Chapter 25
Lo
Okay, I’m officially starting to think the universe has a vendetta against me.
It’s been a decent enough day so far. Ford and Toby are over, helping me with the mess that is my house. Toby’s, uh, about as useful as a sloth in a marathon, but Ford? He’s been a quiet godsend.
It’s kind of funny, the way he moves around my life. Not intrusive, but always there when I need him.
And I’m starting to think I might need him more than I expected.
Still, I can’t pretend that having Toby around doesn’t feel… weird. After that last interaction with him, I’m not sure where I stand with him anymore.
I’m trying to keep it casual, trying not to think about the way he looked at me or how much I didn’t enjoy the way he moved too close in that uncomfortable silence. But he’s mostly keeping out of my way, which is good.
It’s fine. I can handle this.
I think.
Then, of course, my phone rings.
I glance at the screen, and I feel my heart sink.
Jamie.
For a second, I think about not answering.
Not because I don’t want to hear from my brother, but because the second I do, I know I’m going to be pulled back into the family drama I’ve been dodging for…
what? Years? My mother’s venomous passive aggression, my father’s shady dealings, and that sick, suffocating guilt they love to keep me tangled in.
Yeah, no thanks.
But it’s Jamie. He’s my brother, and he’s a good guy. He doesn’t deserve to deal with this shit any more than I do. So, I pick up.
“Lo? You there?”
Not like I haven’t been there myself.
“Yeah, I’m here.” I’m doing my best to sound casual, but I can feel the tension already creeping into my neck.
“Listen… Mom and Dad found out you’re back in Honeysuckle Grove.”
For a second, I’m not sure I heard him right. “What?”
“You heard me,” he says, a nervous laugh bursting free. “They’re not exactly thrilled about it. They’re… they’re heading for town, Lo.”
The words hit me hard as a brick. I feel a wave of heat hit my chest. The thing about family? They always have a way of finding you, even when you think you’ve buried all the crap they left behind.
“Of course they are,” I mutter, rubbing my temples as if it’ll do something to chase away the headache already creeping in. “Fuck. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
“Well, they’re pissed you’ve been at the house,” he says dryly. “And I’m sure Dad will see it as an opportunity to suck you back in. You know how he is, a salesman above all.”
Well, that’s all kinds of fun.
I hate that I can’t just be free. That I’m always going to be their daughter, no matter how much I try to run from it.
“I’m sorry, Lo,” Jamie says, and I can tell he means it. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“I appreciate you telling me,” I sigh. “Now I just need to make a move…”
Ugh. With the place a wreck and my new assignment not starting for another three weeks, and now with Dylan breathing down the nape of my neck… what the hell am I going to do? Go back to living in my car?
Oh, fuck, my Honda Civic.
I groan as my head falls back. I have to get in touch with—
“When are they coming, Jamie?” I ask, pulling myself out of my own spiraling thoughts.
He sighs. “I don’t know. Soon.”
“Okay.” I run my hand through my hair. “Thanks for letting me know.”
We hang up, and I stare at my phone for a second before dropping it onto the coffee table. This is the last thing I expected to happen.
And as I sit there, my mind races, running through the options. Leave? Stay? Fight?
My thoughts scatter in every direction, a stampede of frustrated cattle. What the hell am I supposed to do?
How are they going to react when they get here? I haven’t seen them since I first left this town. I sure as hell don’t want to face them again now. Especially when I’ve been staying in their house without them knowing, and with it being such a wreck from the fire and the storm.
My heart races as that pressure builds in my chest.
Fuck.
Then, without warning, something inside me flips. My skin tightens, the blood in my veins heating up as my Omega instincts start to claw their way to the surface.
I feel it, the familiar rush of heat rising inside me. But this time, it’s different. It’s not just frustration, not just panic. There’s a sharp, simmering edge to it, deep and visceral and tugging at my core.
I dig my nails into my palms, trying to keep control of myself, to hold it together. But it’s like trying to keep a dam from breaking with just my hands.
And then, of course, Ford steps into the room, his steady presence contrasting the whirlwind of anxiety and anger tearing through me.
He doesn’t say anything at first, but I can feel his gaze on me, his awareness sharp. He knows exactly when something’s wrong.
“Lo…” he says, softly. “You okay?”
I should say yes. I should push it all down. But really, I’m just a crumbling Omega mess. I’m not fine, I’m far from fine, and it’s clawing at me, tearing through my chest.
Before I can stop myself, the words come out in a burst of frustration.
“I… shit, I’m not okay. I can’t… I can’t keep running from this, Ford.
My family… they’re coming. And I don’t even know what the hell I’m supposed to do anymore.
I can’t go to my new job like I was planning, because of Dylan, but now I can’t stay either, because they’re coming, and I don’t have a nest, and nothing I touch is safe, and—”
In the moment I say it, an icy panic rushes through me even harder, my body flooding with that intense, overwhelming feeling. It’s a wave, an undeniable urge to retreat, to hide, to escape into the darkness where everything’s safe. Where I don’t have to face the storm of my past.
My breathing picks up, shallow and uneven. Every inch of me is screaming for space, for a chance to calm down, but all I can feel is this heat, this internal pressure building.
Ford’s response is immediate. Without a second thought, he moves toward me, and before I know it, he’s standing right next to me, his large frame a shield between me and the world.
“Lo,” he declares, “breathe. Focus on me, alright? Just breathe.”
It takes a second for my racing thoughts to slow down enough to catch his words. And then, everything inside me shifts, a recognition of the calmness. My body just knows he’s not going to let me break.
I don’t even realize it, but my eyes shut, my shoulders sagging as I let out a shaky breath. “I… I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I can’t control anything lately.”
“Don’t apologize,” Ford says, the warmth in his tone as soothing as his presence. He places a hand on my shoulder, a steadying, reassuring pressure. “Anxiety is a bitch sometimes. But it’s okay. I’m here. I’ll help you in any way that I can.”
Guilt floods me. I’m always dragging other people into my messes. I know Tansy said I have people here who care about me, but I feel like I’m taking advantage of that.
“Me and Toby are almost done here,” Ford continues, completely bypassing the inner turmoil that I just word-vomited at him. “And then you can come stay with me and Hayes for a while. Get out of this place. You already know we have the room.”
I sniffle. When did I start crying? “Really?”
“Well, you have a lot to figure out, right?” He offers me a one-shouldered shrug and a sweet smile as his hands slide up and down my back.
God, he’s so warm. “That way, you don’t have to leave town yet.
You don’t have to put yourself in danger, but you also aren’t here, at your family home, where they can just barge in on you with a key. ”
I swallow hard, gratitude settling deep in my chest. His offer is a lifeline.
Someone’s finally giving me a choice that isn’t a trap.
It’s not just about survival, either. It’s about a space I can control.
It’s about breathing in air I want to breathe instead of air I’m forced to breathe for the sake of pushing forward.
I’d love to be surrounded by their scented air.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” I murmur.
Ford gives me a small, soft smile, and it’s the kind that makes my heart ache. He’s trying to give me more than I deserve.
“You don’t have to say anything but ‘okay,’” he replies, his thumb brushing lightly over the top of my shoulder. “You just need to take care of yourself, Lo. We’ll take care of the rest.”
I can’t hold back any longer. I reach out and wrap my arms around his broad form, clutching him tightly. It’s not just about the situation. It’s about the relief of knowing someone has my back when everything else is crumbling around me.
I press my cheek into his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath the fabric of his shirt. For a moment, I let myself relax, let myself sink into the comfort of his presence. The pressure in my chest loosens just a little.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and it comes out tight with emotion I haven’t let myself feel in a long time. “I don’t know how I’d do this without you.”
Ford’s arms encircle me, holding me close.
“You don’t have to,” he says softly. “I’m here.”
For a few long seconds, it’s just us. No family, no drama, no stress from the past pressing down. Just this rare moment of peace.
But then, I feel something. A shift in the air. A sudden prickling sensation on the back of my neck. Someone’s eyes are burning into me.
I pull back just enough to glance over Ford’s shoulder.
And there’s Toby.
He’s standing by the door, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw set in a grim line. I can see the way his gaze sharpens, the flicker of jealousy in his gaze that he’s doing a poor job of hiding.
That’s the last thing I need.