Evie’s eyes jerked up at that, her eyes widening.
“Did you—?” she started to ask, hope flaring bright.
“Dad and I decided that it was time for us to become a family,” I told her. “A real family.”
Her eyes jerked sideways as she saw other carts appear, one with Damon and Ben in it.
“Dad!”
She went barrelling over to the alpha.No, I corrected myself,my mate. He swung her up in his arms, holding her close to his chest as he listened to her tales and my eyes soaked up every bit of their interaction.
“God, I want you to look at me like that one day.”
Jasper had barely muttered the words when my focus was jerked back to him. He smiled slightly, but his expression quickly faded as he stared at me. His grey eyes bled silver the longer we stared, his mouth opening as mine did, to say something, anything, but then—
“Hello boys,” a deep voice said, a cocky looking young alpha walking across the patio with an Aussie Rules football in hand. He threw it up and caught it rhythmically as he walked closer. “Seems like it's time for another Bradshaw vs Morrison grudge match.”
“Oh no…” Jasper said, then shook his head empathically. “No.”
The other guys sitting at the table leant forward.
“Now, now, Jaspie. Afraid you’re not gonna put on a good showing for your mate?”
“More like not wanting the cub to see grown men crying when I trounce them thoroughly,” Jasper snapped back with a wide grin, which he tried to stuff back down when he looked at me. He grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze, as if I was the means to get him out of this.
“Jasper?” I asked.
“It’s just a stupid footy game we usually play when we come down here,” he said, smiling at me, then eyeing the other men. “Barb’s boys like getting their arse handed to them and we oblige when needed.”
“Like hell,” the man with the ball replied. “We caned you last time, 20 to 10.”
“20 to 10 in our favour more like,” Damon retorted with a wicked grin. “Although I get that working with poodle sheep all day might make your memory a little woolly.”
“Boys…” Barb reprimanded, but the effect was ruined by her smile.
“Only one way to set the record straight,” the guy with the ball said, tossing it up one more time. Reed appeared from nowhere, snatching it from his hands and then walking over to us.
“We doing this?” Reed asked Jasper.
“No, no, no,” the man replied. “We’re not kids anymore. We have a cub and I…” Jasper turned back to me. “I fought to spend some time with Lily fair and square, so off you go. Play whatever games you like, I’m out.”
“That’s what I like to see,” Barb said. “Putting your mate first.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Jasper said much more quietly, his gaze dropping down.
I reached out and took his hand then, giving it a squeeze as the sledging grew more and more raucous between the guys.
“They’re pretty keen to have you playing with them,” I said.
“Yeah, well, that’s because I’m the best player,” Jasper replied, before meeting my eyes. “They wanted me to play in Adelaide in one of the SANFL teams. Dad wouldn’t have that though.”
“So you like playing footy?”
When he looked at me then I saw something change inside him. It was as if he swelled bigger, stronger somehow.
“I like being on the field. That’s where I know exactly what to do, where to go. People follow my lead and we win.” He shrugged then. “All the shit in life seems to come after a game, not during.”
“So, play.”