“I don’t think that’s a sentiment widely shared.”
“Bah.” She batted her hand through the air. “Anyone who matters missed you. Now, who have you got there?”
“Angelica, allow me to introduce my mate, Jacinta Ironheart. Most people call her Jessie.” He looked down at her. “Jess, this is Angelica, the woman who ruined barbecue for me.”
“Oh now, don’t say that.” Angelica laughed and shuffled a little closer, putting out her hand for Jess. “I’m sure yours is even better, Jessie. Good to meet you. I’m glad this sweet boy finally found someone special. If you treat him nice, he’ll treat you like a queen. And if you treat him mean, he’ll
still treat you like a queen, so you can be as moody as you want.”
Jess laughed and took her hand before being pulled into a hug. Angelica finally stepped back and patted their arms, looking between them.
“Yes, what a lovely couple. Lovely! Now, Austin my boy, what’ll ya have? The usual, or a dinner for two?” She retreated back to the other side of the counter.
Austin ordered his favorites and a few things Jess might like to try, then spent some time chatting with Angelica about his new setup in O’Briens and the crazy that was Ivy House. When the food came, he retreated to one of the open tables and pulled Jess’s chair close. They fed each other from their plates like the other couples were doing.
“Yes, this is amazing,” Jess said after trying the brisket and licking her lips. “Absolutely amazing.
Holy crap.”
He slid his thumb beside her lips, smearing away a little sauce before sucking it off his finger.
“It’ll ruin you for other types of barbecue.”
“Probably, yes.” She laughed. “Barazza.” She finished chewing and took a sip of water. “I like that name. Remind me again why you changed it to Steele? I mean…why Kingsley got to keep his name but you lost yours?”
“The name stays with the pack. If I’d taken over for Kingsley, I would have kept my family name, since I’m of the same line. It denotes the generational pack leadership. I started a new pack, though, so I go by a different name. The name the town chose for me.”
“Right, right. But your name on the deed for your house in O’Briens is still Austin Barazza?”
“That’s my legal last name, so yes. Just like yours is Evans. I need to legally change it to Steele; I just haven’t gotten around to it. It’s not exactly important, since I can’t have kids. It can’t be a generational pack, I mean.”
“I need to get rid of Evans,” she murmured. “It belongs to my ex.”
“You can always change it to Ironheart. Or…if you really like Barazza that much, I can keep it as my legal name…if you want to share it with me,” he said quietly, his heart full. It wouldn’t affect his alpha standing, since the world would still know him as Steele. He’d made that name for himself before he ever became alpha. It was his blessing and his curse—by virtue of who and what he was, he was always in trouble, always tumbling with the biggest and baddest around. At least now he had a purpose for it.
Her eyes were so soft when they met his. Her smile, and then her nod, sent fireworks racing through him.
“We’d need to get married for that to apply in the Dick world, though,” she said, and her face flushed crimson. “Since…you know…you built the house when it was primarily a Dick town—”
He kissed her, long and slow. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Her beaming smile tightened him up in all the right places.
“She’s your perfect fit,” Angelica said, coming over with a chocolate brownie and putting it on the table between them. “It’s nice to see you so happy for once, Austin. Really nice.”
“There’s just one problem.” Jess grabbed a corner of the brownie plate. “There is no we in chocolate. So…”
She pulled the plate toward her, sending Angelica into a fit of laughter.
“Yes, oh yes, I like this one!” She put her finger in the air. “No ‘we’ in chocolate. Yes.”
Jess pushed it back, laughing. “Maybe I’ll share just this once.”
After they finished their dessert and headed on their way, Austin brought her to the bar where Niamh and Phil were already drinking. Despite his need to show people he wasn’t afraid of their
threats, he didn’t want his mate uncomfortable or his warm glow diminishing.