
Rhodes swallowed. “She’s pregnant.”
My gaze snapped to him. “Seriously? Congrats, man.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was still on the longer side, mostly because Larkin threatened to glue extensions to his head if he cut it too short. “You know how hard it was when she was pregnant with Leia.”
Larkin had suffered the worst morning sickness ever when she was pregnant with Leia. It lasted her entire pregnancy and stressed Rhodes out to no end.
“You want to go check on her?” I asked. “I got this.”
“No,” he grunted. “She’ll just yell at me for hovering again.” He relaxed beside me as Skye and Larkin came out the backdoor, smiling and carrying platters of food for the kids.
Sawyer broke away from the table he was coloring at with Ryder and his three year-old daughter, Ellie. He came running to me with a paper clutched in his small fist.
“Look, Dad!” He thrust the paper at me.
I passed the spatula to Rhodes and took the paper, trying to decipher the squiggles and shapes. “This is awesome, Sawyer.”
“Uncle Ryder is making it his next tattoo!” Sawyer proclaimed, grabbing the paper again and sprinting back to Ryder. “He’s the best uncle ever.”
“I could be the best uncle ever,” Rhodes muttered under his breath.
“Are you seriously jealous?” I laughed.
“You realize he’s buying their love with tattoos,” Rhodes argued. “He lets each kid design one.”
It was true. Ryder let each of the kids design something to tattoo on him. He liked being able to wear what they created, but he needed to grow more skin or we had to stop having kids. He was running out of canvas with as many kids as we had running around.
“What do you think my odds are of getting Lark to name the baby Han?” Rhodes asked suddenly.
I stared at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
“We have a Luke and a Leia here,” he pointed out, jerking his chin at where they were playing. “They need a Hans.”
“No,” I said firmly. “Just … no.”
“It’s better than Chewie,” he grumbled. “Have you and Skye decided what to name the twins?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. She wants to name them after our parents.”
“That’s cute,” he remarked with a shrug. “Or you could do that thing where they have the same first letter. That’s popular.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I don’t see Skye going for that.”
I looked around the backyard at where my family and friends were all playing and laughing together. Leia giggled as Dante swung her around in a wide circle before setting her down so she could run to catch up with Rhys and Luke. He watched her go before tugging Tate under his arm.
The backdoor opened again and Sawyer took off with a yell to his grandparents. I gave my parents a wave as they joined the party.
Skye came up beside me and looped her arm around mine, leaning her head against my shoulder as she watched the chaos around us.
“I love our life,” she whispered softly.
I kissed the side of her head. I loved our life, too.
Coming Fall 2021
Mad World is the first book in a new adult, bully romance series by Hannah McBride.
I'm Madison.
I spent the last seventeen years in a trailer with my mom as she rolled from one addiction to the next. All I wanted was to survive high school and get out of this place. Finding out I had a long lost twin sister on the other side of the country seemed like something out of a movie.
Too bad I didn't realize it was a horror movie.
Now I'm Madelaine.
We were only supposed to switch lives for a summer. But then the unthinkable happened and now I have the chance to be my twin for the rest of my life. I get the fancy house, the rich father, and the elite school.
But all of those things come with a price I don't think I can afford.
Maybe taking over my dead twin sister's life isn't as easy as I thought it would be.
MAD WORLD will be available Fall 2021. You can pre-order it now on Amazon: MAD WORLD by Hannah McBride
Coming Winter 2022
The Blackwater Pack series will continue with Addie & Nikolai’s story, SCARS, will be out in Winter 2022. You can pre-order it now on Amazon: SCARS by Hannah McBride