“Addie, or Addison. You know this, Alfred.” I laugh.
“Welcome home, Addie.” This time his tone is softer, warmer. I almost want to cry.
I’ve known this man as long as I’ve been alive. He worked for my parents and came to work here after my mother moved.
He spent more time with me than my mother did. He knows me better than she ever did, too.
“It’s... strange.” I peek over his shoulder, getting a look inside.
“It hasn’t been the same without you here. Let me grab your bags, and I’ll take them to your room.”
At the mention of my room, a burst of excitement hits me. Alfred chuckles as I take off through the marble foyer, up the grand staircase two steps at a time, and down the hallway. My heart is pounding when I stop in front of the door.
With a shaking hand, I grip the knob and slowly open the door.
I choke on a happy laugh when I find my room exactly how I left it. Taking a few steps inside, my gaze slowly takes it all in, tears springing to my eyes.
Everything is still here. The posters, photos of my friends, the stuffies I was obsessed with collecting, and my baby pink bed set.
But what has the tears falling and my smile stretching even wider is the desk against the far left corner of my room.
“It’s been a while,” I whisper, running my fingers along the top of my gaming monitor.
For my fourteenth birthday, my stepfather had a custom-built, pink gaming PC built for me.
My mother didn’t approve, but I got to keep it anyway. It became my favorite thing in the world and where I’d spend all my free time. Where I metthem. My found family, my safe place.
“So you really are back.” A low, gruff voice causes me to jump.
My eyes snap to my bedroom door, lips parting in shock when I see who it is.
My stepbrother, Damien Clark.
He’s changed a lot since the last time I saw him. He’s no longer the twenty-one-year-old college hockey player I knew when I left this house.
He’s grown up. A lot.
Tall, over six feet for sure. He still has the same blonde hair, but it’s grown out now, giving him more of a shaggy look.
He’s always been fit, but dear god, the man has filled out.
His arms are crossed, making his muscles bulge, and he’s dressed in a black t-shirt that hugs his body perfectly. My eyes travel down, stopping when I see he’s wearing grey sweatpants.
Every Omega’s kryptonite.
A low, irritated growl emanates from his chest, causing my eyes to dart back up to his. My cheeks start to heat at the realization that I was checking him out.
“Why are you back?” he asks, eyes narrowed.
“What?” I blink a few times, still a little stunned by all that’s changed.
“Why are you here? Back home? After years of being away, avoiding us like the plague, why did you come back now, huh?”
The anger in his voice catches me by surprise. He looks at me like he wants me anywhere but here. I hate that a pang of hurt fills me at the thought.
I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly going dry. “I had nowhere else to go,” I admit, surprising myself.
“So you come crawling back to mommy?” he snorts. “You’ve always acted like you were better than this life. Yet, you have no shame coming back when you have no other choice.”
