“Ellis?” Tristan frowns at his phone, tapping the screen with an anxious finger. “Are you still there?”
“You found her?”
The words are a ragged whisper, and the painful longing in Ellis’ voice makes Tristan clutch me tighter. “Yes,” I tell him quickly, not wanting him to suffer a moment longer. When Lily walked out on us, I was frustrated and disappointed, but Ellis was inconsolable. He hired a private investigator to track her down, and when that didn’t work, he flew out to Boise every year on the anniversary of her heat. Wandered around the airport and bus stations in a hoodie and dark glasses, hoping he’d catch a glimpse of her somewhere. “Her details were in Crest’s papers. She wrote to him, asking to get in contact with us.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him why, but Tristan gives a quick shake of his head. “It’s why I got this house,” I admit. “And I would’ve told you sooner, but-.”
“Fuck this long-distance shit.”
There’s a sudden clatter on his end and the line goes dead.
“Crap,” Tristan says, his eyes like moons as he stares at his silent phone. “Did his head just explode?”
I pull a face. “More likely he’s gone to commandeer a helicopter.”
Tristan leans back to gape at me. “You think he’s coming here?Now?”
I think Ellis would boycott his own Oscar party if it meant solving the mystery of Lily Percy.
Which is a thought I keep to myself, despite Tristan looking at me with so much love and understanding in his eyes. Any other mate would be pissed at the situation unfolding around us, but I remember the way he smelled when he came back from his late-night visit to Lily’s house. Like chocolate-coated peppermint, his arousal clinging to his skin until I’d licked him from head to toe.
“You mean everything to us, Tris,” I tell my mate, placing a gentle kiss on his plump lips. “I’m sorry if the mauling I gave you earlier didn’t communicate that properly.”
“Never apologize for worshipping my ass.” He nuzzles me back, breathing in my scent like it’s ambrosia. “And for what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing by not telling Ellis about Leo over the phone. He needs to be here with us when he finds out.”
“Agreed.” I sigh and tilt my head back as he runs his fingers along the line of my jaw. “But every day he’s not here, he’s missing out. It’s another day he can never get back. With Leo, but also with Lily.”
I know I’m arguing with myself, but I can’t shake my feelings of guilt and regret. Ever since I went through Crest’s papers and discovered the truth, I’ve contemplated chartering a flight up to Ellis’ location. But the safer approach seemed to be to scope the situation out myself before I got his hopes up. What if Lily refuses to see him? Or Leo’s camping trip becomes an extendedvacation, somewhere far away from Ellis’ reach? There’s a lot about this situation that’s out of my control, but Ellis suffering a broken heart is never going to happen on my watch.
I look at the framed picture on my desk of Lily and Leo that Tristan took the day they met. She’s looking down at her son with so much love, it makes my chest tighten, and I wonder for a moment what it would take for her to look atmelike that. I can tell by the state of their finances that things haven’t always been easy, but Lily has built a good life for them here, and it’s clear that she will defend that with every breath in her body.
I feel a flare of pride, which I know I have no right to claim for myself. I’m also well aware that I’ll have to work hard to win her trust. My stomach sours as I recall the fear in her voice when she asked if I was going to take Leo away from her. It’s a valid question, I suppose, but it stung worse than any of the barbs and threats that have been leveled at me over the years. Am I ruthless? Yes, but only because I know the value of the things I want.
“The best things are worth fighting for,” I murmur.
“She’ll come around,” Tristan says softly, no doubt feeling my turmoil through our bond. “How can she not? You’re the best alphas I know.”
I press a soft kiss to his perpetually smiling lips. “We don’t deserve you.”
“I think I came out pretty well in this partnership,” he hums, circling a teasing finger around my bonding mark. “But if you’re worried about deserving Lily, my advice is to show her the real you, Ot. Not just the strong alpha and killer businessman. Let her get to know the guy I fell in love with.”
His words wash over me like a caress, but I can’t help wondering if he’s a little blinded by love. I’m not exactly known for my warm and inviting disposition, after all. But then Iremember the way Lily clung to me in her truck, her scent so potent I could almost taste her slick on my tongue.
She wasn’t immune to this connection between us, and I’ve won over pricklier people with bigger grudges in the past. I just need to roll up my sleeves and be useful in a way she can appreciate.
Buoyed by the thought, I run a thumb down Tristan’s twitching spine. “You think I should launch a charm offensive on Rosie’s Blooms?”
Tristan’s lips crimp, and I can tell he’s holding back a laugh as he leans over to steal a kiss. “Focus on the charm part of the equation, Mr. James, and Lily will be the luckiest omega in Idaho.”
CHAPTER EIGHT – LILY
I stumble out of bed just after dawn, an anxious sweat clinging to my skin as I go about my morning chores on autopilot. By the time I drag myself out of the shower, I’ve already chugged two cups of coffee. My blood is racing with caffeine-fueled nerves as I apply my sunblock and tuck my unruly hair under a bandana. I chose one with glossy red cherries printed on it, but it can’t eclipse the weariness that stares back at me in the vanity mirror. I scowl at my reflection. My skin is sallow, but it’s the bags under my eyes that clearly bore the brunt of my restless night. I had the kind of dreams where I was frantic with worry, running what felt like a nocturnal marathon as I endlessly searched for something that was just out of reach.
Maybe I'm suffering from Leosickness. Like homesickness, except what I'm missing with every fiber of my being isn't a place but the best person on the planet.
I rub my aching breastbone as I shoot him a good morning text, then mentally run through all the things I need to takecare of today. There are the morning deliveries to sort, the store inventory to complete, the pre-weekend prep meeting with Marion, about a dozen calls to make to both suppliers and customers, and the new shade sails to put up… Or, at least, to oversee, since just thinking about braving the creaky old ladder in the barn is enough to make me break out into a cold sweat.
I am hugging my third coffee when I step out onto the porch and my already unsettled stomach pitches into my boots. Not only is the creaky old ladder out of the barn, but Otley James is standing on the highest rung as he secures a shade sail to the eyehook in an oak tree.
“What is he doing?” My squeak of alarm is directed at no one in particular, but Tristan strides over, his face lit up with a stunning smile. He’s wearing a soft linen shirt, his camera looped around his neck, and he smells like a peppermint-sprinkled sunrise.
