However, I need to know whether there’s something I’ve done, something one of my pack has done to make his scent slightly cloying and a little bitter. If we’ve done something to upset him, we need to make it right.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me how I can help,” I say, reaching forward and pushing a damp tendril of hair from his face.
A purr bursts from my chest when he turns his cheek and nuzzles against my hand.
“I’m going to stay here,” he says so softly I have to lean forward.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to stay here for the rest of the pregnancy. After I give birth, I’ll step away so you three can raise your son or daughter and have the bond dissolved. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this arrangement. The last thing I want is to come between you three.”
“You’re not –”
“I heard you all fighting, Des,” he says, finally turning his honey-colored eyes up to my face. “I’m coming between you. You three…I won’t be the reason you guys fall apart.”
“We won’t fall apart.” My heart is racing now. Yeah, we offered to allow him to stay in his apartment with all expenses paid.
That was before. That was before we got to know him. That was before I became so used to having him in our home.
But can any of the three of us really blame him? Not like we’re there. He’s stuck at home all day alone in that massive house with nothing but Amy and the rest of the staff to keep him company. Even his friend has a job and can’t spend every day with him.
Goddammit. We’re failing him. He might not technically belong to Pack Anders, but he’s our responsibility. We promised him the world, knocked him up, and then returned to our lives and expected him to simply behave like some pampered house omega.
Thing is, I can’t blame him for wanting to move back to his own home.
And my heart feels as though it’s being crushed in his fist as tears burn the backs of my eyes.
CHAPTER 35
Hudson
The water turned to lukewarm about an hour ago, but I can’t make myself step out of the tub. Even with Desmond running his fingers through my wet hair.
He can argue with me all he wants, but I heard them. Yes, he and Alex were pro Hudson joining Pack Anders.
But that’s two to one. Meaning not all three are on board. I will not be the reason those three splinter apart. They’ve been in love for almost as long as I’ve been alive.
Okay, yeah. That’s a bit of a stretch. But I mean, I was a child when they met in law school. I was in elementary school or possibly middle school when they fell in love and became a pack.
Des glances at the tub. The bubbles have almost completely faded.
He dips a finger into the water then frowns at me. “The water is freezing. What are you doing? You need to get out and warm up.”
“It’s not freezing. You’re being dramatic.” But I do let him help me out of the tub. He rubs at my skin with a terry cloth towel then wraps it around my waist.
I stop him when he attempts to lift me into his arms as though he’ll carry me into my bedroom bridal style.
The last thing I need to do is get used to being treated like…well, likehisfucking omega. I’ll get addicted to the feeling of safety, to his touch, then he’ll return to work and leave me alone again. Or, you know, after I give birth, I’ll be on my own again.
It’s best if I just return to the life I had before I knew these three alphas existed. Minus the sleeping around thing.
Des is watching me closely as I pull a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from a drawer. He does turn his back, though, when I drop the towel into the hamper and start to pull my clothes into place.
“Seriously? You’ve seen me naked. You’ve fucked me. You don’t need to give me your back,” I tease him.
It might be the first time today my smile doesn’t feel forced.
His cheeks are pink as he turns back and shrugs. “I wasn’t sure…I didn’t want to assume anything.”
