Page 29 of Yes Now Yes Forever

Bailey-Rose smiled as Waffles sat beside her and dropped his large head on her lap. “Service dogs are a precious gift, and they develop a special bond with their owner. I love Nugget, as do the guys, but I think we all knew one day Nugget would find the person he was put on this earth to help. It’s obvious to me he’s picked you, Lyra.”

“I can’t take him from you,” Lyra argued.

Vili chuckled softly. “You can’t take what is given, Lyra. Yes, we gave Nugget a home, but you will give him purpose.”

“It’s perfect timing really,” Bailey-Rose added. “With Mira Chambers arrested and held accountable for what she’s done, I can finally move on from the worst chapter in my life. Nugget deserves his time to shine.”

Lyra looked down into Nugget’s adoring gaze, and instantly, the little guy’s tail wagged. “What do you have to say on this matter, hmm? Do you want to stay with your pal Waffles? Or would you rather come home with me?”

Nugget barked twice and lunged for Lyra’s face, covering it with kisses as his little body wiggled with excitement. We all laughed at the clear answer Nugget had given us, and when I reached out through our bond, I felt her joy at adding this new member to our family. I’m not sure she realized it, but little by little, the gloom and pain she carried with her every day was beginning to lessen.

“It’s settled then. Welcome to the family, Nugget,” Lyra said, cupping the dog’s face and kissing the top of his head. “This was not at all what I’d been expecting from today, but you are a happy surprise.”

Once the news about Mira Chambers being arrested had settled amongst us, we cleaned up everything from our paint project. We’d have to wait a few days for the whole thing to dry, but it gave us another excuse to hang out together sometime soon. Bailey-Rose’s pack invited us back to their home for a cookout, which Fawn and I eagerly accepted. Thankfully, all the guys were getting along, and being out of the house was a wonderful change of pace.

It was an evening full of laughs, good food, and wonderful new friends. Tanner and Warrick were in charge of drinks, and they were amazing. Zachary and Yun-Sun were the grill masters, while Gareth and Pascal worked on making the salad and chopping vegetables to be cooked on the grill. I volunteered to make something for dessert since I didn’t get to bake all that often. Fawn was banished from the kitchen, so he hung out with Eli, Ulysses, and Bailey-Rose.

Rummaging through the pantry, I found what I needed to make toffee bars. They were Elora’s favorite, so I knew how to make them without looking up the recipe. Once it was all mixed together, I popped the glass dish into the oven and set the timer. Done with my part of the meal, I started to head out to the patio where everyone was hanging out, but I felt my phone buzz. Grinning when I saw it was Elora, I answered the video chat.

“Hello, stranger,” I greeted cheerily. “Wow, you look amazing.”

Elora snorted at my comment. Her dark, thick hair was styled and teased so it was extra voluminous. Her makeup was expertly done to give her this modern rocker vibe which had the amber hues in her hazel eyes popping.

“I just got done with a magazine photoshoot and had an hour to kill before being hauled off to my next promo opportunity,” Elora explained. “God, I have no idea how I’m going to tame this rat’s nest.”

Chuckling, I bit my lip, trying not to laugh too hard. “I’m sure Zelly will work her magic as always. Oh, speaking of Zelly, did you know we share a friend?”

Elora frowned. “You do?”

“It’s the wildest thing, Eli’s younger sister, Bailey-Rose, is bonded to a sweet Alpha named Vili⁠—”

“Oh my God,” Elora blurted, cutting me off. “Holy shit, your Alpha is that Eli?”

“Yeees,” I said hesitantly.

“Wait, wait, wait, that means you know Crew Thatcher too, right?” she pressed. “The man is fucking brilliant with his audio-production skills. He can take a great song and make it the number one hit of the season.”

I sat on the arm of the sofa, realizing this was going to be a longer conversation. “Eli does have a brother named Crew, who I’ve met, but I had no idea he did anything with music.”

“Hell yeah!” Elora hollered. “Wooo.”

I had to look away from the screen as my best friend did some sort of cheer, which was giving me motion sickness. “Anytime you want to clue me in on what’s got you so excited, I’m all ears.”

“Sorry, babe. It’s been my biggest dream to work with Crew, but he is super selective,” Elora shared once she calmed down. “If you ever get the chance, and it’s not gonna make things awkward, I’d appreciate it if you could put in a good word for me. I’ve reached out to his people but keep getting stone-walled.”

“I’ll try,” I assured her. “You’ve never asked me for anything like this in all our years of friendship, so I understand how big of a deal this is for you.”

“You’re the best, babe, but if it will put you in an awkward spot, don’t worry about it. I’ll manage to get his attention one day,” Elora said, proving how good a person she really was.

“Hey, honey bear, dinner’s about ready,” Zachary called from the patio door.

I gave him a thumbs up and a smile, to which he returned by blowing me a kiss. Typically, you’d think a move like that from a guy as burly as Zachary would look silly, but it wasn’t in the slightest.

“Oh, girl, you’ve got it bad,” Elora teased. “I don’t even have to ask if that was one of your Alphas because it’s written all over your face. Speaking of your Alphas…”

Rolling my eyes, I pulled back my hair so she could see the mark Eli had given me last night under my left ear and Fawn’s mark at the crook of my neck. “I’m bonded to Eli and Fawn, but I don’t see it taking long for the others to leave their mark on me.”

Elora squealed like a little kid as she did a little happy dance. “Oh, babe, I’m so happy for you, and I must say you’re looking practically radiant now that you’re being showered in love like you always should have.”