“Get some sleep; we’ll head home first thing when we wake up,” Jonah promises.
“Yes, please shut up,” Mack grumbles behind me, squeezing me tight.
So much of the fear seeps away.
I’m not letting my past prevent me from having the future I deserve. We’ll get through this, I’ve been through worse…I think.
Chapter 29
Shiloh
I hatethat I feel guilty for not having breakfast with Jonah’s parents, even though I’m not the one who cancelled the plans.
We’re all in the SUV, driving back home.
Home.
Holy shit, did I just reference their house as my home? I sure did, and I don’t hate it one bit. Jonah’s driving, and Cole is in the backseat with me. I grab his hand and squeeze it tightly.
“I’m excited to be going back home,” I tell him, and his eyes light up.
“Me too.”
“Can we grab something to eat soon?” I ask and Jonah looks at me in the rearview with a nod.
He’s been quiet since last night, and I’m trying not to read too much into it. When we’re alone, I’ll ask him what’s bothering him. I hate that I always feel like I’m at fault for someone’s mood. Maybe it’s an Omega thing, or maybe it’s the way my exes and parents made me feel. Either way, I’ve got to stop over-analyzing everything.
We’re a pack, that’s clear, and I feel stable in that. Everyone is allowed a bad day that has nothing to do with me.
“Wawa good?” Jonah says and I grin. Damn, it’s been a minute.
We drive for another twenty minutes or so before he pulls into a parking lot. I’m wearing sweatpants and a hoodie, the guys wearing the same thing. Definitely a far cry from how we were dressed last night, but I think I prefer this better.
Cole holds my hand as we walk in and head over to the kiosk to place our order. Mack goes first, and orders a massive hoagie, even though it’s only ten in the morning. I memorize their orders for future reference as I place my drink order and grab a bacon, egg, and cheese sizzli from the to go food section.
An eerie sensation tingles against my back, like someone is watching me, and when I turn around, I can tell this girl has her phone not so discreetly pointed in my direction.
Fucking awesome.
I use my hair as a curtain and Cole’s big frame as a shield, holding on to his hoodie as we wait for our food. He instinctively wraps his arm around me, holding me close. Mack pets down my hair and looks around with a sigh, clearly seeing the girl taping us.
“Why don’t you two go wait in the car while we get the food. Do you want anything else?” he asks.
I shake my head no and glance over at Jonah, who’s glaring at the woman so hard her face goes red and she slides the phone in her pocket. I hand Mack my food as Cole and I go back to the car.
Just how bad is the press from last night that a simple Wawa run turns into us being recorded? When we’re back in the car, I turn to Cole.
“How bad is it?” I ask him, and he winces, but quickly tries to cover it up. “How bad, Cole?”
“The video is everywhere; your image is everywhere. The media are turning it into some sort of pack rivalry storyline.”
I rub my neck and tug at the collar of my hoodie. Is it hot in here or is it me?
“Jonah seems mad,” I say, needing to get it off my chest.
“He’s mad in the same way I am. What those bland-ass, Blink-182-wannabe-fuckers said and how they treated you, along with the fact the media is talking about our Omega. We would never be mad at you, Shy. You know that, right? We’re frustrated with the situation, never you.”
I snuggle up to his side, loving the way Cole holds me. From the moment Cole touched me, he brought me comfort, and it hasn’t stopped since that moment. Part of me wants to climb on his lap and beg him to bond me, but the last thing I want to do is scare him off.
