That seemed to settle the issue, and everyone got down to some serious eating. Jayna was glad to see the guys from her pack joining in with the fun, ribbing and joking like they’d been part of the SWAT pack for years—just another sign that staying here had been the right thing to do. Chris, Moe, and Joseph were more relaxed and outgoing than she’d ever seen them. Hanging out with all these mature alphas was good for them.
She’d been a little worried about that, concerned the guys would be on edge all the time with alphas around to remind them of Liam. But that didn’t happen because none of Eric’s pack were the least bit like Liam.
Her bigger concern, however, had been finding a place to live and jobs for all of them. But all those fears had turned out to be as silly as all the rest. Eric’s entire pack had busted their butts looking for jobs that would work for them, but it was Ethan and Kathryn Stone who had come through in the end.
The older couple had been a little freaked out when they’d discovered there were werewolves in the world and that their daughter was marrying one, but they’d gotten over it surprisingly quickly. And after seeing how well Chris, Moe, and Joseph had handled the horses, Ethan had talked to a few friends and gotten all the guys, Megan, and Jayna jobs working at a horse rescue and rehabilitation center. The facility took in wild as well as domesticated horses and racehorses that had been injured or mistreated. The place was privately funded, and while the pay wasn’t great, it allowed them to all work together. The people who owned it had immediately picked up on the fact that the injured and abused horses were amazingly calm and relaxed around her pack, which was something that even Gage couldn’t explain. Megan and the guys adored working there, and in the end, that was all that mattered.
Mac helped find them a really nice multiple bedroom loft apartment in a renovated furniture factory over by Baylor University’s Dallas campus. The place had five bedrooms, a big, central kitchen, and best of all, allowed pets, so they’d not only be able to have Tuffie visit, but also get a dog of their own, something Jayna really wanted. With its proximity to the campus, the place would have normally been way outside their price point, but Mac had promised the owner’s college-aged daughter an internship at the paper where Mac worked in exchange for reduced rent. Plus, Eric had moved in with them, so they were sharing the cost with more people.
Jayna had been afraid the rest of her pack would have an issue with Eric moving in so soon, but they hadn’t even batted an eye. Jayna was still getting used to the fact that her whole pack knew every time she and Eric had sex though. It was a bit unsettling.
All in all, everything was going absolutely wonderful. If there was anything negative to pick out, it had to be what had happened to Eric’s bike. Jayna had gone out to the highway with him the next day to find his precious bike in pieces. Highway patrol had been picking them up and putting them in cardboard boxes. Jayna had thought Eric was going to cry, and she still felt terrible about it two weeks later.
She’d been all ready to help him pick out another Harley, but he’d surprised her by getting an SUV instead.
“Your whole pack won’t fit on the back of a Harley,” he’d told her with a smile.
Yet another reminder of why she loved him. But she was glad he hadn’t suggested a minivan.
Outside, a car pulled up to the fence. Eric immediately got up to unlock the gate so Megan could get in, but Max beat him to it, Alex on his heels. Jayna laughed. At least half the guys in Eric’s pack had a thing for Megan. There was something very intriguing to them about the small, quiet werewolf that went way beyond sex appeal and pheromones. Megan had risked her own life to save her pack leader, something every guy in Eric’s pack understood and respected.
But Megan had been busy recovering from the gunshot wound and working part time at the horse rehabilitation center, so she hadn’t hung out much with the guys in Eric’s pack. This would be her first real chance to socialize with them, and they were all more than a little eager to talk to her. It was like her debutante ball.
Eric’s pack mates stopped as soon as they saw that Megan was holding hands with Zak Gibson, Mac’s photographer and best friend. A person would have had to have been blind not to see the connection between the two of them. Megan was grinning from ear to ear, and there was a light in her eyes that Jayna had never seen before.
Jayna jumped up and hugged her friend. “I’m so glad you felt up to coming out today.”
“Dr. Saunders said it would be good for me to get out in the cold air for a bit.” Megan grinned. “Even if he hadn’t, I would have come anyway. There was no way I was going to miss this cookout, not after Zak told me how much fun they are.”