Mending My Broken Heart

Chapter Twenty-Three

At some point while I had been in the kitchen, a challenge had broken out between Lucas and Jack. It was still going on when I skipped outside, landing on Mason's lap at the table out there.

So far it looked as though Lucas was winning, but the underhand can always overtake, or something like that. Though I'd found sparring to be fun with Jack since he was such an intimidating opponent, it was horribly boring to watch. I rolled into Mason's side, ignoring the cat calls from Page and Kristen and planted a kiss on his cheek.

''So how does a barbecue tonight with the pack sound?'' I asked, Mason stiffened.

''What do you mean with the pack?'' He asked, I looked at him, and blinked before responding.

''I mean with the pack, I have seen like two people outside of our friend group, and it would be good for the Alphas to meet our members. Maybe Cooper or Jack would find their mate,'' I offered.

''Cooper lost his mate a few years back,'' Mason whispered. This time it was my turm to freeze in place. I glanced over at Cooper, who stood with Tom and Kris, drinking beers and water a bit of a ways from us. I quickly averted my gaze so he wouldn't know we were talking about him.

''Well Jack might find somebody, and anyways I want to meet everybody,'' I decided. He sighed and nodded.

''It takes away from training...'' he tried to venture, but I just looked at him and after awhile he grudgingly smiled and planted a kiss on my forehead, resting there for a moment where he whispered,''fine.''

"Yah!" I yelled, fistpumping the air like the major dork I can sometimes be when I'm as excited as I was right then.

Mason laughed and pulled me back onto his lap. ''I guess I just can't say no to you, Angel.''

''Ooh, that's awkward,'' I teased,''because, you see, my name's Ava, not Angel.''

"To me, you are an angel.'' He explained and I sighed dramatically.

''I have no comeback right now not because that was utterly romantic but because I was stunned speechless by your completely cheesy line,'' I verified, nodding to show what I said was true.

''You think it was utterly romantic?'' He asked with a smirk I chose to include in my ignoring of the last few seconds of my life.

''So, Ava, I suppose you have a dress to wear tonight then,'' Lizzie smiled as she came and sat down next to us. I laughed.

''I think I'm going to need help deciding which one.''

''Ooh, like a makeover thing!" Kristen squealed. My eyes widened as I realized I'd literally just asked for my own hell with a heaping side of torture, all on a silver platter.

''Sounds like fun,'' I halfheartedly got out, but all that was going through my mind at the time was the image of me being strapped down by Lizzie, Page, Kristen and Astrid.

***

"Ava, I promise that if it really, actually does suck, that we will let you change,'' Page sighed. I stuck my pinky out of the door.

''Pinky promise?'' I asked, nervous and anxious not even beginning to describe me at that moment.

Instead of offering up their pinkies, Astrid and Lizzie swung the doors open and looked at me with the others in an expression I can only describe as stunned.

Whether they were stunned that the three hours they'd spent on me alone still had not been enough to make me look half-way girly enough to wear a dress, or that they absolutely had, I wasn't sure.

''Guys, I need feedback before I keel over of embarrassment and anxiety right now,'' I suggested, which seemed to unthaw their shocked faces.

''Dude, you look hot,'' Jack broke the silence as he walked in the door. Then he looked around at all of us ladies who were just staring at him,''What, a man can't state the obvious?''