“I haven’t treated her very well.” The last thing I need is any pity. “But I’m trying to make it right. I just…” I massage my temples, not quite knowing why I’m opening up to a stranger so freely when it took me months to open up to my own pack, but Ican’t help trusting her. “I don’t know what more I can do. Words aren’t enough.”
She stops what she’s doing. “Is this young lady special?”
“More than that,” I reply wistfully, Delilah’s face swimming before my mind’s eye. “She’s everything. She’s… my scent match.”
Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe she’ll sell the story to the press.
“Holy heck!” She clutches her chest. “Aren’t you lucky to have found someone you’re destined to be with.”
“She probably doesn’t see it that way,” I blow out a leaden breath. “I messed up. Badly. She sees our connection as a curse. I’ve tried apologizing, but it’s no use. I don’t know what I can do to make things better.”
“Hmm.” She crosses her arms, chewing on her lip. “You’ve got yourself into quite a pickle, it seems. But you’re willing to make things right, and you love her, don’t you?”
I nod dutifully. Though my feelings for her are more than love. It’s a need. It’s the feeling of utter incompleteness without her. Delilah’s the perfect harmony to my chaos.
“We can’t control what other people do or how they feel. I learned that long ago,” she continues. “But we have control over our own actions. If words aren’t enough, you need to show her that you mean what you say. It’ll take more than a batch of my cookies, but trust can be earned back. One small act at a time.” She carefully ties a bow around a box. “Hearts can be broken, but they can also be mended, and often, they’re even stronger once they’re put back together.”
A buzzing timer has Dora hurrying to the other side of the kitchen.
Waiting for her to return, my eyes drift to a stack of envelopes precariously balanced on the flour-dusted work surface. The red, angry ‘foreclosure’ stamp branded against thewhite paper hits me like a slap, wondering how the old woman keeps her spirits up despite the threat that must be hanging over her head.
“Soft ginger cookies, fresh out the oven!” Dora chirps, carrying over the tray and transferring them onto the cooling rack. “Now I hope your lucky lady enjoys these. I’ve tweaked the recipe a little, but I think it made them even better.”
I stay out of her way as she scurries around and gets everything ready for me. Although I haven’t done much right, I at least know that Delilah will be well-fed later.
I take out my wallet. “How much do I owe you?”
“This is on the house, hon.” She shakes her head. “I couldn’t charge you a dime when you’re looking to make amends.”
“Dora.” I refuse to budge, my eyes straying to the stack of envelopes on the table. “You have to let me give you something.”
“Don’t worry about those.” Seeing where I’m looking, she waves her plump arm dismissively. However, I think I see a glint of fear in her eyes. “I’ll work things out. I always do. Medical bills got a little out of hand, but I’ll figure it out. I just gotta fix this mixer and take out another loan for a new oven, then it’ll all be swell.” Her voice wavers with false optimism. “You’ll see. I won’t let this place go under. It’s all I have.”
“Then let me help you. Weren’t you trying to teach me that actions speak louder than words? Consider this a first step toward me becoming a better man.” I press a stack of bills into her hand. “I have an idea. One that may help us both.”
It’s a crazy one, but it may just work.
TWENTY-FOUR
Delilah
I wake up groggy, my eyes gritty and a menthol-like taste lingering in my mouth, which I sometimes get after using heat patches. While they did finally work, their effects weren’t quick enough to avoid me becoming a needy mess around the men I should be avoiding.
I’m squeezed between Tae and Nash, a thin blanket draped over us. I carefully shuffle out of my position, trapped under Nash’s massive arm, trying not to wake him. Unfortunately, I’m not stealthy enough.
Nash sits bolt upright, his crystal blue eyes laser-focused on me. “Are you okay?”
Sunshine streams through a tiny crack in the curtains, casting his skin in a warm glow. On my other side, Tae’s eyelids flutter, drawing my attention to his crazy-long lashes before he rolls over and continues sleeping.
“I need to…” I pull the blanket up to cover myself, realizing that we’re all still naked. “I need to shower.”
He scrubs a hand over his light stubble that resembles sparkling diamonds in the light. “Second door on the left upstairs.”
I scamper up, taking the blanket with me and leaving Nash and Tae completely exposed.Holy shit.My eyes seem to have a mind of their own as they stray over to Nash’s cock, which is already hardening at the sight of me. How did I even take something that big? It’s no wonder I have a satisfied ache between my thighs. I blink and hastily turn my head in the opposite direction before grabbing my clothes from yesterday, which have been carefully placed over a chair.
I bite back a giggle as Tae mumbles something in his sleep, reaching out. His arm lands on Nash, who shrugs him away.
Thankfully, there’s no sign of Jagger as I make my way through the house, sparing me from having to face him. Inside the safety of the bathroom, my mind reels, trying to process what exactly happened last night before hopping into the shower.
