Two weeks and three dates into our new arrangement, our relationship remained free of drama and irrational jealousy. Wednesday, Sasha pulled an overnight shift at the hospital, and I stayed at the penthouse watching movies on the sofa with Nandi and Isisa.

We fell asleep together, Nandi’s head in my lap and Isisa leaning against my shoulder in front of the television, then stirred awake when Sasha tried to tiptoe past us around six.

After I showered in my bathroom and slipped on a fresh change of clothes, I emerged to find Sasha pouring coffee. Nandi and Isisa had vanished from the sofa.

“Morning, sexy,” Sasha greeted me, rising on tiptoe and sealing her welcome with a kiss. Her damp hair hung in two braids against her shoulders, and she wore a thin, faded T-shirt over tiny pink shorts printed with white kittens.

Goddamn.

“Morning, corazon. Peaceful night at work?”

“The ER is never peaceful, but it could have been worse. You’re here later than I expected.”

“I’m here later than I expected.” I grinned. “It’s easy to oversleep when those two don’t know how to end a night. Isisa wanted a Halloween marathon, and Nandi wouldn’t agree to it unless I stayed to watch them all too.”

Her bright eyes twinkled despite the hints of exhaustion shadowing them. “Aren’t you glad you listened to me and brought extra clothes to leave here?”

I pinned her to the counter and kissed her again. “Very much.”

An hour later, after coffee, eggs, and bacon with Sasha, I made my morning commute to the site. I drove through the gate to find the guys all standing beside our mobile administration office. Paint covered the side in a childish string of vulgar Spanish terms. Mamón. Soplapollas. I stared at the words I wouldn’t repeat in front of my mother if someone offered me a million dollars.

Sergio stepped beside me. “Bad news, hermano.”

A section of chain-link fence had been cut open, allowing vandals inside to tag graffiti on a bunch of our equipment and the foundations we’d poured. I walked through the site, scowling at the images of swords and swears in Spanish.

“At least the security cameras will have caught our midnight artists, right?”

My brother cleared his throat. “Um, about that… It looks like the security system went offline.”

“What?”

“About ten it dropped off. Looks like the power took a hit and the backup generators never kicked on. I’ll check the wiring on them.”

“Great, thanks. I’ll—”

“Hey, boss,” Jesús called over. “I think you may wanna come take a look at this concrete load. It’s lookin’ real wet.”

“Dammit, that’ll be the third load this week I have to send back.”

They say when it rains it pours, and today turned out to be a shitstorm of bad luck. While Sergio directed the crew, I dealt with the police and made a report.

The police thought a dangerous Texas gang was behind the graffiti. About twenty years ago, the Familia de Espadachines Latinos—the Family of Latin Swordsmen—were just a fast-growing group of Latino kids knocking over liquor stores and holding clerks at sword point because they couldn’t always get guns. Occasionally, they even did some B&E. Today, they were smuggling drugs and frequently in the news for gang wars. About a few months ago, they’d killed the leader of a rival gang, decapitating him and leaving his head on the kitchen counter for his wife and kids to find. The sword they’d done it with was left in his body, penetrating the heart.

The officers suggested increased surveillance and promised to be in touch. Once the legalities were done, I grabbed one of our workers and began the tedious job of removing paint from concrete. By end of the day, we managed to pour the slabs for the next phase of the job, but it took all hands on deck, including mine.

Dirty and sore, I headed home to take a long, hot shower and pass out without dinner. My mother pulled in the driveway right behind me.

Having family within walking distance was often a blessing, but tonight it felt like a goddamned hassle. Mierda. If and when I got to sleep, it’d be hours from now, because I didn’t have the heart to chase my affectionate and well-meaning mother away.

“Hey, Mamá. Did you need something?”

“You look like a mess,” she said as she crossed over toward me. “You just getting home from work?”

“Yeah. Long day thanks to a few setbacks.”

She pursed her lips and looked me over from head to toe. I knew I looked like hell, but hard labor did that, and she had seen my father in the same state on many occasions over the past years.

“Go get cleaned up, and I’ll cook for you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t, mijo, but I want to. Besides, we need to discuss Thanksgiving plans.”

“Right.” Arguing never worked, so I did the smart thing and conceded. Besides that, my belly agreed with her plans despite my previous intentions to crash on an empty stomach. At this point, I’d settle for rice and beans.

Mom provided something much better. By the time I finished washing up and came out in clean clothes, she had all the fixings for tacos laid out on my counter. Somehow she’d managed to find that package of corn tortillas I’d been searching for all week.

“Thanks, Mamá. You’re the best.” I kissed her cheek and started putting together my plate.

We sat together at the breakfast bar and talked about the family. She shared pictures from her phone of Mariana on her extended honeymoon and chatted about Selene’s latest boyfriend drama. She’d dropped her asshole boyfriend like a sack of rotten potatoes.

“So that’s one less mouth to feed at our big turkey feast,” my mother concluded. “I’m still worried two birds won’t be enough…”

I wiped my mouth and cleared my throat. “About Thanksgiving…” That got her full attention.

“Please tell me you are bringing someone with you.”

“Maybe. We’ll see.”

She straightened and beamed at me. “Samuel said he saw you with a woman here. A beautiful one, too. Not a nice Latina girl, but that doesn’t bother me.”

“Wait, what? While it’s nice to know my dating preferences don’t bother you,” I said with some sarcasm seeping into my voice, “but when did Samuel…?”

“Don’t get smart with me. And it was a week or so ago.” She waved her hand dismissively. “He came over to ask for one of your movies but said he saw you on the couch with a pretty girl, so he left.”

I needed to learn to close my blinds earlier. “And you haven’t said anything all this time?”

“I didn’t want to push you.”

“Who are you and what have you done with my mother?”

Mamá only chuckled and patted my arm. “You don’t have any candy. Did you forget?”

The abrupt change of subject threw me off kilter. “Huh?”

“Candy, for the children. Only four more days, you know. The good stuff will be sold out.”

“Oh, I’m not passing out candy at home anyway this year. I have a date to a party.”

“Ah, all right then. I hope you have a good time.” She rose from her seat, her satisfied expression the sweet smile of an old woman with diabolical plans on her mind. “Get some rest, Esteban. Let me know when you decide about the holiday so I can plan the meal. I need to know how many people to expect. Maybe I’ll order that third turkey after all.”

While I questioned my sanity, she returned to her car and drove away. Mamá never missed an opportunity to pry into my personal life.

And when she was ready to spring her plan, I probably wasn’t going to like it.

---

Dressing as my favorite Game of Thrones character for Halloween earned more attention than I anticipated when Esteban and I stopped to gas up along the way to Quickdraw. We’d been invited to participate in a costumed church function sponsored by my friend Julia and her husband Lyle for the town’s kids.

I’d met Julia when we were both doctors serving at Navy Medical Center San Diego, and from there, our friendship blossomed into something greater. I’d been a part of Ian’s group already, but after I introduced the two of them, she eventually became my stand-in.

But I’d never felt replaced by her. On the contrary, I’d felt confident and at ease with leaving the medical care of my best friends, my closest comrades, in her capable hands.

While steering my ’Vette down the narrow lane leading into Hawthorn Grove, subtle changes stood out since my last visit. A brand-new bronze sign on the left proclaimed the name of their sleepy little burg a couple minutes beyond Quickdraw city limits, and the roads had been newly paved. Prior to that, it had been dirt road and pea gravel, both of which I’d bitched about to him multiple times. The beginnings of a brick wall had been laid out to either side of the road, leading me to wonder if they planned to gate it off eventually.

Ian lived in a two-story brick home on the right-hand side, and a few yards down the road on the left, Taylor had purchased some property to build a house with his wife. At the very end of the lane, our other teammate, Russ, had built a cabin he shared with his wife and two children.

And then there was Jules in between them. She’d had taken a couple acres off Ian’s hands. On it, she and her husband had built a gorgeous two-story home with an enormous, fenced-in yard and three-car garage. Her husband was a mechanic by trade and loved working on automobiles in his spare time as projects. When I pulled into the empty spot beside Lyle’s massive tow truck, Esteban leaned forward and whistled at the classic Mustang parked beneath a carport beside the garage.

The tow truck shone black and glossy purple, the logo of Wildside Paint and Autobody visible on the side in stylish block letters hugged by the silhouette of a prowling wildcat.

Lyle worked for Taylor, a former drug dealer turned good after a couple years in prison set him straight. Serving time had mellowed him. Changed him. Now he managed and ran operations at the Huntsville location opened last year. The two guys had become best friends.

I explained everything to Esteban along the way to Julia’s house, not expecting him to retain everything I said, but wanting him prepared for the first meeting with all of my close friends. My family.

“See, I knew Nadir installed surveillance equipment, but I didn’t realize there was more to it than that.”

Ian’s private security firm was one of the best in the country, and I’d been a member of it since the beginning. On top of government sanctioned missions, he hired out bodyguards and security personnel.

“Nadir is our communications guy, but sometimes Juni takes over for him. They’re both good with tech and building stuff. Julia filled in for me as a medic sometimes when I wasn’t available.”

I expected it to overwhelm him, but he only grinned. “Does that mean you have an assortment of skills able to rival Liam Neeson?”

“Oh no. Not me. I just sew and plug things up,” I fibbed, afraid of intimidating him with the absolute truth. “The one who lays down the calm threats before passing out judo assbeatings would be Ian. He’s the big brains behind all of it. Anyway, now that they live in Quickdraw, the town is practically crime free. They took care of most of the criminal elements, and Lyle mentors the kids who enter the system. Speaking of which, there’s something I have to warn you about before you meet him.”

“Yeah?”

“Lyle lost his left arm in an accident a few years ago, but he’s not sensitive about it. Julia created his replacement, so feel free to stare at it and marvel over the design because it’s her pride and joy.”

“Okay. Stare and ogle away then.”

“Right. But be sure to say it looks badass. Also, the triplets don’t like to wear clothes. They’re always whipping their diapers off and streaking the moment someone turns their back on them.”

“Okay. I have a ton of cousins and little cousins. I can handle a few baby bottoms.”

“And Elijah kind of stops to pee at random, so we try very, very hard to keep an eye on him for spontaneous diaper removal, and we leave all footwear outside or place them out of reach on the shelf inside because those are his favorite targets.”

Esteban stared at me.

“Right. Let’s go.”

Dressed in an all-black, ankle-length gown with green highlights in her hair, Julia opened the door and met us on the stoop before I had a chance to knock. I left my slippers outside, and Esteban did the same.

The aroma of pumpkin spice and everything nice wrapped me in a hug before Julia’s slender arms enfolded me, too. Her home smelled terrific, because she and Nandi shared a sincere love of everything scented from candles to wax melts and essential oil diffusers that released intoxicating aromas into the air. I didn’t know who had addicted who first. And since Taylor’s wife ran the spa in town, they were always trying out her latest aromatherapy discoveries.

Wishing I visited more often, I leaned back and gazed at Julia with a smile. “Where are my babies?”

“Harassing Lyle while I finish the goody bags. Are you going to introduce me first to your new man before you go spoil my kids?”

“Oh, right.” Heat arose in my cheeks. I tucked my chin then stole a glance to the side at Esteban, gazing at him from beneath my lashes. “This is Esteban. Esteban, my best friend Julia.”

When he held out a hand to shake with her, Julia tugged the dish from his hands, passed it to me, and stepped forward to hug him. “Welcome to our home. Now where are Nandi and Isisa?”

“One of Isisa’s clients had some kind of emergency, and Nandi wanted to polish a draft before she sends it to her editor. They won’t arrive for a couple hours but did send us ahead with this offering to appease you.”

Julia leaned down and inhaled without removing the lid. “Apple dumplings. Call me successfully bribed.”

“If you put them in the oven for a few minutes, they’ll be warm and gooey all over again for the party. Nandi is a pro at making these things. And she managed to only save one for herself.”

“We’ll try and save her another then. You two head to the family room and grab a drink. I’ll be in shortly.”

Even if I hadn’t known the way, the noise would have led us through the house. They’d built an extra room into their design exactly for times like this, big enough to hold all of us in comfort and still let the kids run around.

The triplets had all piled on their father, who lay on the floor playing dead. Thankfully, all three had their clothes on. For now.

“Kitty!” Charlotte abandoned Lyle and raced to me as fast as her chubby legs could carry her, which was pretty fast. I caught her up in my arms and lifted her to my hips.

“Kitty?” Esteban asked.

“It’s, uh, her nickname for me. Isn’t that right, Charlotte?”

By then, both boys followed their sister’s lead and jumped around my legs. Lyle groaned and picked himself up from the floor. He hadn’t changed out of his oil-stained jeans and T-shirt yet.

“About time you came and rescued me,” he said.

“But watching you suffer at such tiny hands is so much fun,” I teased, trying to keep my balance while the boys attempted to crawl up my body. Esteban only laughed at my misfortune.

“Yeah, well, it’s your turn now, and I get to enjoy the show.”

I stuck my tongue out at Lyle, then nodded toward Esteban. “Esteban, meet Lyle. He’s a jerk, but we let him stick around anyway because Jules is sweet on him. Lyle, this is my boyfriend, Esteban.”

Esteban extended his right hand again. “Nice to meet you.”

Lyle glanced Esteban up and down. My man had about four inches on the muscular dog shifter. They assessed each other in the way guys sometimes did, and then a smile broke out over Lyle’s face. “None of that, dude. We’re all family here.” He swatted aside the offered hand and pulled Esteban against him for a one-armed bro hug. “Want a beer?”

“Man, yes.”

Ten minutes later, they were both sipping beers on the couch while I sat on the floor with the chubby babies. Only Charles and Elijah were identical. Recently, Lyle had begun to shift and lead them around the house and backyard in their animal forms, but they were still far too young to control their transformations on their own.

Charlotte patted my cheeks and gazed into my eyes. “Kitty.”

Plucking her up and setting her on my left thigh, I distracted her from the request with a kiss to the cheek and tickles to her round tummy. Maybe next visit when Esteban wasn’t with me, I’d strip down and transform to join them for a romp through the yard.

The door opened and shut, accompanied with a chime. “Anybody home?” Taylor’s voice called out.

“We’re all back here!”

Taylor wandered into the room, dressed to the nines in a pinstriped zoot suit, complete with a fedora and a replica tommy gun. A few steps behind him, Jada came into view, her luscious curves equally stunning in an Egyptian queen costume. There wasn’t a hotter Cleopatra in all of Texas.

Lyle handled introductions this time around while I hung back and watched Esteban meet my ex. No posturing. No veiled hostility. He greeted Taylor with the same warmth and genuine kindness I’d come to know and love.

Russ, Dani, Ian, and Leigh arrived not long after, everyone dressed up in costume. Ian had been wearing the same Captain America costume for years now, and this year, we’d convinced our bear shifter pal he would make an amazing Colossus since no one could pull off a Russian accent better than him.

The guys fell into an easy conversation about hunting out in the woods on Ian’s property, which turned into a discussion about field dressings, camping, and an eager invitation from Russ and Taylor for Esteban to join them.

My heart swelled a little. Bless Taylor for being every bit the amazing man I knew he could be. They welcomed my guy with open arms, bringing him into our family without hesitation.

Julia poked her head into the living room. “Hey, Sasha, can you help me out for a few minutes?”

“Sure thing.”

I passed Charlotte over to her father and followed Julia to her bedroom, only stopping to snag a mug of apple cider along the way. With the door shut, most of the noise from the party was muffled. Once we moved into her ginormous bathroom and shut that door as well, I could barely hear a peep.

“Think you can help me with my hair? I never manage to get the back to curl.”

“Yeah, of course.”

I traded my steaming drink for a curling iron. While I carefully formed curls, she worked on her makeup, applying green all over her face, smoky eyeshadow, and black lipstick.

“Witch?” I guessed.

She winked. “Wicked Witch. Nothing imaginative, I know, but—”

“Hey, sometimes sticking with the classics is the best. How boring would Halloween be if there were no witches with pointy hats and brooms around?”

She giggled and applied an opal gloss that turned her lipstick into a pretty blue-violet shimmer. “So Esteban seems nice.”

There it was. I knew it was coming and chuckled. “He is, yeah.”

“Looks like you two are doing good. Everything on track there?”

“I think so, but…”

“What?” Julia gazed at me through the mirror.

I remained quiet while finishing the last perfect curl. Julia didn’t push, merely watching my reflection while I fussed with putting the curling iron away and arranging her cooling hair. “I need your advice.”

“Okay.”

While gathering my thoughts, I lifted my mug and sipped the delicious, fragrant brew for a few seconds, savoring the sweet taste melded with cinnamon. “Is it too early to tell him about shifters?”

Julia twisted around on her stool and studied my face. “How do you feel about him?”

“I feel… we feel like he’s a dream come true. He doesn’t seem real.”

“So Nandi and Isisa share your feelings 100 percent?”

I nodded.

“He knows what he’s getting into with the three of you and that you want this for the long term?”

I nodded again.

Julia crossed her legs and pursed her lips. “He fits in among the guys like he belongs here. Plus, he wore a Game of Thrones costume for you. I also overheard him telling Lyle that he doesn’t even watch the show.”

“He doesn’t. Nandi requested for us to dress like this.” I laughed. “It was some weird sexual fantasy she had and wanted to see fulfilled.”

Julia’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “A sexual fantasy means you need to be having sex. Are you having sex yet?”

“Not yet.” I toyed with a lock of my blonde hair. “But I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Better keep the costumes after tonight then. Besides, that man looks fine as hell as Jon Snow.”

“He vetoed our original idea because it’s too damned cold to be shirtless. He has the chest for it though. Trust me.”

Julia sighed in echoing admiration. “Lyle wanted to be RoboCop since he has the bionic arm, but the kids picked out his costume. Cowardly Lion. The kiddos round out our Wizard of Oz crew with Dorothy, Tin Man, and Scarecrow.”

“See? That’s not boring and unimaginative at all.”

“I suppose not, but we’ve veered away from the conversation. And since you’re asking for my advice, I say go for it. Tell him before you all get involved any deeper. Especially if—” She paused, brows knitting together. “Have you, you know, recognized him? As a mate I mean.”

“I think so. The first time I saw him at Nadir’s place, I stopped dead in my tracks, like something had hit me with a sledgehammer.”

“And the other two?”

“Same. Nandi was more flustered and shy than usual at first, and Isisa might have stuttered a few times. More than anything, though, I’m terrified telling him will be too much for him.”

“On top of being in your unconventional relationship.”

“Yeah.” Relief flooded through me at her understanding. “He’s still adjusting to dating all three of us at once, and no one but me has ever been off alone alone with him yet. He and I are going camping tomorrow without the other two.”

“Have you flipped a coin over who gets to bone him first?”

I shoved Julia in her shoulder. “Crude. You’re picking up Lyle’s dirty mouth.”

“That’s what you think. He’d have said fuck.”

“Anyway, no, we did not flip a coin. We agreed that it would happen when it happened, with whoever he happened to be with.”

“But you and he are going camping. Alone. Cuddled up close in a tent.” She waggled her brows and made kissy noises.

“You’re a brat.”

“Admit it, you wanna claim him first, so you stacked the deck a little. No shame in that. You found him, and your lioness wants to have first dibs.”

“Maybe,” I mumbled

“Besides, I have no doubt whatsoever that Nandi would want you to go first. She’s always been a little submissive to you.”

“To me and Isisa.”

Julia nodded. “To both of you, yes. And Isisa often waits for your leadership. You’re practically the pride matriarch.”

“Hardly. I just happen to be the oldest and most responsible. I’m not their leader.”

“Sure, you aren’t. That’s why they look up to and seek your guidance. Anyway, clearly this means you should have him then report to them both about how amazing it is.”

“So I should tell him, then. Tomorrow.”

“I would, but the only thing you can do is follow your heart. Whatever you decide, I know you’ll make the choice because it’s what’s best.”

“Thanks, Jules.”

“No problem. Always happy to help.”

We divided the group between Russ and Lyle’s trucks for the drive into Quickdraw and claimed a spot in the parking lot of the Methodist church. Isisa and Nandi arrived at the same time we did, and between the three vehicles, we set up a spectacular and spooky display for the Trunk-or-Treat event. Julia and Lyle abandoned us to pull the triplets around the parking lot in a wagon. Sophia dragged Ian and Leigh away to meet up with her friends from school and their parents to hit the neighborhood for treats.

Watching my friends with their children stirred a deep longing within me, and I saw that same desire on Nandi’s face each time she happily passed each visiting kid a fistful of chocolate miniatures. My gaze drifted to Esteban, and I watched him playfully cross foam swords with a kid who looked to be around nine or ten.

He was the one, I knew it. Now I only needed to find the strength to tell him the whole truth about us, and hope that he accepted us for who we truly were.