Lucas shakes his head, but his eyes wrinkle with concern. “I know her father told her to come home. Can’t imagine she’ll do it, but…”
He doesn’t need to say it. I don’t want her to leave, either. But Helena came to Seamuse with the intent of only staying for thesummer. What are the chances two new alphas in her life and a pack bond are enough to get her to stay?
Would I leave?
I never thought so. Now, though, I wonder. Is a pack enough to get me to leave the family bakery?
I nod. “If she needs space while she sorts things with her father, she knows where to find us. But maybe we can make a more direct show of support.” I turn to Lucas. “Would you go, if it were you?”
Lucas shrugs. “Hard to say. My family never had that sort of drama. Closest thing we got was my brother’s weed scandal.” He laughs. “Whole school lost their damn minds.”
I snort a laugh. “Good thing your family name survived the disgrace.”
Lucas goes quiet, his expression turning over something private. “But it’s different for Helena. Her life is, like, always on stage. Even when she’s just existing.”
“Yeah.” I cross my arms. “Never really thought about what it would be like, growing up like that. All those cameras and rules. The expectation to behave.”
Lucas raises his eyebrows. “And here I thought you loved rules.”
I shrug. “Rules in baking make sense. They have a purpose. They don’t change based on whether you smile enough for the right people.”
The sun’s edge finally tips the horizon, bringing color to the street outside. The blue-painted windows of the neighboring shops start to glow, and the distant hiss of the espresso machine starts as Esmé starts brewing.
Lucas leans forward, elbows on the counter. “So, I was reading about that pop star last night. Piper Sumner? She’s causing a whole thing with the prince, apparently. He’s the prince who ended up in a pack with Piper and both oftheir bodyguards. So these high society omegas falling in with commoner alphas isn’t that rare. Surely, that counts.”
“I hope.” I’d rather not have Helena ruin her relationship with her father for us. Hardly a great way to start a pack.
“Do you think…?” He hesitates, choosing his words with unusual care. “Do you think Helena gets compared to people like that?”
“I think it’s all a mess, honestly. She’s never really had a choice. Even now, her ‘choices’ are… I don’t know, whatever makes the news look better. And she’s not even actual royalty.”
Honest curiosity shines in Lucas’s eyes. “Would you want to live like that?”
“God, no.” I look around the bakery at the worn wood and the flour dust. “I like it here. Even when it’s quiet, even when it feels like nothing’s ever going to change. At least I get to pick what I do every day.”
A pensive curl twists Lucas’s brow. “Same. I mean, I like the beach, and the water, and the people. I get to teach kids how not to drown, and sometimes I save a dog. It’s good.” The scone is gone, and he swipes at the crumbs.
I can’t argue with him. “We may be biased, but yeah, Seamuse is a pretty great place to live.”
Lucas stands. He dusts the last of the scone off his hands and stretches, broad shoulders nearly brushing the wood beam overhead. “I’ve gotta get down to the swim program before the little monsters take over. Do you need any help here before I go?”
“I’ve got it. Unless you want to do the window display.”
He shudders, mock-dramatic. “Never again. That cake looked like it was built by toddlers.”
I grin, waving him off. “Tell the monsters I saidhi.”
He steps to the door, then pauses, looking back. “Hey, Cole?”
“Yeah?”
He hesitates, scratching behind his ear. “If Helena doesn’t go back, what happens to us?”
I take a breath. “I don’t know. We’re not a pack, not officially. We’re somewhere in between that and friends right now. So more of that, I guess.”
Lucas holds my gaze. “Do you want to be a pack?”
I think about it, about how easy it is to share space with him. Hell, even with Zane now that we’re past all the juvenile bullshit. “Yeah, I do.”
