Tall and slim, with long, straight, platinum-blond hair and light-blue eyes, the eighteen-year-old identical twins shared a knowing look as they oohed and aahed over the picture in the same way they had all the others she and Sawyer had showed them as they waited for everyone else to show up for the team party. Chloe grabbed the phone and started flipping through the pics, pointing things out on the screen to her sister without ever saying a word out loud.
From the corner of her eye, Harley saw Sawyer fighting to keep a straight face. She could totally understand why. The twin werewolves Jake had taken into his pack after their parents had been killed were unique. Though no one ever said as much, Harley was convinced Zoe and Chloe could actually talk to each other in their heads, like mental telepathy. And it was scary how fast they picked up on certain things most everyone else missed. Admittedly, it took a while to get used to them. Even Jes, who’d moved in with Jake after coming back from saving half the world from nuclear disaster, admitted the twins baffled her sometimes.
Sawyer was taking it all in stride, even if he was embarrassed with all the oohing and aahing. Even though the twins had met Sawyer about two weeks ago when he and Harley had first gotten back from their impromptu vacation, there hadn’t been time to talk much. But the moment they’d gotten to the apartment, the girls had demanded to see every picture they’d taken on their getaway.
“How long did you get to stay in Paris?” Zoe asked, always the more practical one of the two. When it came to hearing about the little vacation Harley and Sawyer had taken right after the mission, she was the one asking where they’d stayed, how much it cost, whether they used public transportation or rented a car, and how the weather had been. Chloe, the more emotional twin, had asked about the experience, the smell of the Seine, whether the paintings in the Louvre were as beautiful in person, and if Paris was truly as romantic as it seemed. It was the Jimmy Choo shoes Sawyer had bought for her in Paris that both girls couldn’t stop talking about, though. Harley hadn’t realized he’d seen her drooling over them that first night they had dinner together in Paris, so she was completely wowed when he surprised her with the strappy shoes. They probably didn’t go with the jeans and tee she was wearing, but who cared?
“We spent four days in France and then four days in London,” Sawyer said, sipping his beer.
“We even got to spend a whole day with his family at their house outside Leeds,” Harley added. “His mother was thrilled he was finally settling down with someone, although less thrilled he was doing it here in America.”
“Oh please.” Sawyer snorted. “She absolutely loved you. Dad, too. Of course, neither one of them can figure out how we ended up together.” He gave the twins a grin. “I think they believe she’s out of my league. I didn’t bother telling them they’re right.”
Zoe and Chloe giggled, sharing another of those secretive glances.
“Did MI6 make it hard for you to leave?” Zoe asked, first to recover and get back to the practical questions.
“They didn’t try to convince Harley to join MI6 instead, did they?” Chloe asked, her face betraying how nervous she was that might have been a possibility.
Sawyer slipped his arm around Harley. “After my boss there realized I’m a werewolf and that Harley and I are together, he fell all over himself trying to get both of us to stay. And while I wouldn’t have minded continuing to work for MI6, I couldn’t ask Harley to leave her pack.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Chloe smiled. “Because she’s part of the family. And now, so are you.”
They all laughed at that, but it wasn’t lost on Harley how important it was that her pack mates had welcomed Sawyer into the fold. And while she would have left to be with him, she was relieved he hadn’t asked that of her. She’d longed to find a family for years and had found it in her pack. She was just glad McKay had been open to having Sawyer join STAT.
The doorbell rang shortly after that, Misty, Forrest, and Caleb coming in and immediately making their way straight across the living room over to where Sam and Dean, two adorable black lab mix puppies, were relaxing on the floor.
“Don’t get them spun up, Caleb,” Jes warned from the kitchen. “Jake took them both out for a long run this morning just so they’d be calm for the party. If you get them all crazy again, you’ll be the one who takes them for a walk while we eat dinner.”
Harley laughed as Caleb stood there with a pout on his face, looking like a kid told he wouldn’t be able to open his Christmas presents if he didn’t behave. It didn’t stop him from crouching down beside the puppies, both of whom greeted him excitedly.
Jake came in from the small balcony where the grill was, plates piled high with cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and steak in his hands. “Okay, who’s hungry?”
That had to be a rhetorical question, Harley thought, her stomach growling at the aroma of all that grilled perfection.
“Did you get all of your stuff moved into Harley’s place?” Jake asked after they’d all filled their plates and spread out around the living room to eat.
“I did,” Sawyer said after pausing to swallow the bite he’d taken from his burger. “Although I didn’t have much to worry about. A couple of suitcases full of clothes we flew back with and a few boxes of stuff from my flat in London. Harley and I are thinking of getting a slightly larger place now that there are two of us.”
Harley smiled, amazed at how happy the simple notion of getting a place together made her. Since they both loved to read, they wanted one with a room they could designate as a library, where they could showcase all the knickknacks and mementos they’d pick up on their future travels in addition to books. The idea of a home gym was also intriguing. Truthfully, though, it wasn’t the particular details of what they were looking for in a home that interested her. It was living with Sawyer that had her excited.
Still, she nodded her head at all the right times as everyone gave suggestions on where they might look for a place and what price range might be best for them. Jake was focused on practicality, saying they should try to find a place close to STAT headquarters so they could get through DC traffic quickly when they got called in on a mission on short notice. Jes and the twins wanted them to move into their apartment building. Misty and Forrest suggested a brownstone near them in Mount Vernon Square. Caleb thought they should get an RV. Harley had no idea if he was serious or not.
They laughed and talked about anything and everything while they ate, and once again, Harley was struck by how easily Sawyer fit in with her pack.
“Did McKay ever tell you what happened with Adriana and Kristoff?” Forrest asked curiously as he reached for another burger. “I know he was trying to get Adriana to join STAT, but I haven’t heard whether he was able to pull it off or not.”
“Weatherford was working her pretty hard, too.” Jake took a long sip of beer. “But I don’t think Adriana was interested in either offer. She told me before we left Calais that she and Kristoff wanted to spend time together without worrying about people trying to kill them.”