Chapter 41
Preston
“Are you ready for this, man?” Walker asked as we drove toward the house where my entire pack was residing.
Including Hailey.
I nodded, my spine rigid in the seat. “I have never been more ready.”
And, weirdly, that was the truth. I’d been waiting to see Hailey again since the moment I'd been forced to leave her in that damned alleyway. I missed my pack mates, and I was genuinely curious about this Merrick guy.
No official arrests had been made yet, but the fentanyl I’d snuck out had been enough to get me out, combined with a few more months of monitoring.
The moment I handed over the small recording device—where the warden specifically told me he would give me drugs—to Walker, I was officially done and free.
It’d taken a few hours to fully remove me from the camp, of course. Plus, several of the guards had to be told that I was not, in fact, a convict in case they saw me around town.
Walker was pissed, to say the least. The fact that someone who was meant to be looking out for these convict firefighters was profiting off them and sneaking them drugs was absolutely vile.
Edward would be going to jail soon.
“What are you looking forward to, other than the obvious?”
“Some decent food.” I laughed. “The food in that place made the rations we had while we were serving in the Army together look like gourmet meals.”
Walker grimaced. “Oof. That bad? Really?”
I tilted my head down, like I could empty the memories that way. “All I want to do is eat good food and spend time with my omega. You know…once we…talk.”
“You’re aware you'll have to be her bitch for the next few weeks, right?” Walker cocked a brow, flicking his stare over before looking at the road again. “She's tired, grumpy, and heavily pregnant.”
A smile spread across my face. Other than the glance I’d gotten of her several months ago, I hadn't been able to see Hailey up close and personal. I could only imagine what she would look like with a baby bump.
And boy, had I been imagining.
“Yeah, I know. She’s entitled to it. So, this is where we’re living, huh?” I asked as we pulled up outside the large house.
It was bigger than I expected for a firefighter making civil-servant money. We all knew that the city didn’t exactly pay amazingly.
“It's Merrick’s house, yeah. He bought it several years ago, I guess, when it was run-down, and he slowly remodeled it. Hailey lived in a tiny apartment across town, so when your pack invaded, it made more sense for them to move here.”
“It feels so wrong that I haven't even known where my pack is living…” I trailed off, that familiar guilt washing through me.
“You've got all the time in the world with them now. Just be patient with them, especially Hailey. It hasn’t been easy on her.”
“Yeah…”
The knot in my stomach didn't ease up as I looked at the building. My pack members had a whole life behind those doors. A life I hadn't been privy to because of this job.
While I was glad I’d been able to do some good, it came at a tremendous personal cost. And I wasn’t done paying it yet, either. I knew that Hailey deserved some groveling.
Somehow, I’d need to make my pack understand that I would never do that again. Still, even if it took me showing up time and time again, I would do it.
“Want me to come in with you?” Walker asked, putting the car in park.
I shook my head. “Nah, I’m good. I need to face them myself.”
“I called Merrick and told him I was picking you up, so they should be expecting you. Hailey may already be asleep, though. From what Sunny's told me, she's been exhausted and taking a lot of naps.”
“Understood. I'll be sure to do whatever it takes to make sure she rests.”
Walker nodded approvingly. “Good. Now, go see your pack mates.”
It’d been so long since I'd been able to sit down and have a real conversation with any of my pack mates. As excited as I was to see Hailey, I was also thrilled at the idea of spending time with Nolan and Wilder again.
I’d missed them.
Anytime I walked away, there was a part of me that felt like it was missing out on everything, which I supposed was true.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said as I got out of the car and leaned down to nod at Walker.
He nodded back at me, putting the car back in drive so he could head home to his own omega.
Closing the car door, I made my way up to the front porch. Technically, this house was the pack house now, and yet, I felt like I had to knock on the door.
Logically, I understood why, but the tangle of anxiety in my stomach tightened uncomfortably nonetheless.
Usually, coming home from an extended job was easier. I’d had a definitive home before. Now? Well, I was rather listless. I didn't even know if the house in Seattle was still an option, but I had a feeling it wasn’t.
The fundamental building blocks of my pack’s life had all changed, and it was my own damned fault. So, I rapped my knuckles on the wood and waited.
The door opened a few moments later, and a large fucker appeared, standing there like a human mountain.
“I take it you're Merrick?” I asked, trying to go for casual.
“That's me. It's nice to officially meet you, Preston.” He stepped back, opening the door wider to let me in.
“Pres!” Wilder exclaimed when he saw me, darting over and wrapping his arms around me in a brotherly hug.
“It's so fucking good to see you,” I muttered, returning his embrace with enthusiasm.
“You missed a lot.” He laughed, stepping back and holding me at arm's length to look me over. Behind him, Nolan watched me intently.
“Hey,” I greeted, feeling a little sheepish.
The surly expression on his face melted away, though, and a smile took its place as he strode over to me, opening his arms to hug me himself.
“I’m pissed at you, but right now, I’m just glad you’re back.” He squeezed me so damn tightly, I thought he was going to crack one of my ribs.
“Where’s Hailey?” I looked around, my pulse noticeable in my chest.
“She tried waiting up for you, but we got the news that you were coming about two hours ago, and she was exhausted. The baby's been tiring her out.”
“She's currently curled up in the nest,” Wilder said. “She really did try to stay awake.”
“I’ll be here in the morning, and she needs her rest.” I turned to Merrick. “Are you okay with me staying here? This is your house, after all.”
“To be fair, I wasn’t looking to take in any of you to start with. But it made the most sense because Hailey needed space, and I've gotten quite attached to these two idiots. So what's one more?”
Merrick grinned as he spoke, and there was something about how he gave us shit that felt familiar and comfortable.
“See, I grow on people like a fungus.” Wilder smirked, and we all laughed.
“Hungry?” Nolan asked, nodding behind him.
“Fuck, yes. I would give my left nut to eat something that wasn't from a can.”
“You can keep your nuts. I made chilli earlier tonight, and there are leftovers,” Merrick said, walking toward what I assumed was the kitchen.
“I definitely won’t say no to that.”
I sat at the kitchen island while Merrick placed a bowl of food in front of me, digging in happily.
“This is fucking amazing, man.” I groaned, taking another bite before setting my spoon down in what was my second bowl of chili. “So…can I see her?”
It was a weird request, having to ask to see my omega, but I was painfully aware that I was on thin ice and navigating entirely new territory. As amazing as it was to have the familiar Wilder and Nolan here, even they had changed since having Hailey in their lives.
“Maybe a shower first?” Wilder suggested, his nose scrunching. “You kind of smell like a convict.”
Glancing down at myself, I was still wearing the khaki T-shirt and sweatpants that was the uniform for convicts inside the camp. It wasn't quite as garish as the bright orange jumpsuits we had to wear while fighting fires.
But it definitely didn't look normal.
“Good idea,” I agreed.
“I put a bag of your clothes in my room,” Nolan said.
Turning on the shower, I was pleasantly surprised to see just how amazing the water pressure was. The showers at the camp had been abysmal. You were lucky to get a consistent trickle of water.
Merrick's house was immaculate, though. All of the rooms I'd been in had been finished to downright royal standards, and the bathroom looked like it had been tiled not too long ago, and someone had done an excellent job.
Either Merrick was really handy, or he had an eye for hiring people who were good at their jobs.
I took my time cleaning every inch of myself. Showers in the camp were fast and pretty surface. Inmates were only given so long to clean up, so just standing under the spray and letting the hot water relax my muscles was a luxury I hadn’t been able to experience in a while.
Eventually, once I was certain I was squeaky clean, I turned the water off and quickly dried myself. Thankfully, somehow Nolan had managed to get ahold of my old clothes.
From the duffel bag he’d given me, I pulled out an old military T-shirt and sweatpants. Putting them on felt like stepping back into my old life.
Which was weird, considering that life was well and truly gone.
When I poked my head into the nest, a lamp was still on next to the sleeping area, illuminating Hailey with a deep yellow light.
She was curled up on her side, hugging an extremely large, overstuffed pink bunny. Her face was pressed into its fur, and she was snoring lightly, the sounds positively adorable.
The entire room was coated in that strawberry and cream scent that had been haunting my dreams for months.
She was wearing tiny sleep shorts and a T-shirt that I believed belonged to one of the guys. It was baggy on her shoulders but tight on her stomach where her bump sat.
She was just as beautiful as I remembered. More so, in fact.
Crouching at the edge of the nest, I couldn't help but watch her for a few moments. Raw emotion hit me right in the gut. I’d missed out on so much. Even though it was my fault, I mourned every milestone I'd already missed with Hailey.
The sonograms, the shopping trips, all of it.
As I watched her chest slowly rise and fall with her adorable little snoring, I vowed that I wouldn't miss anything ever again. I’d worked enough to take an early retirement if I wanted, and I definitely wanted that.
I’d be stuck to Hailey's side like glue, whether she liked it or not.
Outside the room, I turned to Merrick, who was waiting in the hall, leaning against one of the walls with his arms crossed.
I still hadn't formed a true opinion of the alpha, but I knew he was a good man. Everyone had told me as much, and I trusted Walker and my pack to tell me the truth.
“That stuffed bunny was Wilder, wasn't it?” I smiled.
Merrick chuckled. “How did you know?”
“It’s a very Wilder thing to do. Does that make sense?”
“Having spent some extended time with him, it makes perfect sense.”
I stared longingly at the door to the nest. Everything in me wanted to go back, to be closer to Hailey.
“You can stay there, you know. Just don’t disturb her,” Merrick said.
“Are you sure? That feels like more than I deserve…”
The alpha shrugged. “Don't worry, I'm not being too nice. That armchair is extremely uncomfortable.”
Comfortable or not, I’d take it. In fact, I’d take anything I could right about now.