Logan shook his head. “I’m probably imagining shit. Ignore me.”
“Well, the slick on my desk isn’t imaginary.” Hunter smirked in that way only a man who just got laid could.
Cocky shit.
This woman must have been something to turn Avery into a lovesick puppy and get Hunter to abandon a party he was hosting.
“My angel from above is at this party. That’s what’s important. What are wedoinghere?” Avery asked. “This is fate! I’m going to hunt her down.”
“Let’s not go stalking anyone,” I said, but Avery was already darting out the door. Sighing, I focused on my two remaining pack mates. “We’d better keep an eye on him, or he’s going to embarrass us.”
Avery was lapping the room when we got back down there, weaving through the crowd like an eel through seaweed. Even after all of these years, I didn’t know where the hell he found the energy. I scanned the attendees, searching for a golden head that might match the omega in question, but Avery soared past each one I saw, so I could only assume their scents didn’t match the sugar-dipped peony that hung like a fog in Hunter’s office.
Avery sprinted back over to us, out of breath and pouting. “I was so sure I was going to find her. The scent has gotten faint. Do you think she left?”
I patted his shoulder. It was hard not to laugh at his wounded expression, but he was so twisted up over this woman.
“I’m sure she’ll make another appearance,” Logan soothed.
“How about we blow this joint and get pizza?” Hunter suggested.
Logan cocked a brow at him. “It’syourparty. You can’t leave.”
“Okay, so, let’s give it another half hour, then order the pizza, and it’ll be home by the time we get there. By now, most people are too drunk to notice if I leave—they’re here for the rock stars and just indulge me as the boss. Pepperoni, anyone?”
Finally. I wasn’t going to say no to pizza and an early night. I was strict, but I wasn’t a total asshole, and it was time to celebrate Parker-style. “Order up.”
Chapter 12
Clover
The best way to get over a man was to get under a new one. That phrase had been replaying in my head since the party. Ordinarily, the concept would work, but I had been acquiring a growing list of men I shouldn’t even have to get over. I’d only told Meadow about Car Cutie so I couldn’t lament about Hunter to her. I hadn’t evenbeenwith Logan or the redheaded hottie, but they were stuck in my head, anyway.
Meadow had dated so infrequently in school that it had mostly been her consoling me over someone. Our relationship balanced out in other ways.
I rolled over with a sigh, staring at my popcorn stucco ceiling. Waking from an afternoon nap and leaving a dream of all four hotties tag-teaming me only made my reality that much more pathetic.
Maybe I was feeling a little more lost than I was willing to admit. My life had been so structured for so long, and I was cast adrift. Filling physical holes had its purpose, but filling emotional ones wasn’t quite so simple. Objectively, I knew going out on the town wasn’t going to help, but subjectively, I wanted to. It was pretty hard to be upset when you were dancing the night away.
I wandered over to the main house and found Meadow in the nursery with Forest having a titty snack. “There’s my two favorite people.”
Meadow beamed at me and patted the space next to her. “How are you feeling today? You’ve been off this week.”
I stretched and sprawled out next to her. “Been overdoing it at Pilates. I should probably cool it a bit.”
“I don’t know how you survive those classes. I got tired just looking at them when we toured the studio.”
“They’re certainly humbling.” I laughed and wriggled into the blankets. They smelled like Meadow’s lilac and white rose scent, plus sweet cream, since she usually fed Forest here. “Every time I think I’m super strong, I go to one of those classes and fully anticipate my own death by the time we get to the end of it.”
“Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean you’re not strong,” Meadow pointed out. She said the words to me, but she was busy looking at Forest with the softest expression. I was pretty sure I couldn’t love that baby more, even if I’d birthed him myself. In fact, I would probably be altogether unbearable if I had my own spawn, though it would be spectacularly cute to be able to raise kids alongside Meadow. That wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon and would require some serious life changes, so I put it out of my mind.
I was firmly dedicated to being the cool auntie.
Parenthood was weird. My dads had formed a pack and had me through a surrogate. They had always been the most loving and involved parents, and I was grateful for the life they’d given me, but I had always struggled to see myself in that same position. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I was in Meadow’s shoes. A lot of the horror stories I had heard about parenting were related to some of the partners just not giving a shit. Having devoted alphas with a lot of money made the whole situation less terrifying. Meadow didn’t have to get on her hands andknees to scrub bathrooms when they had a cleaning service coming weekly, and she didn’t get overwhelmed by baby laundry covered in spit-up when they had a laundry service every week or one of her alphas took care of it.
She got to actually enjoy herself with her baby, and that was what I wanted when I eventually got around to having my own.
“What’s going on in your head?” Meadow asked softly.
