“Maybe her brother’s a good guy. I trust Cindy’s opinion on a lot of things, but her family might be the exception. She certainly never let on how bad her parents were.”
“True. I suggested we go up there for a visit soon, and she said as soon as we get the land purchase decided, one way or the other.
“That’s good. I know you put your offer in—and we’re meeting with your agent tomorrow, by the way, see how we get on with her. Have you heard anything?”
“Yeah, the agent talked to their agent, there was a little back and forth, and we should hear something definitive by Tuesday.”
“Nice. I really like that spot, and it’s super convenient to the pack house.”
“I thought you might,” Jonas said, raising his beer to him. “But, tell me the truth. Do you ever miss the hermit life? Cabin deep in the woods, right? I mean, if Myra wasn’t a question, if she’d be perfectly happy in that cabin, would you want to be back there, away from the endless drama that comes from a pack? We hardly have any members yet, so you’re just getting a tiny sneak peek.”
“Trying to scare me off?”
Jonas laughed. “As if you weren’t already perfectly aware of what’s in store for you. You don’t need me to point it out.”
“No, I wouldn’t go back. What you’re really asking is how a guy goes from being a hermit, to having the weight and responsibility of being an alpha.”
Jonas nodded. “It’s a change.”
“You’re not wrong. But it’s what I needed. What I’m meant to be doing. Denying myself that wasn’t helping me any. I was trying to heal, and for a while it’s what I needed, but then it just became habit. Almost a crutch.”
“Well, in case you haven’t figured it out, I’m glad…hell, we’re all glad that you did come out of the woods and take on the responsibility.”
“Aww, shucks,” Adam said with a laugh. “But thanks. It’s good to hear it. In some ways, it would have been easier to join an established pack. There’s a lot of pressure to pick a cohesive group here. I was worried about Olivia and Tasha. Doing right by them. Doing right by the rest of the pack in inviting them. It’s worked out better than I thought, faster than I’d thought it would.”
“Before they moved in, I was a little hesitant. That first day, still a bit. But Olivia relaxed and warmed up pretty quickly. And now I already can’t imagine them not being a part of us.” He paused, not sure if it was smart to bring up, but… “I was also worried you might have some animosity for Olivia, since she was with the Mesa pack and didn’t do anything to stop the assholes in Phoenix.”
Adam nodded. “It was a concern. I was pissed at the whole pack. But when I met her, I just couldn’t hold on to it. She makes my wolf protective. I think it was brave of her to ask to come out here, knowing I would be alpha. She assumed we would say no, but she risked being rejected. Did you ask her why?”
“No, I didn’t know if it would make her more uncomfortable to ask about the past.”
Adam nodded. “Tasha’s grandmother, her father’s mother, lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. And she’s not a werewolf, doesn’t know her son became one. Olivia couldn’t tell her why they had to move to Chicago. Or why she was able to move south again, but not closer.”
Jonas pulled in a deep breath, thinking about Cindy and her layers, nodded his head. “I think we should plan a road trip when school’s out.”
“I think that would be good,” Adam said. “She did try to apologize the other day. I could tell she was scared to bring it up. I didn’t let her get very far. I think she’s good now.”
Bill arrived, and had chocolate chip cookies from Thomas, in addition to the chips and dip, so they were more than set. Neither of the teams playing was any of theirs, so they got to trash talk without any fear of overstepping.
His phone buzzed and he checked the text. “My dad says he’s tired of reading recipes, he’s coming over. Do we need him to bring anything?”
“Not for now, but maybe he should grab something for dinner. When the ladies get back, they’ll be hungry after their run,” Adam said.
“Good idea. I’ll work that out with him. You guys want to text Thomas and Joe, see if they want to join in?”
They made their plans and returned to yelling at the screen, even though none of them cared about the outcome too much.
His dad arrived in the third quarter with dinner supplies. “Anyone heard from the ladies? Candace isn’t much for texting.”
“Nope, not yet. Feels like they’re having fun out there, though,” Adam said.
And he was right. Jonas was getting brief flashes of joy and excitement that made him smile. He was also starting to feel a soft tiredness, so he figured they were winding down their run.
By the time the game ended, Thomas had arrived with wine. Jonas and his dad headed to the kitchen to make the spaghetti while Adam showed Joe, Bill and Thomas the progress they’d made on the guest rooms.
While he chopped the garlic and his dad chopped onion, Jonas filled him in on what had happened with Cindy’s parents.
“You bring her over for dinner this week,” his dad said forcefully.
