Chapter 20 Dalton
DALTON
It had been two weeks since the fever of Theo’s heat had finally broken, leaving something far more permanent in its wake.
The haze of pheromones and desperate need had settled into a quiet, steady hum of domesticity that I was still getting used to.
We had fallen into a rhythm—waking up in a tangle of limbs, sharing coffee in the morning light, navigating the complicated but rewarding dance of three lives weaving into one.
It wasn’t just about the sex anymore; it was about the easy silence between us, the shared glances, the way we naturally gravitated toward each other.
I had convinced myself I was designed to be solitary, a drifter who never stayed long enough to put down roots. That if I couldn’t have my alpha, I couldn’t have anyone. But in the last fourteen days, the gravity had shifted. I wasn’t just orbiting Peyton and Theo anymore. I was grounded with them.
That sense of belonging gave me the courage to consider a future I hadn’t let myself dream of in months.
Standing here now, looking at the empty space on the far left of the building, I tried to see it not for what it was—a dusty, abandoned jewelry store with peeling paint and outdated fixtures—but for what it could be.
It had potential. Serious potential.
The large glass showcases that cluttered the center of the room would have to go, but the layout itself was solid. High ceilings, good natural light from the front display windows, and enough square footage to house at least three stations comfortably, maybe four if I pushed it.
Reaching out, I ran a finger along the top of a dusty counter. Tidal Ink. The name whispered through my mind, unbidden. It was a good name. Strong. Local.
“Dalton?” Peyton’s voice broke through my reverie. I turned to find both him and Theo watching me, their expressions a mixture of hope and anxiety. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I could make this work,” I admitted, the words tasting sweet on my tongue. “I’d have to strip it down to the studs, probably. New flooring, new lighting, plumbing for the stations… it’s a big job.”
“But you want it,” Theo said. It wasn’t a question. He was watching me with that quiet intensity of his, seeing right through my hesitation to the desire underneath.
“I do,” I nodded slowly. “But I can’t commit until I work out the licensing. Florida has different regulations than West Virginia. And I’m not sure we should be making major changes until I know for sure I can legally tattoo here without jumping through a thousand hoops.”
“I can help with the space,” Theo offered, stepping forward to stand beside me.
“When I bought this building, there were four stores. I combined two for my shop, opened the third for the LAN center. This one… I never had a plan for it. It’s just been sitting here.
If you want it, it’s yours. Rent-free until you get on your feet. ”
I frowned, shaking my head immediately. “No. If I do this, I do it right. I pay rent. A relationship shouldn’t subsidize a business, Theo. I have savings. I can afford it.”
“Stubborn beta,” Peyton murmured, but there was a fondness in his tone that took the sting out of it.
He moved to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.
“Time and money aren’t the issue, Dalt. We have both.
The question is, are you ready to plant roots here? Real, permanent roots?”
I leaned back into him, finding strength in his solid presence. “I am. But… I can’t just start tomorrow.”
Peyton tensed against me. “I know about the tattoos, Dalton. But you weren’t mentioning them when you were planning to stay here forever five minutes ago.”
“Because I didn’t want to ruin the moment,” I said, turning in his arms to look him in the eye. “But I have unfinished business in Treasure Hollow. I wrapped up most of my appointments, but I have two those large pieces I promised to finish. They’ve already paid deposits. I gave my word.”
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The warmth evaporated, replaced by a sharp spike of tension that rolled off Peyton in waves.
“You’re going back,” Peyton said, his voice flat.
“I have to go back eventually,” I corrected gently. “Gabe can handle the shop, but he can’t finish my custom work. Those clients trusted me with their skin. I can’t ghost them.”
“Would you have told me?” Peyton asked, his eyes searching mine. “If we hadn’t… if I hadn’t come down here. Would you have just slipped back into town, finished the work, and left again without a word?”
The question hung heavy in the air. It was the root of his fear—that he could be close to me and still not know I was there.
“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “I’d like to say yes. But I was so messed up… I might have just done the work and run before I lost my resolve.”
Peyton stepped back, his hands falling from my waist. He crossed his arms over his chest, a defensive barrier that made my heart ache. “That’s what I thought.”
“I’m telling you now,” I said, keeping my voice calm despite the rising panic in my chest. I knew that look. That was the look of an alpha who felt his pack fracturing. “It’s not leaving, Peyton. It’s a business trip. A week, maybe two. Then I’m back for good.”
“A week or two,” Peyton echoed, his golden eyes darkening. “Last time you left for a ‘business trip,’ Dalt, I didn’t see you for three weeks. And I had to hunt you down across state lines.”
The accusation hung in the dusty air between us.
“That’s not fair,” Theo interjected, surprising us both.
He stepped between us, small but determined.
“He’s not running away this time, Peyton.
He’s closing a door so he can open this one.
” He gestured to the empty room around us.
“Look at him. He’s already measuring the walls for stations.
That’s not a man who’s planning to run.”
Peyton looked at Theo, then back at me. He searched my face, looking for any sign of deception, any hint of the insecurity that had driven me away the first time.
All he saw was the truth.
“I’m not running,” I promised, stepping around Theo to take Peyton’s hands.
They were cold. “I love you. I love us. But I need to do this. To close out my life there properly so I can build my life here with you.My tools are still in Treasure Hollow. My portfolio. My art. I can’t be the man `I want to be for you—for both of you—if I’m just a dishwasher at a diner. ”
Peyton let out a ragged breath, the tension slowly bleeding out of his frame. He pulled his hands free to cup my face, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones. “I know. I know you’re right. It’s just… the thought of you going back there. To that town. To where he is.”
He didn’t need to say the name. Elias Claybourne.
“He doesn’t own me,” I said fiercely. “And he doesn’t own us. We’ll go together. We’ll settle everything. And then we’ll come home.”
“Together?” Theo asked, his voice hopeful.
I looked at my omega, then back to my alpha. The missing piece of the puzzle had slot into place so naturally I sometimes forgot he hadn’t always been there.
“Yeah,” I smiled, pulling them both into a hug. “Together. One last trip into the past, and then we focus on the future.”
Peyton buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply, grounding himself. “Okay. We go back. We finish it. And then we never look back.”
As I held my men in the empty shell of my future shop, I felt a surge of determination. I would build this. I would build us. And no ghost from West Virginia—not my old business, not Peyton’s father—was going to stop me.