Page 54 of A Farmer’s Guide To Gamers

“You guys may as well come out. We could all use a break,” I said with a light chuckle. “It seems I need to catch you up.”

“Um, yes,” Kai said as he pushed past Dean and dropped onto the swing next to me. He pulled his knees up and turned toward me, shoving his hair out of his eyes. He wasn’t angry, but he would not let this go, either.

Dean and Jack slowly joined us while Aiden came out, leaning against the railing of the porch.

Four sets of eyes were on me as I tried to figure out how best to say this. I didn’t want to get them worked up over nothing, but at the same time, Jonathan was definitely making this a big issue.

“You know the guy that sent me flowers when we had our first dinner together?”

“The guy you messaged saying you were taken?” Dean asked, his voice rumbly, as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Yeah, that one,” I agreed and nodded. My fingers fidgeted with my shirt as I spoke. “Well, apparently, he isn’t taking the ‘no’ as easily as I thought he would.”

“What makes you say that?” Jack asked, his tone light but his gaze behind his thick, black glasses was anything but. No, there was nothing but pure alpha possessiveness staring back at me.

A slender hand touched my arm and I looked over at Kai who was watching me with a steady gaze, calm in the face of all the alpha pheromones surrounding us.

“Is that the guy that called out to you after our date?”

I blinked. So, Kai had noticed. Looking over at Aiden I saw a scrutinizing expression on his face as he looked at Kai then myself. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed Jonathan.

“Yeah,” I replied roughly, clearing my throat and preparing myself to tell them the rest. “But that’s not the only time he’s seen me since I texted him. I ran into him the other day before I brought you guys the lasagna… He did not take kindly to me saying I’d found a pack and we were done. He didn’t like it at all.”

“What happened?” Dean growled.

“He just talked to me. Grabbed my wrist,” I told him hurriedly, trying to downplay things a bit. It didn’t seem to be working given the look which passed between the two alphas. “But my brother Drew and his pack were around. They told him off but I guess…”

“We need to be on the lookout for this Jonathan and tell him ourselves if he keeps pushing where he isn’t wanted,” Jack said, the alpha rumble in his voice making me shiver.

Drew was right, telling them was the right choice.

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it but he’s not giving up and it’s starting to freak me out,” I admitted. Kai moved in closer and I leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around me. Lime, sea spray, and cedar filled my senses. It was just another stark reminder that Jonathan had no place among us.

Outside of being pushy, his presence never calmed me like theirs did. I’d never felt safe and cared for like this whenever we had been together.

Once upon a time I’d even say that he was a friend and we’d stay friendly even if we weren’t together any more. The phantom ache around my wrist was a sign that could never happen.

I just hoped when we did run into him as a pack, it didn’t end with one of my alphas going to jail.

“You’ll be safe with us,” Dean vowed. His dark brown eyes were full of protective alpha energy. Sabrina loved to call it ‘big knot energy,’ the thought making me bite back a smile.

“I know,” I promised. “On a lighter note, Drew mentioned Mom is sniffing around for a family dinner so she can meet you all.”

“Oh, man,” Dean grinned, an edge of alpha energy there but dampening a bit as if he knew I needed to think of something else right now. He chuckled to himself because he knew exactly what my mom was like.

“Why do I suddenly feel worried?” Kai teased.

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Dean reassured him. “Aiden and Jack might be a bit out of their depth. Her mom is… a character."'

“That’s putting it lightly,” I snorted. “She’s a huge activist and isn’t afraid to go to jail for her causes. Her stories seem impossible, but with her, they’re true. Her antics are truly insane and unmatched. She’s eccentric. To put it lightly.”

“She sounds amazing,” Kai said with a grin.

“Isn’t that the one that called when we were at Dean’s—?” Jack started and I laughed, remembering that phone call.

“Yes!” I laughed. “And she is brainstorming some new ideas.”

“Oh, good,” Dean replied then sighed, but I could see a spark of good humor brightening his eyes.