Chapter 24 Aspen
Aspen
Itossed and turned all night, unable to get any sleep after the phone call from my ex. I’d blocked their numbers but it seems they haven’t forgotten mine.
Now, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were waiting around every corner.
The moment Cole saw my reaction, he quickly snatched the phone, arguing with the assholes on the other side. He informed them that I had found my scent-matches and wanted nothing to do with them, warning them that if they dared to show their faces, he would kill them with his bare hands.
A threat I had a feeling he would not hesitate to follow through with.
The sun was already peeking out and I’d only drifted off a few times. Light footsteps caught my attention, and I watched in amusement as Jack tried to sneak out of his room.
“Hey, there,” I whispered, my voice raspy with exhaustion.
His eyes softened as he looked at me. “You couldn’t sleep either, baby girl?”
“No, not after last night.”
Even my nest didn’t hold the same appeal that it should. North dove right into his, easily falling asleep by the time his head even hit the pillow.
I just couldn’t.
I didn’t realize that I was crying until Jack was pulling me into his arms.
“Oh, baby girl, no. They can’t get to you,” Jack promised, pressing his lips to my temple and holding it there. His comfort invaded my senses, his scent grounding me enough to speak.
“I know that in theory,” I admitted. “I just can’t shake it.”
“I understand.”
He was so sweet that it made my chest ache even as I was still fighting off more tears.
“I’m sorry, you didn’t ask for all this,” I said, waving a hand at myself like that explained everything.
“You didn’t deserve what they did to you,” he said. “Unfortunately, we don’t get to choose how people treat us. You aren’t responsible for their actions. They are.”
“I never want to see them again. They hurt me, but they were hurting me long before that even happened.”
He squeezed me again and I sank into the touch, using it to help calm my anxiety. I hated my exes. Even now, they were trying to ruin my life. Why couldn’t they just let me go?!
“Do you want to get out of here? I want to head into Town Hall early, but maybe we could stop for some breakfast as well.”
“I’d like that,” I said. “Give me a minute to get ready.”
He nodded. “Of course. Anything you need.”
As simple as that. I loved that he was so easy-going and spontaneous. The brothers truly were opposites, but I liked having both personalities in my pack.
I pulled on yet another Christmas sweater along with dangling snowman earrings that matched, winter boots and my warm coat. With my hat and gloves in hand and my bag in the other, I stepped back out.
Jack was waiting in a charcoal peacoat, with a festive red and green plaid scarf tied around his neck. Thick black glasses I didn’t realize he even wore rested on his face.
“Are those new?”
“No,” he admitted. “I was just too lazy to deal with my contacts today. They bother my eyes if I wear them after too little sleep.”
The dark frames suited his face. They honestly made his smile stand out even more.
“Are you sure you don’t mind stopping by the office?” he questioned.
“I have all the time in the world,” I reminded him as he grinned down at me. He took the hat from my hands, gently putting it on my head and making sure it was perfect. He was so cute.
I pulled on my own gloves before sliding my fabric-covered fingers around his. He led me out to the truck, which was thankfully warm and snug in the garage.
“No snow on the forecast for today at least,” he said as he clicked on the heated seats for us.
I nestled into the warmth as the garage door slowly opened. It may not be on the forecast today, but the snow still clung to just about everything but the streets.
Pine Ridge was peaceful again, the buzz of the weekend’s craft fair not in full swing yet. There were a few people setting up early, the sun just barely coming up, but most were probably still warm in their beds.
“Let’s stop by the office first,” he suggested. “That way we won’t have to worry about hurrying through breakfast before things get busy.”
We pulled up in front of Town Hall. I expected it to be empty, but he rolled his eyes as he pulled in next to a shiny, red jeep.
“The mayor is already here. I’m sure it’s been eating away at him that I’ve been off.”
“Does your mom know you’ve been called in? I bet she’s livid.”
He winced. “No, and I really didn’t. I’ve been working on this project for so long that handing over the reins completely was giving me anxiety. I want it to go smoothly. Otherwise, how are we going to convince the mayor that this shouldn’t be the only year they allow it?”
“Grief is hard,” I said. “Someday, those painful memories will get a little easier for him and he won’t be so combative. Clearly, he does right by Pine Ridge or he wouldn’t still be mayor.”
“He is a good man,” Jack confirmed. “Stubborn as hell, but aren’t we all?”
“Definitely an alpha then,” I shot back, laughing at the fake offended look he gave me, gasping and clutching his chest.
“You wound me, omega.”
“I do not. You know damn well that alphas are stubborn.”
He gave me a look. “Are omegas any better?”
I chose to ignore his comment for now, especially as we walked inside the office.
“My boy, what are you doing here? I was threatened within an inch of my life to not call you in.” The voice that greeted us was booming, echoing on the walls of the lobby.
The shining marble floors and murals up above paired with the dark wood gave it that typical government building feel.
Prestigious, but not pretentious. I could see why Jack took pride in his work here.
“My mother can be quite convincing, can’t she?” Jack mused, shaking his head. “I just wanted to check on things. You know me.”
The mayor shook his head, smiling fondly. Despite all the stubbornness I heard about him, the mayor seemed like a good guy. He seemed to care about Jack at least, and that made him a pretty great alpha in my book.
The mayor followed Jack and I down the hall as the two caught up with small talk. I knew it was Jack’s office that we stopped in, his scent of peppermint and mocha clinging into the air in here.
It was clean, meticulously so, everything in the proper place, not a hint of dust in sight. Maybe the brothers weren’t quite so different after all.
“You’re alpha here has a good head on his shoulders,” the mayor told me as Jack logged into his computer, not even bothering to hide the smile.
We were just talking about how hard it was for their fathers to not be present, and I was glad he had someone like the mayor on his side at least. He was a true father figure.
“Except for my intention to work with Harvey and the board to make this festival a reality, huh?” Jack teased.
The mayor’s smile faltered and he let out a sigh. “You know I’m not the Grinch that everybody seems to think I am,” he protested weakly.
“Of course not,” Jack mused with a fondness that made the older man smile again. “Here, I didn’t get a chance to give you these before I left, but I noticed them come across my desk and wanted to make sure you had them before the festival.”
“Are these the final numbers?” the mayor questioned, surprise lowering his eyes. “The way the committee was talking they were going to expect more funds.”
“I’m fairly certain that they were just trying to screw with you. We have more than enough. I saved for the last few years while we didn’t have the festival. Their allocated untouchable funds were more than covered,” Jack promised.
The mayor read over the spreadsheet, looking impressed.
“I don’t know how you managed it, son. This is good. Even I can’t argue with this.”
“But you probably will,” Jack teased.
They went back and forth a few more times until the mayor seemed properly satisfied.
“Now, you need to get out of here before your mother hears that you were here. I appreciate the oversight and I won’t interfere,” he promised, holding up his hands in defeat.
“This is what the town needs.” Jack’s parting words hung in the air between them, the heaviness seeming to dissipate slowly.
“We’ll see,” was all the mayor would give him before looking pointedly at the door.
Jack snorted and took the hint. “Alright. I need to go feed my omega anyway.”
“Congratulations, you two,” he told us, beaming again.
“Thank you,” I said, grinning up at my alpha.
It took us another fifteen minutes of greeting other Town Hall employees before we managed to get back to the truck. Jack looked relieved, and I was glad that we made time to come here.
“It seems like everything’s in order and ready to go,” I said.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I was just waiting on one final thing, and I put it in last night after we were all supposed to be sleeping,” he admitted. “We mention nothing of this to my mother. She would kick my ass.”
“My lips are sealed,” I promised. “ But, just for the record. I won’t be mad if there’s anything you need to do for this festival. Just because your mom says you need to take time off doesn’t mean you do.”
“Thank you, baby girl. I appreciate that. I might have to check in on a thing or two, but honestly my job with the festival is done. Now that I have squared away budgeting, everyone has submitted everything they needed. It’s out of my hands,” he said, sliding his hands against each other as if washing them away.
“All I want to do is focus on my omegas and this holiday,” he promised. “I’m right where I need to be.”
We walked into the diner. It was full of regulars, everyone chatting like it was one big family meal, and Jack and I were greeted with warm smiles and shouted greetings. He was definitely the town’s golden boy.
We had just given our order and settled in, taking sips of our hot chocolate, when somebody was calling out his name.
“My boy! Just the man I wanted to speak with!”
Jack tensed next to me, apparently, tired of the interruptions, but he kept a smile on his face.
“Grady,” Jack greeted. “What can I do for you?”
“I’ve talked to everybody on the committee about the upcoming festival, but I’d love to hear your perspective. How you budgeted and why you chose these sponsors, just another little layer to the story I’m running.”
Before answering, Jack turned to me, offering a quick explanation. “He runs the Pine Ridge Gazette.”
“Oh, Cole’s told me about it. He speaks highly of you.”
My words had the alpha puffing his chest out.
“Cole has done incredible things. That’s high praise coming from him.”
“My girl here’s a journalist as well.” Jack sounded so proud that I couldn’t even be mad at him for blurting it out.
Grady’s eyes lit up with interest.
“Oh?” he questioned. “And what do you write?”
I couldn’t even hide the groan. It was a loaded question.
He chuckled and held up a hand. “Okay, nevermind, I think I need to ask a better question,” he clarified. “What do you want to write?”
“I love working for Cole. He built an incredible company,” I said, unwilling to speak negatively about the job I did have, the one that carried me this far.
“I’m sure you do,” he conceded. “Cole is an incredible man. But my dear, that is not what I asked.”
I took a sip of my hot cocoa, trying to figure out how to even put into words what he was asking for.
“I’ve always preferred working directly with people, writing things that have a bit more story to them than lifestyle magazines,” I admitted. “I want to figure out what people are passionate about, to show the real stories that often get overlooked.”
“I wouldn’t exactly say Pine Ridge is full of juicy gossip and stories,” he mused. “And Cole may just kill me for offering this, but you should come check out the Gazette. See what you think of small-town journalism. You might just find a little more of what you’re looking for.”
“We’ll stop by after breakfast,” Jack answered as I gaped at Grady, who just chuckled.
“I’ll be there. I’m grabbing mine to go,” he said, giving us both a salute before walking off.
“We should call Cole,” I said.
“I was going to suggest the same thing,” Jack said. “Why don’t you do the honors?”
I took a bite of my chocolatey pancakes before pulling up my alpha’s number.
Cole answered it on the first ring, his voice still husky with sleep, sending a shiver through me. They had no right to be sexy all the time.
“I was wondering where you snuck off to,” he chastised. “I went to check on my omega and she was gone.”
“Jack and I snuck out for some breakfast. We couldn’t sleep.”
He let out a sigh that said he understood. I think the phone call yesterday had gotten to us all.
“But in news that’s a little lighter… I ran into Grady and he offered to let me come check out the Gazette. Jack and I are going to head there after breakfast. Do you want to join us?”
“Hell yeah, I do. I’ve been meaning to catch up with that man,” he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.
“We’ll wait for you at the diner,” I promised before we said a quick goodbye.
Jack flagged down the waitress. “Can we get a black coffee and the house special? We have someone joining us.”
“Of course,” our waitress promised, jotting something down before hurrying off to put in Cole’s order.
I snuggled in closer to Jack’s side as he texted North an update, enjoying a few minutes with just this alpha before my time was divided. I wanted them each to feel just as special as they made me feel. Even though my relationship with Cole was different and started earlier, they all mattered.
Jack let out a happy sigh that did funny things to my heart.
My original plan was to spend Christmas alone, and now sitting here next to an alpha that quickly broke through all of my defenses, I was already having the best holiday of my life. I wasn’t sure how anything could top it, but I had a feeling that my pack was going to try.