The last thing I wanted to do was have this conversation with my dad, but I had to. Not about us, that was fine, even if I was nervous, but about the rest of it. How he’d left me behind and how it made me feel. It was past time.
I chewed on my lip as we pulled into the drive. Nerves made my leg bounce and my fingers fidget. In the end, it didn’t matter. Telling Dad and Liz wouldn’t have any effect because we were already bonded. But I really wanted them to be okay with it.
Logan picked up my hand and wove our fingers together. “It’s going to be fine, wildfire.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Mom just wants us to be happy, and I’m sure your father feels the same way about you.”
“Yeah.”
He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it over my hand chain, then turned my wrist to kiss the lock. “It’s okay to be nervous.”
“Good, cause I feel like I might throw up.”
Aiden pulled to a stop and turned from the front seat. “I’d prefer it if you did that outside the car.” In our bond, I felt the way he reached out to me, teasing, distracting me from the crippling nerves.
“Not to self: get fake vomit to put in the car for when I need to piss you off.”
The way he tilted his head made me shiver. “When youneedto piss me off?”
“How else will I get you to carry me off and have your way with me?”
Aiden laughed and shook his head. “You don’t have to piss me off for that, violet. I’ll do it whenever I damn well please, and you know it.”
I made a face when he turned his back, making my other Alphas snicker. Brooks was the one who lifted me out of the car. He flicked my nose gently. “Just remember that being a brat to distract yourself is still being a brat. There can still be consequences.”
“Consequences?” I scoffed. “When I have all of you wrapped around my fingers?”
A soft growl that made my Omega stand up and pay attention. “Careful, baby. It’s been a long time since you were spanked, and there are four of us who didn’t participate in that who would like a chance.”
All I did was smirk. “Noted.”
Logan climbed out of the SUV. “Let’s get inside before they watch us out the window and this becomes a story we don’t get to tell.”
All the nerves came rushing back. Just coming up to the door of this house made me a little queasy. It was okay because they were with me, but I didn’t like it here. Triggers lurked in the corners, and having to see Val, Matt, and even Paige was hard. Now that I wasn’t alone and was allowing myself to be more open, I could fully admit how much I hated this house.
They knew it, too. They were all on edge, and not because we were here to reveal our relationship.
Dad opened the door and pulled me into an immediate hug. All softness and warmth. “It’s so good to see you. You’re okay.”
“I’m alive. Whether I’m okay is a different question. I’m getting there.”
He hugged me harder, and I hugged him back. Dad had faults, and there were things he needed to hear, but I never doubted that he loved me. Even if he didn’t always know how to show it.
“Cecil let them get inside,” Liz said from behind him, laughing. “You’ll smother her to death.”
Dad still held me a little longer, and I savored it. I missed his hugs. Liz hugged me too. “I’m glad you’re safe,” she whispered.
“Me too.”
They ushered us into the living room. The rest of Dad’s pack were currently elsewhere. I didn’t think they were here. I hadn’t seen their cars outside.
“What’s this I hear about you getting a cat?” Dad asked.
I pulled out my new phone and the many, many photos of Cinder I already had. “She snuck into Aiden’s engine when we went down to see Logan surf. She was too cute, and we couldn’t leave her there. She already thinks she owns everything.”
It was only when I held out the phone to Dad that I realized how silent the room was. What did I say? I risked a glance at the rest of them. Their bonds weren’t panicked at all, but the energy was off.
