My forehead pinches. “What?”
“Nothing,” Leon says with a small smile. “I miss seeing you around. I’m just hoping you’re doing alright.”
I clear my throat and cross my arms. “Yeah, I’m doing okay. Adjusting, but it’s been good.”
“Hey,” he murmurs as he gently grips my shoulder again. “I’m glad. You know I’m here if you ever wanna talk.”
We might not be as close as we were, but I still class him as a friend. But telling him about Caleb? Yeah, I don’t want to risk it.
“Yeah. I know. Thanks for checking up on me.”
When we reach Jaxon’s pack house, I expect to be hit with some kind of nostalgia or sensation of missing this place, but I don’t. Not one bit. Sure, I miss the people who live here, but I don’t miss the actual house.
The bedroom that was never mine.
The bedroom I had countless nightmares in.
The bedroom I hurt myself more times than I can remember.
We gather in the garden due to the nice weather, and I stretch out on the grass as I sit with Ava and hold Aurora in my arms.
“Evan.” Aurora frowns as she tugs at my T-shirt. “You’re gone.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I’ve been gone, Rory. I’m sorry.”
She pouts at me. “Why?”
“Because I’m needed somewhere else,” I say. “But I’ll be back to see you as much as I can.”
Ava grins at us both. “She misses you a lot.”
“I miss her, too.” I pout.
“So, Jaxon got rid of Sam,” Ava blurts out of nowhere.
My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “What?”
“Yeah,” she exhales raggedly. “He kicked off the other day during training and hurt two people, so Jaxon had enough and told him he had to go.”
“Where’s he gone?”
Ava turns her nose up as if she couldn’t be less interested with his whereabouts. “Who knows, with his parents maybe, but it was the best choice Jaxon could have made. He’s always ruining everything. I don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“Beats me,” I mutter.
Aurora snuggles into my arms, and I hold her close to my chest as I stare across the garden to find Caleb and Jaxon talking together, except Caleb’s eyes are on me.
I look away before anyone catches us because, after what Nina and Leon said earlier, I have no idea if anyone else is suspicious of the pair of us. I don’t want everyone butting into our relationship, asking questions. I’ve only started adjusting to it.
Aurora climbs into Ava’s lap and starts to play with Albie before I watch Jaxon and Caleb head inside. I wonder what they’re talking about, but it’s probably best I don’t know.
When I glance around, I can’t help but feel that a few people’s curious eyes are on me, most likely wondering what’s so special about me to move to Caleb’s pack.
I get it; it’s suspicious. But why do people care so much?
I’ll never understand.
47
