Finally, Travis’s message is the longest.
I’ve waited years for you. I’ll wait as long as it takes. If you just want us as friends, if that’s all you can handle right now, I understand. But don’t shut us out. You don’t have to be alone anymore.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I lie in bed, my heart aching.
What I did was terrible.
I ran away from them because of something they couldn’t control
They’ve been nothing but kind, patient, and caring since I’ve met them, and I’ve repaid them by hiding.
I didn’t even go with them to the hospital to get checked out after the accident—I just left town.
Who does that?
Without thinking, I place a call to my best friend.
“Hey, you,” Piper says. “How’s your trip?”
“I messed up,” I sniffle.
There’s a pause on the other end of the line. “Did you just figure that out?” she finally asks, amused.
“I…I left them. I left you; I left everyone.”
“Well, you’re welcome to come back anytime. We all miss you,” she says. “How’s life been at your parents?”
We all miss you.
I want to take the bait and ask about my Alphas, but I’m still too proud to do it.
“Boring,” I say. “Mom keeps asking about you because she wants to know when you’ll visit again. And she’s making Mervin and Marlin fat.”
Piper chuckles. “Then come back,” she says. “The rescue is doing fine, of course, but you know the kitties love you. Oh, and also, we got more of those blankets for the cats.”
“Really?”
“Yes! And someone knitted little hats for the kittens, too! Avery is doing a photoshoot with the kittens to put them on the adoption website.”
Avery, Piper’s packmate, won her heart by doing portraits of the available cats at the rescue.
The nicer the photos of the cats are, the more people visit the rescue to meet them.
And photos with the kittens wearing little knit hats?
They’ll go viral.
“That’sprecious,” I breathe.
“We literally have no idea who it is. I thought it might be one of Mari’s friends, but she swears it isn’t.”
“One more reason for me to come back, I guess.”
“I can think of at least three,” Piper says gently.
My stomach flips. “Have they…do they…” I swallow, unsure of how to ask about them.
“They’ve been helping us a lot, actually.”
