Chapter 23
JUNE
The sun is starting to set by the time Seth and I make it back to town.
My body is pleasantly exhausted, the kind of tired that comes from emotional release, from crying and then being held, from letting someone see you fall apart and trusting them to help put you back together.
Not to mention, being railed by a hunky cowboy who knows how to bring me to orgasm.
“Mind if we stop by my office for a minute?” I ask as Seth navigates Carter’s truck through the familiar streets. “I just… I need to see it.”
He glances over at me, understanding in his blue eyes. “Of course.”
Sweetwater Creek Realty sits on the corner of the main road, next door to the Wildflower Bakehouse & Café. It’s a small building with just three rooms and a bathroom in the back, but it’s mine. Or it was mine. The thought sends a fresh pang through my chest.
Seth parks in front, and once I’m out, I unlock the front door and go inside. My hands tremble slightly as I switch on the lights.
The familiar scent of vanilla candles and old paper finds me, the combination that’s become synonymous with this space. I breathe it in, letting it settle in my lungs, trying to memorize it.
The office is exactly as I left it. My desk sits near the window, cluttered with files and sticky notes and the vintage typewriter I bought at a flea market because it looked professional and quirky.
A plush armchair in deep burgundy faces the desk, the one where clients sit while I walk them through listings and contracts.
The walls are covered with framed photographs of properties I’ve sold, interspersed with travel brochures showcasing gorgeous locations around the world.
Places I’ve dreamed of visiting someday.
A small couch sits against the side wall, upholstered in worn leather that’s softened with age.
I drift toward it almost unconsciously, sinking down onto the cushions and pulling my knees up to my chest. I’ve been keeping up to date with any emails on my phone, so I know I’m all caught up, but sometimes just sitting here calms me.
Except, I’m now going to lose this place.
“June?” Seth asks softly.
I shake my head, wrapping my arms around my legs. “I just need a minute.”
He doesn’t push, just stands there, watching me, waiting.
The tears come before I can stop them.
“This is me,” I whisper, my voice cracking.
“This place, this business, it’s everything I’ve worked for.
Everything I thought I was.” I press my forehead to my knees, shoulders shaking.
“And my parents are just… selling it. Without asking me. Without involving me at all. They’re selling my entire life to a man who’s trying to destroy this town, and I don’t even get a say.
Geez, I’m sorry. I know you already saw me crying today over this, but I’m struggling to accept it. ”
I feel the couch dip as Seth sits beside me. Then his arms are around me, pulling me against his chest, and I let myself collapse into him.
“I’m trying so hard to be okay,” I manage between sobs. “But it hurts so much to know that everything I thought I had, who I thought I was, means nothing to them.”
“Hey.” His voice is low, rough with emotion. “That’s not true.”
“It feels true.”
He holds me tighter, one hand stroking my back in slow circles. His lips press against the top of my head, and his heartbeat thumps beneath my cheek.
“You’re amazing,” he murmurs against my hair. “You took a dream and made it real. And just because this place is being sold doesn’t mean you can’t do it again.”
“I don’t know if I have the energy to start over.”
“You won’t be.” His hand moves to cup the back of my head, fingers tangling gently in my curls. “What’s different now is that you have us. And if you want to open another office, here or somewhere else, we’ll help you do it. We’ll be there every step of the way.”
I pull back just enough to glance at him, my vision blurry with tears. “You mean that?”
“I mean everything I say to you.” His thumb brushes across my cheek, wiping away the tears. “I’m sorry your parents did this to you, put you in this impossible situation. But you’re not alone anymore, June. You never will be again.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on.
We stay that way for a long time. Him stroking my hair, pressing kisses to my temple, murmuring words of comfort and reassurance. The mating mark on my breast hums with warmth, a constant reminder of the bond between us.
This is what it means to have a pack, I realize.
What I’ve been missing my entire life without knowing it.
Not just romance or attraction or even love, but belonging.
Being claimed and cherished and protected.
Having people who will catch you when you fall, who will hold you together when you’re breaking apart.
I press my face deeper into his chest, breathing in his scent and calming slowly.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “For not letting me fall apart alone. I just wanted to come in here, feeling like I’m going to lose it soon, and… I don’t know.”
His arms tighten around me. “Taking care of you isn’t a favor, June. It’s a privilege.”
Eventually, Seth shifts against me. “How about we go meet Kai and Carter? Get some food and drinks. I bet they’re wondering where you are.”
I manage a small smile despite the tear tracks on my face. “That would be nice.”
“Then let’s go.” He helps me to my feet, and I take another glance around the office. The vintage typewriter. The burgundy armchair. The wall of photographs showing all the happy families I’ve helped find their homes.
This chapter of my life is ending.
I turn off the light and lock the door behind us.
The BBQ joint is already lively when we arrive, the parking lot packed with trucks and the air thick with the smell of smoked meat and mesquite. Country music drifts from inside, and strings of fairy lights cast a warm glow over the outdoor seating area.
Seth leads me through the restaurant to the back courtyard, where picnic tables are scattered beneath a canopy of more fairy lights. The effect is almost magical, transforming the simple space into something cozy and intimate.
I spot them immediately.
Kai and Carter are at a corner table, drinks already in hand, deep in conversation. But the moment Kai sees us approaching, his whole face lights up.
“There she is!” He’s on his feet in an instant, crossing the distance between us in three long strides. His arms wrap around me, lifting me clean off the ground, and I laugh despite myself.
“Miss me?” I ask when he finally sets me down.
“Every second.” He cups my face in his hands and kisses me, not deeply, but thoroughly, making sure I feel it. “You smell incredible, by the way. Did you roll around in a meadow or something?”
“Something.” I can’t help the blush that creeps up my cheeks.
Carter is there before I can say anything else, pulling me into his own embrace. His kiss is softer, more lingering, his hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck. “You okay?” he asks quietly, searching my face. “Seth messaged us that you were having a rough day.”
“Better now.”
He smiles that slow, warm grin that hypnotizes me.
He guides me toward the table with his hand on the small of my back.
We settle into our seats, and suddenly I’m surrounded by them.
Kai is on my left, his thigh pressed against mine beneath the table, radiating warmth even through the fabric of our clothes.
Carter is across from me, reaching over to take both my hands in his, our fingers interlacing in a way that feels natural now—inevitable, even.
His legs tangle with mine beneath the table, ankles hooking together, a constant point of contact that sends little sparks up my spine.
“We’re starving,” Seth announces, standing at the table. “Have you two ordered anything?”
“Nope.” Kai takes a swig of his beer. “Figured we’d wait for you.”
“Good man. I’m getting us food.” Seth rises and heads toward the counter, leaving me alone with the other two.
The moment he’s gone, Kai leans in closer, his nose brushing against my neck. I feel him inhale deeply, and a shiver runs down my spine.
“Fuck,” he breathes against my skin. “You smell so good. But there’s something else under there…” He inhales again, and his breath tickles me. “Seth. You smell like him.”
My cheeks flush hotter. “Well, he did mark me today.”
Carter’s eyebrows shoot up, a grin spreading across his face. “Finally pulled his head out of his ass, did he?”
“He was very romantic about it, actually.”
“Seth? Romantic?” Kai pulls back, looking skeptical. “Are we talking about the same guy? Tall, grumpy, communicates primarily through grunts and scowls?”
I giggle, loving how relaxed they make me feel. “He took me to this canyon outside town. Laid out a blanket, gave me this whole speech about how the mountains represent you three watching over me…”
“Holy shit.” Carter squeezes my hands. “That’s adorable. I’m almost jealous.”
“You gave me poetry,” I remind him. “And Kai rented out an entire fairground.”
“True.” Carter doesn’t look particularly humble about it. “We are pretty amazing, though I need to lift my game, by the sounds of it.”
“So incredibly modest too,” I say.
“Modesty is for people who don’t have anything to brag about.”
Kai’s hand finds my thigh under the table. “So all three marks now,” he says, his voice low and intimate. “Love knowing that you’re ours for good.”
My stomach flutters. “I guess my heat will come soon, then.”
They both nod, their expressions shifting to something more serious. More intense.
“We’ll take care of you,” Carter promises, his hands lightly squeezing mine. “When it happens. Whatever you need.”
“I know.” And I do. For the first time in my life, I actually believe it.