Chapter 33
33
JASPER
The house is always silent this early in the morning.
Dash could sleep until noon every day of the week, Ronan doesn’t like to converse with anyone until at least nine, and Landon’s usually already either on a run or down in the gym and won’t come up until we’ve all scattered, going about our day.
I’m a morning person.
There’s something special about being awake to watch the sunrise through the tall windows in the kitchen with a hot cup of coffee in my hand.
For an hour every day, I feel completely at peace.
Before meeting Briar, this was the only time I could have that.
Now, she is my sunrise.
Tucking her into bed in her nest was even more amazing than I could have dreamed.
The last thing I wanted to do was leave the room once she dozed back to sleep, but I knew there would be time for us to spend long nights tucked up beneath the same covers, her body tucked into the curve of mine.
I’ll do anything to make that happen.
I take a sip of my coffee and stare out the window at the pink and orange, cloudless sky.
The sweet taste warms my stomach as I get lost in a world of possibilities.
With Briar, we could do everything we’ve ever wanted to.
The dreams we had could include her, and I don’t think there’s anything better than that.
The thought of waking up before dawn’s cracked to find her beside me, her eyes closed and lips parted on soft, even breaths, feels closer than it did even yesterday morning.
Finally, we’d have some use for the giant custom bed in the nest. I had it crafted with the hope that five of us would one day get to use it together, as long as our omega approved of that, of course.
Briar calls the shots, and I’m more than happy to give her full control over every aspect of our relationship.
Emotionally and sexually, we’re hers to command.
Having her asleep upstairs as I sit down here alone in my thoughts is a tease worse than any other.
I came right downstairs once I woke, knowing that if I checked on her in the nest, I’d end up stuck there watching her sleep.
It’s too early for her to think I’m such a creep.
I blow out a breath over my mug and watch as the surface of my coffee ripples.
It’s enough of a distraction that I almost miss the sound of the front door clicking shut.
Turning on the bar stool beneath me, I set my mug down, waiting.
Ronan’s slouched frame comes into view when he starts my way.
I know he hasn’t realized that I’m here, and that makes it easier to examine his demeanour.
It’s the deep blue bags beneath his eyes and the way he rolls his neck to work out either a knot or lingering tension that concerns me most of all.
His clothes are wrinkled, and despite Landon constantly harping on him about wearing his boots in the house, they drag on the floor.
At least they look clean.
He stares at the ground and reaches up to wring the back of his neck.
I watch, confused as to where he was and why he’s only coming home at six in the morning.
My gut tells me that it wasn’t for anything good.
“Want a coffee?” I ask.
Eyes flying up, he jumps, scared by the question.
He blinks quickly and drops his hand.
“Forgot how early you’re up in the morning.”
“Is that why you didn’t use the back door to sneak inside?”
“Are you going to ground me?”
“I’ll let it go this time,” I tease, lifting my mug.
“So, coffee?”
“Coffee,” he confirms.
I get off my stool when he takes the one beside me and move to the fancy coffee machine Dash bought for himself last Christmas.
The expensive pods are perfectly organized in the drawer beneath it—Landon’s doing—so I grab the darkest blend and slip it into the machine.
“At least you were quiet coming in. Briar needs sleep after last night,” I say, sliding a matte-black cup off the rack beside the machine and clunking it in place before the coffee starts spurting out.
“I’m not sure she got any. I took her out in the middle of the night.”
Spinning around, I press back against the counter and frown.
“Why?”
“Did her phone ringing not wake you up?”
“No. I had the sound machine on.”
The guys tease me for it, but I’ve always had problems sleeping in the silence.
There’s a time and place for it, and apparently, for me, that isn’t after.
I save that for my mornings.
Ronan shakes his head, eyeing the stream of coffee coming out of the machine.
“There was an emergency with Sadie, and she needed to go to her place. I brought her there and then home to her apartment.”
I shove the disappointment away that springs to life as I realize I missed out on a chance to be with her.
“When was this exactly?”
“A little after two.”
“And you’re just getting back now? What happened?”
My hand shakes as I tug his mug away from the machine and rest it on the countertop.
I rip open the fridge door and grab the milk with a sweaty palm.
“She’s okay, Jas.”
I nod stiffly and focus on not spilling the milk all over the place as I pour a splash into his mug.
“What happened?”
“You remember Sadie, yeah?”
“Her friend from the clinic, yes.”
“Yeah. She’s got two alphas who can’t comprehend the meaning of a restraining order. They showed up at her place and tried to bash the door in before we got there.”
“How is she? I imagine that was stressful, especially for a pregnant omega.”
“I didn’t ask. Should I have?”
I give his coffee a stir with the spoon I used for mine and sigh before glancing at him over my shoulder.
“What did you talk about after, then? Tell me you at least asked Briar if she was doing okay when you dropped her off.”
“’Course I did. Fuck, I’m not a total idiot. She assured me everything was fine.”
“And you believed her? Tell me exactly what happened.”
I bring his mug to the table and set it in front of him before sitting back on my stool.
Despite the temperature of it, he takes large gulps and shuts his eyes, exhaustion hanging heavy from his slumped posture.
When he sets the cup down, all that’s left inside is a few dark drops.
If I didn’t think he was ready for bed right now, I’d offer him a second cup.
“Just bullshit about Sadie belonging to them and that they were adamant about seeing both her and the baby. Briar pisses them off because she won’t allow them to. That’s my concern.”
I nod.
“Do we need to get involved?”
“I’m already involved now.” He taps the counter, his jaw tightening.
“I recognized Thorne’s car tonight.”
“From where?”
“It was outside of Briar’s place the night she came for dinner at the pack house, and I followed her home. I marked it when I was waiting for her to get inside, and it drove away soon after. It was fucking weird, but I didn’t make the connection then.”
A cold sense of dread drips down my spine.
“Do you think he’s been following her around since then?”
“I don’t know if it was only that one time or if it’s a constant thing. Either way, he had to follow her home once to know where she lives. I don’t fucking like her going anywhere on her own.”
“We can’t bundle her up and refuse to let her live her life, Ro. That’s not what we’re here for,” I argue, cautious not to sound too scolding.
He has a fair point.
“We’re supposed to protect her. She’s linked to these fuckers now, and I don’t want them anywhere near her. If they so much as get close enough to look at her, I’ll make them regret it.”
I palm my mug, humming in agreement.
“We need to talk to the others before we start making any sort of decisions. Including Briar.”
“And until then? I’m not leaving her alone for longer than absolutely necessary. We should ask her to stay here.”
“Without talking to Landon and Dash first? You know that isn’t how things work. It might make everything even worse, and I don’t want to move Briar from one tense environment to the next without a concrete plan. The last thing we need to be doing is acting impulsively. The ice beneath us is too thin for desperate moves.”
Ronan stops tapping the countertop and curls his fingers into a fist instead.
“I’ll be spending every free moment I have parked outside of her place, then.”
“When do you plan on sleeping?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“We’re in the final stretch before playoffs. If we win our next two games, we could clinch a wildcard spot. You can’t be running off hopes and dreams and risking an injury.”
“Then she needs to stay with us here,” he argues, as stubborn as he’s always been.
He knows just as well that I’m equally as stubborn when it comes to things I care about.
“Not without speaking to the others.”
Clacking his tongue to the roof of his mouth, he stands from the stool and grabs his cup.
He lingers there, staring down at me with a straight-lipped expression.
“Then we’re at a stalemate.”
“Just . . . please give me a few days to figure everything out.”
“Why should you be the one figuring everything out? Isn’t that Landon’s job?” he asks, the words sharp.
I meet his hard gaze with one of equal determination.
“The two of you need to make amends.”
“I’ll make amends when he figures out his shit,” he grunts, abandoning me at the island to bring his cup to the dishwasher.
The sound of the door swishing open and the top drawer sliding out fills the kitchen, swallowing the heavy sound of my exhale.
“You never shared what happened between the three of you downstairs last night.”
“I figured it was obvious.”
“That’s what I thought too, but considering how you’re acting right now, I’m wondering if I was wrong.”
When he sets his mug on the rack, he does it hard enough for the other glasses to rattle.
He spins around to face me and crosses his arms.
“What happened between us should have been enough for him to snap out of this. Having our omega in such a vulnerable position like she was, bringing her pleasure and having her eager to return it, damn well should have made the bond he’s so fucking sure doesn’t exist snap into place. He’s so determined not to accept her that he’s going to wind up more broken than he already is,” he snaps.
While his words are angry, I’m too familiar with Ronan’s emotions to miss the hurt there.
And the frustration.
I feel all of it too.
“We have to be patient,” I mutter, trying desperately to believe what I’m saying.
“I’ve just about run out of patience, Jasper.”
“I know.”
“I’ll give him three days. If he still hasn’t figured himself out by then, I’m asking her to stay with us regardless.”
It’s pointless to push him for more time.
We’ve already given Landon two months.
Any longer and I worry the rest of us will run the risk of losing Briar. “Three days, Ro.”