That was one problem with their longevity. The humans aged faster than the wolves.
“Okay. And”—she reached over and stroked his hand—“we can’t drift apart in the intimacy arena.”
He chuckled wolfishly. “You can count on that not happening.”
She laughed, already feeling all tingly with need. “Communication. We have to tell each other what’s going on if something’s bothering us. That means not telling Tori that we’re upset over something to do with the other but instead you and I talk it out with each other.”
“I agree with you there. My parents are great with talking to each other about issues. Most of the time, one of them didn’t realize how the other felt about something, and once they cleared the air, everything was fine.”
“Okay, good. My parents are good about talking to each other too.”
“That’s good.” He finished his ice cream. “That hit the spot.”
“Lots of energy for what comes next, right?”
“You better believe it.”
Chapter 23
Adam was thinking about a million things, trying to stay focused on the pretty little she-wolf sitting across from him, licking every bit of hot fudge syrup off her spoon, instead of the things he was mentally noting he needed to take care of. He needed to meet with Sierra’s parents and have a heart-to-heart talk to let them know he would do everything in his power to make Sierra happy if he mated her.
“Hey,” Sierra said, reaching over to grab Adam’s hand. “Ready to return to the house?”
“Yeah, I sure am.” Forget about anything else; it was time to go home.
“What were you thinking about when you were zoned out back there?” Sierra asked, driving them home.
He chuckled. “What did I miss?”
“Me confirming our dinner date with my family tomorrow. Brad is asking your parents to come over too, since we’re going to all be on the boat the rest of the day. You’re invited, of course.”
He laughed. “Yes. That sounds good.”
“What were you thinking about? Dover? The case?”
“No. I was thinking of your family, mine, us.”
“Oh, good,” she said. “I mean, if you were thinking about how you were going to take down these guys who have been causing us trouble, that would have been good too. But I like knowing you were thinking along the same lines as me.”
“For sure,” Adam said.
She glanced at him. “You’re good for it, right? We’re not jumping the gun on us getting together with them, are we?”
Smiling, he shook his head. “I absolutely want to do this, and if you must know, I wanted to talk to your parents about my interest in you.”
“Really? You’re so sweet.”
But what came next was hot and sexy, nothing sweet about it.
* * *
After making love again Sunday morning, Sierra and Adam hurried to dress and headed out to the marina to meet with her brother and sister-in-law and their parents and Adam’s. Brooke and Josh were hurrying to catch up to them. The morning was cool, the sun rising, reflecting off the rippling water in the fussy breeze. Seagulls were flying overhead, fish splashing in the water, ducks floating on the surface. They used a cart to wheel their bags of sunscreen and beach towels and other essential items for a day out boating and ice chests full of beverages and containers of potato salad, coleslaw, and fixings for sandwiches.
Sierra was excited about seeing Adam’s boat and hoped it wouldn’t be too crowded. She hoped his boat was at least as nice as some of the ones her father had owned, just because she wanted him to impress her father, even though she shouldn’t have been worried about that. She should just be glad Adam had a boat, period, to enjoy when they could. Otherwise, trying to rent one at this late date for the summer probably would have been impossible. They would all be booked up.
She kept thinking about Adam and how good he was to her and how much she enjoyed his company when her mom met up with her. Sierra knew she would want to talk to her about Adam.
The guys were hauling most of the stuff, passing covered boat slip after slip as Janice, Brooke, and Adam’s mom, Beverly Holmes, were talking about something on the walkway way ahead of them.
Sierra’s mom said to Sierra, “It was all your dad’s idea to come along. We both wanted to do this, but I thought you two might have needed the time alone together. Your dad has dreamed of getting another boat since we sold ours when Brad and you moved away.”
“We’re glad you could join us. If things go well with Adam and me, we’ll take you out again when you move here.”
“Yeah, but that’s why you need the time to be alone together. Not with all the parents being here. You need the time to get to know each other.”
Smiling, Sierra hugged her mom. “We’ve known each other since I moved here.”
“As in dating?”
“Well, no, but Adam has always brought me my favorite coffee when I’m at work.”
“The hazelnut and chocolate caramel?”
“Yep. He’s always been a bright spot in my day, and he seems to feel that way about me too. Adam wants more from life like I do. Anyway, this doesn’t mean we’re mating, but we are definitely dating. And now—so that he keeps me safe from Dover’s minions—we’re spending the evenings together. And we’re quite alone.”
Her mother’s expression brightened. “Oh. Oh, that’s good.”
Sierra chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”
Then her mother frowned. “You don’t think it’s too soon after breaking up with Richard, do you?”
“You broke up with a wolf you were dating, and how long did you wait to date Dad?”
“Two days.”
Sierra smiled. “Well, I’ve known Adam for longer than that. We always chatted during pack social events. I didn’t go with him to them, but I always met up with him there because of our connection on the job.”
“And he got you that job. I like him.”
Sierra was glad. She loved her parents, and if she did mate Adam, she wanted them to welcome him like a son. Adam’s parents had been reservedly friendly, and she suspected that was because they knew Adam had cared for her all along, but she hadn’t been available and maybe they were afraid she would break his heart. She was glad they had come too, but she didn’t want everyone to believe this was a done deal between her and Adam in case it wasn’t and then they’d be disappointed.