“This is your home, Jagger.” Nash’s response comes quickly. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“But your communication needs work,” Delilah points out, laughing shakily. “Serious work.”
“Noted.” I grin, relief seeping through me.
“Now can we all get back inside before Delilah catches a cold?” Nash growls.
“It’s not even cold!” she guffaws.
“But you have nothing on under that shirt, and I don’t want you standing out here when someone else could catch your scent on the breeze.”
“There’s no one else around for miles.” She puts her hands on her hips. “But I probably need to head back to Stella House to grab some things. I can’t live in your clothes forever.”
“I don’t see why not.” Nash pouts then sighs. “But fine, I’ll take you. This is already about as far as I can stay away from you right now.”
“Don’t be too long.” Tae voices my own thoughts out loud.
The more time I spend with Delilah, the stronger the urge to never let her go.
FORTY
Nash
Delilah’s emotions come off her in waves. For a man who isn’t very emotional, the experience is humbling.
When she confronted Jagger in the backyard, I felt a piping-hot wave of anger mingled with frustration, hurt, disappointment, and…love.I didn’t think it was possible to feel so much at once.
Perhaps a purpose of alphas and omegas sharing their emotions is to help clueless guys like me try to understand a woman’s emotions. It’s been less than a day, and I’ve already learned so much about how she processes things. It must be exhausting to feel so much at any one time, giving me so much more admiration for the woman I now love and for women everywhere.
“I’m gonna ask all the Stellas to meet me at the house,” Delilah tells me while texting. She’s excited yet also filled with trepidation. “I’d like to tell them all together, face-to-face.”
Nerves buzz under my skin. “How do you think they’ll take it?”
“No need to be nervous.” She pats my knee. “I mean, you’re not Jagger, so I think they’ll be okay.” Her eyes narrow asshe scrolls through her social media feed. “Have you seen what people are saying online? Jagger’s statement is everywhere.”
She reels off a few headlines:
“PACK FIRE’D—JAGGER IS OUT!
PACK FIRE—UP IN FLAMES!
JAGGER SETS PACK FIRE ALIGHT.”
“This is why I’m not on social media.” While Tae and Jagger waste their time on it, I’m too busy plastering walls or building furniture. I’ve never seen the point of living out your life online. The one time I tried it, all I saw were people from my high school sharing photos of their breakfasts. Since when is avocado on toast interesting? “It’ll blow over when the next big story comes along.”
“Some people think he’s been kidnapped or his account’s been hacked. Others are just… really brutal.” She swipes violently across the screen. “People are even dressing in black in mourning. That’s ridiculous.”
“Don’t read it.” I put an arm behind her headrest. “Those people don’t know him. Not the real him anyway.”
“I know you’re right, but still…” She exhales deeply, causing one of her little curls to fly up in the air. “He’s a real person with feelings. They’re acting like they own him.”
“That’s why he thought he was protecting you by leaving the first time.” In response to my reminder, I’m hit by anger rippling through the bond—a sharp, prickly heat sheeting my skin. “You know I don’t agree with what he did, but I can see why he wouldn’t want to bring you into it. When I first met him, he was a trainwreck.”
I think back to the shell of a man I met a year ago. I’d been fixing the plumbing in his penthouse the first time we encountered one another. He and Tae met first, in the coffee shop Tae worked in. When Jagger complained about a leaky pipe and not being able to find a plumber who respected his privacy,Tae referred him to me. Our connection was instant. The first time we talked, it felt like I’d known him for years, and a part of him reminded me of Robbie. Although he had a carefree attitude, the rows of empty liquor bottles lining his counters and tables told me he was drowning. Plus, I had this overwhelming feeling that we could help him, Tae and I. And look at us now.
“He hasn’t spoken to me much about the last year.” She drops her phone into her lap. “I know it was hard on him. It was hard for me, but it seemed—from what I heard anyway—that he was off touring and living his best life.”
“Far from it,” I mumble darkly. “Until we came here, he wasn’t truly happy. And that’s because of you.”
