A Grey Wolves Howliday (The Grey Wolves #14) by Quinn Loftis

Zara was still laughing as she said, “They’re wolf cakes for the kiddos and they say, This is what comes out when you do it. Happy Birthday, Rugrats.”

They moved down the row to the fifth cake. This one was two wolves facing one another, their heads bowed and their foreheads pressed together. It read, In celebration of two lives who changed the world without the world even knowing. There was silence as everyone stared at the cake for Vasile and Alina. Jen’s heart tightened, and she wondered if she would ever be able to think of them and not hurt.

“That’s beautiful,” Crina said. She must have gotten sick of not being able to see what was happening and had squeezed herself in between Rachel and Elle.

“It really is.” Jacque nodded.

Jen swallowed hard and then pointed to the next box. She couldn’t say anything about the alphas’ cake without tears falling, so she moved on. The next cake was shaped like a key. It was a huge key, but like the other cakes, it had to be big to fit all the words that Jen had requested.

“Happy adoption day, Trevor. I mean, Talbot. Or was it Tiberios? Your name doesn’t matter kid, just know you hold the key to your pack’s heart.”

“Dammit, Jen,” Sally mumbled and wiped tears from her eyes. “How do you manage to tease someone and still make it incredibly sweet?”

“It’s a gift.” Jen smiled. “Besides, you know I only mess with people I like.”

The next cake was a bed. Jen’s smile widened as everyone around her groaned. “I figured there was already a theme going with the other four cakes, might as well keep it up.”

“Might as well.” Elle laughed.

The cake read, “This is where you do it … after you’re bonded, mated, and married … just for clarification for the rugrats. Happy anniversaries missed because of all the asshole bad guys.”

“Now I understand why all the cakes had to be so massive,” Crina said.

There were three cakes left. Jen motioned to the one that was an enormous Christmas tree. The words on it said, Merry Christmas to our pack. “I went simple with that one.”

“Simple is good,” Peri said.

“Okay, but she didn’t go simple with this one.” Zara pointed to the next cake. “She went straight up disturbing.”

Jen laughed. The cake was made to look like a vagina. “When you have a penis cake, it’s only appropriate that you have a vagina cake as well.”

“That sentence is wrong on so many levels.” Sally sighed.

“Vagina or not, that’s just too funny,” Crina said and then read what was written on the icing. “Congratulations! Now you will never forget that on your birthday, you were pushed out of one of these. You’re welcome.”

“I’m assuming that’s a cake for everyone who hasn’t gotten to celebrate a birthday in the past few years?” Jacque asked.

Jen nodded. “Vaginas and birthdays go together like”—she paused—“well, like penises and vaginas. You can’t have one without the other.”

Everyone stared at her, blinking like cartoon characters.

“Do we need to explain how that doesn’t make any sense?” Peri asked her.

“I just have the one,” Crina said.

“Me, too,” Jacque added.

“Stop being obtuse. You know what I mean. It completely makes sense.” She continued to the last cake and grinned. Just like the others, it had turned out awesome.

It was a huge question mark, and the words on it read, For all other things worthy of celebrating, you are not forgotten. Okay actually, you were forgotten, which is the whole point of this cake.

Jacque snorted next to her and bumped Jen’s shoulder. “Only you would make a cake that covered anything you might have forgotten.”

“They’re outstanding, Jennifer,” Peri said, her voice sounding a little tight with emotion.

Jen looked up at the other women, who were all nodding.

“No one else could have picked better cakes,” Elle added.

“Or more creative ones,” Zara said.

“You say creative, while I think of how I’m going to have to explain them to my son,” Sally said, though she was smiling.

“It’s never too early for ‘the talk,’” Jen said, using air quotes.

“Uh, I think it is actually, but perhaps since you’re his aunt, the sooner the better.”

“All right.” Jen rubbed her hands together. “Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, the cakes are done, the house is decorated, and the men are temporarily sated. Let’s take these bad boys home.” She began closing the lids on the cakes, and Rachel started helping.

“Does that mean we have nothing to do tonight?” Zara asked.

Jen laughed because that statement was hilarious. “We have to go over the menu for Christmas dinner and make sure we have everything we need. And we have to make Christmas cookies with the rugrats. The guys need to be on firewood duty so we have wood at all the fireplaces.”

“Peri and Elle, if y’all wouldn’t mind checking on the toilet paper situation throughout the mansion, considering the number of pack members that will be over,” Jacque said.

“Good point,” Jen told her BFF. “And we need to—”

Zara cut her off. “A simple no would have been sufficient.”