Chapter SeventeenEvan
Chapter Seventeen
Evan
“ O h, hey, Evan.” Carly waved me down as I went to leave the Center with Rose to take her shopping for some things. I’d grab a couple of things for Grace, too.
Inwardly, I groaned at Carly’s expression. No more. Please. If one more person asked me if I was okay, I’d scream. Every omega here was sad and angry for me that Wes had a mate I didn’t know about. Carly even offered to be my advocate.
It wasn’t like that–and I was fine. I was also glad that I wasn’t being put on leave, given everything with the investigation into the pack.
“Give Grace a hug from me.” Carly gave me a huge hug. “Home visit. Soon. Be ready,” she whispered in my ear. “See you tomorrow.” She waved and left.
Home visit? Shit. I should’ve expected it. Getting ready for that would be harder than just buying Grace some basics at the mall.
A muscular, full-figured, beta teenage girl in fishnets, a plaid skirt, boots, a punk band shirt, and a studded jacket, stood in the lobby's corner, backpack over her shoulder. Her made-up cat-eyes narrowed at me as she scratched her face with a black-polished middle finger, right by her tiny nose ring. Green clip-ins accented her dark, dark hair, which wasn’t nearly as curly as mine.
She had our mom’s hair; I had our dad’s.
Like him, we were both tall for our designations.
“Ri, hey.” While she came by sometimes, I was a little surprised she was here today and not at school.
“Today is the day you feed me, did you forget?” my baby sister asked, eyeing Rose.
It was Thursday? I’d spent all day thinking it was Wednesday. Whoops.
My little sister preferred the independence of living in her high school dorms to staying with us.
However, every Thursday was early release, so she met me here and we’d get food.
We also did fun things on weekends, and sometimes I’d randomly find her in the house, which annoyed Brennan sometimes, but sisters were allowed.
Of course, I’d hate to see what would happen if we tried to ban them.
“Not at all. You said you needed shoes. Rose needs some clothes. I thought we could go shopping together and get some food after.” I actually didn’t know if Riley needed shoes or not, but she wouldn’t turn them down.
“Rose, this is my little sister, Riley,” I introduced. “She’s a freshman. Rose is a junior.”
Riley eyed Rose in her pink dress, which complemented her red French braids. “She’s going to my school?”
“She’s starting at Finchley on Monday,” I replied as we went outside to the parking lot.
Riley went to Hadley Hall, a very exclusive prep school here in Rockland, which Spencer paid for. It was the same school that Wes and Lexi had gone to on scholarship, where they’d met Brennan and Katie.
Rose glanced at Riley's shirt. “I love that band. I’ve always wanted to see them live.”
“They’re amazing. I saw them last summer at a festival with my sisters,” Riley told her, looking a little wistful as she climbed into the back of my 4x4. “You can sit up front as long as you pick good music.”
Riley had been four when our parents died.
I’d been in the military, so my sisters and grandparents had done the bulk of actually raising her, though Spencer had helped a lot.
Now, my baby sis was here with me for high school, as one of my sisters finished her degree, the other worked her dream job, and my grandparents got to travel and enjoy retirement.
“I need gym shoes, shoes for the school dance, a dress to go with the shoes, the good sports bras, and markers. Are we going to the big mall or the fancy mall?” she asked.
“The big mall,” I told her as I drove.
“Great. We’ll start with the food court for a snack, then after power-shopping we’ll go to the burger place with the unlimited fries,” Riley said.
The girls’ discussion immediately turned to stores and bands. As soon as we parked, Riley led us to the food court. While they ate hot pretzels and made their shopping plan, I mentally went through the home visit checklist and started ordering things for rush delivery. My phone buzzed.
Wes
How was work?
Me
I’m tired of everyone asking me if I’m okay. I’m at the mall. While I’m here, I’ll get some things for Grace.
Wes
Great. Make me a list and I can order things from Swoop and have them delivered? I’m already making a list of things she needs.
Me
Will do.
Swoop was a big discount store where you could get pretty much everything you needed for yourself and home in one swoop. I’d probably take Rose there soon to get school supplies.
There was also a text from Jett.
Jett
At the mall with Ri?
We all tracked each other's phones, for safety. Grace still needed a phone.
Me
Yep. Also, with one of my clients.
Riley and Rose brought me to a store popular with teens.
“Would Grace like anything here?” Rose looked around at the racks of colorful clothes.
“Grace?” Riley gave me a look as she held up a black crop top with a rose on it. “Rose, this is you.”
“So cute. We’re getting some things for Grace, too.” Rose did a happy dance and took the crop top from her.
“Maybe a cute math-themed shirt? Some comfortable dresses? Basics?” I worked on a home store delivery on my phone. I had no idea what Grace liked to wear.
Riley stood at my elbow. “Doctor Grace?”
“Yep.” I put stand mixer in the search for funsies. Oh, that’s what it was. Some of them were cute. I ordered one. Jett made a bunch of complicated things, he’d probably use it, too.
“Wanna tell me who she actually is?” My sister went through a rack of dresses.
“She’s nunya.” I grinned, as I added a blanket in the living room colors, some throw pillows to add to Wes’ room, and curtains and cushions for the window seat in the room we’d make into hers.
If we were getting a home inspection, Grace needed a room of her own.
Riley flipped me off. “Fuck you very much.”
“You rarely want to know much about them.” I shrugged. It was safer that way.
She held up a strappy dress. “This could be cute for the dance. You didn’t add Wes as her mate right. I fixed it for you. You’re getting reinforcements?”
Usually, she made the base, and the Omega Protection Program made it real.
“Yes.” I’d need to pull in all the favors to make sure Grace’s record was perfect. I wanted to keep her safe. Keep her here.
“Is she actually Wes’ mate?” She added a sparkly dress to her pile.
“She is. Not telling you the story because it’s not mine to tell.” I wasn’t sure if my sister would believe that Grace traveled from a parallel world.
“Wow. Okay. Are you good with him having another mate?” she asked me. “Will I like her? Do you like her? Does she have a cool job?”
“I like her a lot. She’s a theoretical mathematician.” I kept close to Rose, whose pile was very floral. Yeah, I hoped Grace stayed with us. Sure, this wasn’t her world, but she belonged with her mate.
Riley whistled as she looked through another rack. “Smarticle. What does Spencer think?”
“He wants to hire her.” I added more towels and another robe to my online cart. I was glad he was on our side.
Riley started laughing. Then she stopped. “You are okay with it though? If you’re not, I’m happy to fuck some shit up.”
I loved her protectiveness.
“I’m good. Grace is very sweet. But I do need everyone to stop asking me if I’m okay,” I huffed. “Can you come over tonight and help me do some stuff around the house? I’ll pay you?”
Her eyes rolled. “The chore rate? Do you know what my savings look like?”
I did. Her overseas bank account, too. I wasn’t her only client.
Now that she was at a fancy high school her racket now was more fake IDs for clubs and altering grades for the rich kids at school.
She’d promised my sisters that when she moved to Rockland she’d stop hacking for money–which hadn’t happened, the projects had just changed.
“I’m supposed to spend the night; we have a day off tomorrow. We’re going to the movies. Did you forget again?” She held up jeans that were more hole than fabric. “For the doctor?”
“Maybe this?” I pointed to a T-shirt dress, as I added paint, hardware, and some stick-on wallpaper border to my online cart. “Did I really? It’s not on my calendar.” Today had been, but I’d lost track of the days of the week.
She grinned. “I do have the day off tomorrow. I was supposed to go to the movies with Marcos, but he’s being a little bitch. You can keep me, pay me, and take me to the movies.”
“I have to work tomorrow, but we’ll go to a movie on Saturday afternoon. We can even go to the dine-in theater,” I promised, looking over at Rose thoughtfully going through some racks.
“Deal.” Riley peered at my phone. “That wallpaper is stupid. Get the other.”
“Okay.” I sent the order off. Going to another shop, I ordered Grace a phone, then focused on those two as we made our way through the store and paid for our purchases.
“Where next?” I asked.
“Shoe store.” Riley took my hand and dragged me across the mall.
Taking a seat, I watched as the girls tried on athletic shoes.
Jett walked in and came over and gave me a kiss. “Hey, Baby.”
“Hey, Hot Stuff. They didn’t put you on leave, did they?” I asked, worry pooling in my belly.
“No, but I’m on desk duty and I’m done for the day. Thought I’d work on Katie’s action items she made to help keep our pack out of trouble.” He rolled his eyes. “ You are one of them.”
“Me?” I picked up a pair of sneakers that might work for Grace.
“She wants us to stay close to you in public.” He grinned and got very close, nuzzling me.
“Get a room, motherfucker.” Riley grinned.
“Ri.” Jett fist-bumped her.
My sister held up combat boots. “For Grace?”
Jett nodded. “I think she needs a leather jacket. Like the one she liked in the movie we were watching the night she arrived.”
“Why not.” Mmmm, she’d look cute in it. I couldn’t wait.
Jett brought a bunch of things to my car, and we continued our shopping. The accounts were getting a workout today.
While the girls tried on ridiculous dresses in an upscale department store, I got a couple of nicer things for Grace, as well as a messenger bag with equations on it.
It was professional enough for work but cute enough for every day, and probably more than I should be spending on her. She did have a birthday coming…
“Hey, sorry, I stopped and got her a leather jacket and boots.” Jett looked around the store. “Where are the girls?”
“In dresses,” I replied as we went across the aisle to that department.
“That’s perfect. But my alpha is right, you girls shouldn’t be here alone,” a voice I couldn’t see stated as Riley swished in front of the mirror in a long black gown.
“We’re not alone. Like I said, my brother is over there buying shit,” Riley said. “Evan, where the fuck are you?”
“Right here,” I called. The scent of tulips hit me as I wove through the racks of designer dresses and froze. So did Jett, his amber scent going bitter.
“Still, if they really cared, they’d keep a closer eye on you,” she prodded. That voice. That silky, judgmental voice.
“Evan, please? For the dance?” Riley ran over to me and posed.
“You look amazing.” I couldn’t catch my breath. No. It couldn’t be. She’d left the city and found a wealthy pack in the South.
A voluptuous, perfectly coiffed brunette turned and smirked at us, cleavage nearly spilling out of her designer blouse. “Why, hello, boys. I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this. After all, this is a store for people with taste .”
“Uncalled for.” Riley made a face. She turned to me, “Evan, please can I have it?”
Forcing myself to take a deep calming breath, I focused on my sister. “Of course you can. It’s perfect for the dance. Why don’t you change, and we’ll buy it and get dinner?”
“You’re ignoring me?” Caroline smirked, holding onto her alpha like he was a trophy. “But you’ve always been a clueless oaf, haven’t you?” She tossed her hair.
While she looked the same, the feelings of insecurity didn’t come. Neither did anger. I didn’t even feel pity.
“I have nothing to say to you.” All the things I’d wanted to say to her evaporated. She wasn’t worth the words.
“Hey, bitch, leave my brother alone.” Riley scowled.
“Ri, get changed, take Rose with you.” Jett got between me and the other omega. He turned to her. “Go away, Caroline.”
Caroline? Riley mouthed as she left.
Unfortunately.
An alpha in a suit got between us and glared, copper scent flaring, then turned to her. “Is there a problem?” he drawled.
Caroline’s red lips smirked. “I’ve changed my mind. Let’s go someplace more… discriminating.” Taking her alpha’s arm, she waved, her small hand festooned in large rings. “See you around, boys. Give Bren my love.”
Jett put his arm around me, sending comfort through the bond. “Are you okay?”
“I am.” But while I might not feel like being angry at her anymore, Brennan certainly did.