Page 31 of Knot So Social

He’s right. I’m the only one with a spare bedroom, and there’s no way I can take her back there, when Tracey’s raging. If I even have a home to return to. An icy tingle lodges in my belly.

Mom goes quiet for a minute and I check my watch. “Mom, I’m gonna go race to the shops before things shut. Thanks so much for the advice.”

“Any time, darlings. And it’s so nice to hear you’re hanging out together. Your dad and I’ve been worried about you both. Oh! And look for some Glory Oil, if you can. That’s great for scars.”

It’s harder to hang up than I thought. Even Mom and Dad noticed how much I’d drifted apart from my brother.

I jump to my feet and rinse my bowl, Tracey’s scolding about dirty dishes ringing in the back of my mind even when she’s not around. Every little thing reminds me of her.

“I’ll be back,” I promise, swinging my keys around one finger. “Anything else you need?”

Probably a dumb question . . . I bet there’s heaps he needs.

Jeremy shakes his head.

I drop by the pharmacy and then the garden center, hunting for ingredients. Mom always says fresh Aloe Vera is better than the tube stuff, so I grab the biggest plant on display. I haven’t had much to do with gardening since Tracey and I finished our landscaping, but it’s oddly normal to be digging through pot plants and breathing in the combination of citrus leaves and jasmine vines.

Reminds me of my childhood.

On my way back, I spy a pickup with a For Sale sign on it. The guy only wants five grand, which probably makes it a piece of shit, but I can do this much for my brother who almost died, right? The seller even agrees to deliver it the six miles to Jeremy’s unit.

As I pull up outside Jeremy’s place, my phone rings—the dial tone signaling it’s my fiancé.

My gut tightens. Did she see I spent $5000? I thought I paid for it with my personal account. If it’s not that, then is this the final blow to end our relationship?

I swipe across the screen to answer, cold tingles trickling through my chest.

Chapter ten

Joel

“I’m sorry.”

Tracey’s words feel like a line from a fantasy movie. She actually apologized first? I sit in the car, stunned, the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on making words impossible.

“Joel?” she whispers through the phone.

If she’s apologizing, does that mean we patch things up and go on like it never happened? I squeeze the steering wheel, fighting back a prickling rush of uncertainty. Well, that’s what love is right? For better or worse.

I clear my throat, still hesitating.

If I’d done more to apologize and win back our omega all those years ago, I at least wouldn’t have ruined Jeremy’s relationship with her. No matter what, I can’t lose my lover a second time.

“I’m sorry too, babe. I’m not sure what’s happening to us right now.” I lift my cap to scratch my hair, the fresh air not cooling the heat clinging to my body.

“It’s me,” she says quickly. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. He’s your brother, so of course you should go to him when he’s injured. I was just really stressed out, and I needed closeness with you after you growled at me.”

“You know I didn’t mean to, Tracey. And I told you how sorry I was.”

“I know. And I shouldn’t have slapped you. That will never happen again. It’s just, you’re a big alpha, you know? And that can be kind of intimidating. But I love you, and I didn’t mean what I said about breaking up.”

“Okay. I’m glad to hear that.”

I worry my lip between my teeth, unease still gripping my stomach. It was wrong of me to inflict my alpha intensity on her like that, and yet, why am I still struggling to make sense of our fight? It’s as if the apologies aren’t enough for us to heal.

My gut tells me something shifted during our argument, something that won’t ever slot back into place.

Tracey’s voice drops, and I close my eyes to focus on her words. “And I guess . . I’m getting pre-wedding jitters, too. Not about getting married, just about the change, and if I’ll be a good wife . . .”