Chapter 17 #2
I glance back through the door of the playroom. Ryland, Maddox, and Avery are still talking animatedly. “Ask away.”
“Do you want to come over tonight?”
I want to kiss him. The thought makes my brain stutter, and I stare at his full lips a little too long.
I wonder if his kisses would taste like the rain.
Earth to Blair. Get it together.
“You came to the rescue to ask if I wanted to hang out later?” I repeat, raising an eyebrow.
Rowan shrugs. “I mean, we also have some donations to drop off, too. It wasn’t just to see you,” he says.
“Uh-huh,” I deadpan. “I don’t believe you.”
“I swear, there’s special cat litter in the car. Ryland and I did a supply run.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t just to see me?” I tease him, and his eyes fall to my lips.
“I’d buy all the cat litter in the world if it meant I could spend a moment with you,” he murmurs, and I roll my eyes.
“So, you want to come over tonight, Blair Bear?” he asks.
I’m not sure how he found out about my secret nickname, but I punch him on the arm.
“You’re just seeing the brothers tonight?” Maeve asks excitedly. She watches me finish running a flea comb through Ginger, double checking for any eggs. “No Travis?”
“Nope. He’s at Scents tonight.”
“So, what are you guys going to do?” She runs a comb through Pumpkin, who slow blinks contentedly on her lap.
“Video games,” I murmur.
“Video games?” Maeve repeats. “Really? Are you a gamer?”
“I used to be, kind of,” I sigh. “Cozy gaming was a way I relieved stress. You know, running restaurants, planting gardens, and all that. I used to do it all the time.”
“Why did you stop?”
I inspect a speck on the comb, relieved when I realize it’s a piece of cat dander. “They reminded me of my old pack,” I admit. “The memories were too painful.”
Maeve is quiet for a moment. “You never talk about them,” she says. “But if you ever want to, you can.”
I nod, staring at Ginger’s orange-striped fur. “They passed away in a car accident,” I say to the cat, refusing to look at Maeve.
“Oh my god. I figured something had happened, but no one ever said anything,” she whispers. “Oh my god, I’m so, so sorry—”
“It’s okay,” I interrupt her.
“No, it’s not! How can that be okay? That’s horrible, truly horrible.”
I chew my lip as the familiar sensation of tears prick at my eyes.
“You’re right, actually. It wasn’t okay.
I wasn’t okay.” I swivel my chair to face her and am relieved to see only kindness on my friend’s face, not pity.
“It was really hard. It’s still hard, even now.
It’s why I was so adamant about not dating again.
But then, the scent matches happened, and suddenly I’m playing video games again. ” I chuckle weakly.
“And they know?” Maeve asks.
“They do. They know everything.”
Maeve rolls her chair back and shakes her head in shock. “Wow. Oh, I kept bugging you all the time about having a pack! I’m so sorry, Blair.”
Ginger squirms in my lap, and I let her hop off me and roam around the reception area. “You were right, though. I was stopping myself from enjoying my life. I was never, ever going to date again. I didn’t expect I would find my scent matches this quick.”
“I can’t believe it’s Travis,” Maeve sighs. “It’s like something out of a fairy tale. You liked him this whole time, and then his roommates are your scent matches, too. It’s like they were waiting for you. It’s so romantic.”
I can’t believe it’s Travis, either.
I can’t comprehend how insane the set of circumstances are that led me to them.
“You’ve been a good friend, Maeve,” I say, swiveling in my chair to face her.
She’s still running the flea comb gently on Pumpkin’s belly, her lips pulled into a wistful smile.
“I should have told you everything earlier. I don’t trust easily, though.
I have a small friend circle, and it takes a while for me to let anyone in. ”
“Am I in the special circle now?” she asks as Pumpkin leaps off her lap to join Ginger. Her eyes are wide and hopeful, and it’s impossible to tell her no.
“Of course you are.”
Her grin is so wide that dimples appear. “You and Piper are my closest friends, too. I usually feel out of place with most people, but the cats and you two help.”
“You fit right in, Maeve. We need your energy and passion here. You’re super personable, too. What do you mean, out of place?”
“Eh.” Maeve shrugs and turns back to the computer on the desk, suddenly busy with whatever website she opened. “I can go into dark places sometimes. It can get hard to pull me out of them,” she says, her attention focused on the screen. “But you two don’t judge me for that. Neither do the cats.”
I frown. “You do a good job hiding it,” I say softly.
Have I been that terrible of a friend that I haven’t noticed what’s been going on with Maeve?
I’ve been so wrapped up in my own scent match drama that I haven’t been as privy to my friend’s mental well-being as I should have been.
Maeve glances back at me. “Get that concerned look off your face,” she says. “It’s always been like that. But this rescue helps me, a lot. Even Avery notices the changes.”
All this time that Maeve was trying to be so helpful, so sweet, and so talkative, she was struggling as well.
“I haven’t been a good friend,” I say. “I’m sorry I haven’t trusted you as much as I should.”
“Are you joking? You and Piper gave me a chance, and I have the best job I’ve ever had in my life.”
Maeve started off as a volunteer, but after Piper’s packmate, Poe, purchased the building and signed it over to Piper and me, we were able to offer Maeve a salary.
Poe is quietly wealthy. Piper never wants for anything anymore and she uses it to help the people she cares about.
“But, if you really feel bad about it,” Maeve continues, “you could tell me when your next Heat is.” She waggles her eyebrows, and I burst out laughing.
“That,” I tell her, “is not your business.”
My hormones have been out of whack since I kissed Travis. I can’t get his wood and smoke scent out of my mind, and every day, I’m growing more antsy.
I have a whole nest prepared in my apartment, and the cats keep depositing their cat toys in it.
I overnighted high-thread-count nesting sheets, and a backup set for when those inevitably get dirty.
My womb has started to cramp, and my scent has grown more potent and sugary.
My Heat is coming, soon.
I have maybe a week left, if I’m lucky.
Going to the packhouse tonight is like playing with fire—my body could burst into flames when I’m alone with the brothers.
“Okay, well, if you need anything, I’ve got you!” Maeve chirps. “I have a humidifier, scent-blocking gummies, extra blankets, anything! Oh, and I have some amazing bath bombs to use during your Heat! They help with cramps.”
“They make Heat bath bombs?” I ask.
“Yeah! I have a whole bunch. I can bring you some.”
Maeve looks so excited that I don’t want to deny her request.
“I don’t even know if I’m going to spend my Heat with them,” I say.
Maeve raises an eyebrow. “You’re not going to spend your Heat with your scent matches?”
My mouth opens and closes as I try to find a response.
I haven’t actually decided ]what to do.
My inner Omega wants to, desperately.
Why should I be alone in my apartment with just toys and meds to get me through it?
But the last time I spent my Heat with a pack…
Well, they’re not here anymore.
My stomach churns.
“You have time to figure it out,” Maeve adds softly. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was judging you.”
“No, it’s okay,” I say. “You’re right. I think you’ve been right this whole time, Maeve.”
Maeve has always been supportive of what’s best for me. She’s a cheerleader for both me and Piper, and she’s happy at the idea of us being happy.
“I mean, do you want to spend your Heat with them?” she asks carefully. “If you could just listen to your heart, not your head, would you spend your Heat with them?”
Alvin plops across the keyboard, and I stroke the top of his head.
“Yes,” I say softly. “I would.”
And just like that, I have my answer.