“You’re a pain in my butt, you know that?” She lets out a long sigh. “Alright, but the four of you can come here for dinner tonight instead. I’ll tell Shelly. She’s making me a Thai dish, and I’ve been looking forward to it for two days.” Shelly being the cook I hired for her, the one that she complains is an unnecessary expense wasted on her.
“Okay, deal,” I say, scoffing when she hangs up on me. I stare at my screen with wide eyes, my mouth hanging open, when it beeps with a text.
Mom Pie: That was an accident, but a happy one. I’m trying to fix up at Sable’s shop.
Kai: Love you, Mom Pie.
Mom Pie: Love you too, Kai Pie.
Mom is the reason I like nicknames so much. She’s been calling me Kai Pie for as long as I can remember, and in return I call her Mom Pie. Is it childish? Yes. But it makes her happy, so who the fuck cares?
Kai: Mom wants us to eat at her house tonight, but we can meet here. I’ll show you how to get to her place. She’s excited to see you.
Plum: You fight fucking dirty. Don’t think I can’t see right through this plan of yours.
Kai: All's fair when you’re trying to get your girl back.
Plum: I’m not your girl, and I never will be again. You should give up now. I’m happy with Benson and Nick.
Kai: I cannot stress this enough, Sugarplum, but… Literally. Fucking. Never.
Plum: We’ll see.
Kai: Sure will, baby.
PLUM
“Gah! Men!” I growl, tossing my phone onto my bed, before flopping face-first onto my covers. Nick snorts at my outburst, and I can feel his eyes on me as I throw my little tantrum. After Kai left, we retreated to my bedroom to talk about the possibility of going to this dinner.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asks, and I grudgingly sit up.
“Here, just read it,” I tell him, handing my phone over. I watch as he reads the exchange, glaring when he chuckles.
“He’s persistent,” the alpha finally says, and my jaw drops open.
“What happened to beating someone up for hitting on me?”
“What? When the hell did I say that?” He stares at me with a wide-eyed frown.
“Okay, maybe I made that part up.” I huff, rolling over to flop on my back. “You’ve gotta stop him; he’s fighting dirty.”
He’s supposed to be my alpha shield keeping Kai away, isn’t he?
“I thought that's what we were doing?” Nick lifts a brow. “I can’t exactly beat up the best friend of my little sister’s mate. He is Bee’s son as well,” he says, and I roll my eyes dramatically.
Why must he be so reasonable?
“Ugh, fine!” I groan, covering my face with an arm.
“Now, if we were in a bar, and some stranger wasn’t taking no for an answer? Yeah, I’d break that fucker’s jaw,” Nick adds casually, and I lift my arm up to glance back over at him. “But Kai isn’t a stranger in a bar. He’s your ex and the best man in my sister’s wedding. Violence isn’t the answer. This time.”
“Unfortunately,” I grumble, not meaning it though. I don’t think I could stomach knowing I got Kai hurt or that I pushed Nick to hurt someone for me.
“You don’t mean that,” Nick says, echoing my thoughts, and the insightfulness is borderline infuriating. How can he know what I’m feeling when I’m barely sure about it?
“No, I don’t.” I roll onto my side and stare at him for a long moment, deciding it’s also sort of nice, being understood by someone after keeping everyone at distance for so long. “So, will you be my date for dinner tonight?” I ask.
“Of course, Sugarplum,” he agrees with zero hesitation.
