Chapter 6
E very part of me wanted to run up those stairs, throw Taryn over my shoulder and bring her back to the table to eat.
Rejection wasn't something I handled well.
Ash gave me the ‘you better not’ look and I knew that he was right. Rash was not what we needed right now. If we were going to get our mate to talk to us, my temper had to chill.
"Why is she making this so difficult?" I muttered as I set the table with a sigh. My alpha was riding my instincts hard and it was exhausting. I was in way over my head.
"Well, we can be assholes," Ash countered. “Even more-so back then. She has every right to be hurt and from the sounds of it, our friend group tortured her through college. I can’t even blame her for being so angry. She’s not being difficult.”
I let out a resigned sigh. “I know that.”
“No buts, you know that and there’s nothing else to it. We just keep trying,” he said. At least one of her alphas wasn’t a hot-head.
"True, but we did something nice and she didn't even give us a chance," I reminded him. Fuck, I sounded like a jerk just saying that out loud. We weren’t entitled to her acceptance, but I never expected finding our mate to go like this and it was wrecking me from the inside, out.
"We were never on the receiving end of all that drama in college. So, we don't really know how much she was hurt and tortured. Those bitches in school were downright vicious," Ash said with a sigh. “We just didn’t pay attention because we were safe. We were entitled dicks and now we have to make up for it.”
"I'm going to take her a plate and see if I can get her to change her mind about coming down," Mathias piped in.
"We all heard that her stomach was rumbling, she does need to eat," I told him, my alpha calming a bit now that I knew she’d get food.
Ash and I took a seat at the table, there was no use in letting all this food go to waste. Even if we ate, there would be plenty of leftovers.
"I think we overdid it on the food," Ash told me, eyeing the spread.
"Maybe, but we’ll have lunch for the next few days," I said before taking a drink from my water bottle. “We might need it on hand.”
"That reminds me, we need to check the weather. I overheard a few people talking in the store. More rain and storms were headed this way again. If Taryn doesn't want us here, we need to find a way to get home," Ash said as he loaded up his plate. The reluctance on his face matched mine.
"I sent the pictures of the SUV to insurance, but with all that rain there is no way for the adjuster to come and take a look. That and the giant tree on the roof may be a hindrance.”
"I think the three of us could lift it off," Ash said, flexing his muscles with a smirk.
"Yeah, but am I supposed to drive it back to the shop with my head out the window so I can see where I'm going?" I countered.
He barked out a laugh. "I mean, that could work. At least you'd have your head. If we stay here, Taryn may rip it off.”
“Valid point,” I grunted out, hating it as much as I knew it was the truth.
Ash shrugged and took a bite. “You are a wizard in the kitchen, bro. This might just earn you some points."
I gave him a satisfied smile at the thought. "Don't I know it."
"And a smug asshole. That humble outlook will surely help our cause," he teased as Mathias reappeared with a long face.
My stomach sank. Taryn must have shot him down. He was the kindest of the three of us and it broke my cold heart a little to see him like that.
Ash and I didn't handle the rejection well, but we'd find a way to manage. I didn't know if Mathias would.
He sat down without a word and took a bite, "Dude, your cooking never ceases to amaze me."
"We all have our strengths, cooking is just in my wheelhouse," I reassured him. Hopefully, his would be helping convince our omega to talk to us.
"Mathias and I would starve without you," Ash added, trying to keep the conversation light.
"He's not wrong. I burn water when I try to cook," Mathias said as he laughed at his own expense.
I was glad that he was perking up some. Good food really was good for the soul, it wasn't a load of crap like I once thought.
"So, what are we going to do about our mate?" I questioned them. This wasn’t something I could avoid or just let go.
"I don’t really see us getting naked and knocking on her door to have our way with her working. Even though that would be fun," Ash said, tapping his finger on his chin as if he was thinking about it. Smartass.
"Movie night?" Mathias mused. "It's starting to rain again. What’s better than cuddled up on the couch with popcorn and a movie?"
"One, I don't think we bought popcorn, and two, I'm not into chick flicks. What would we watch?" I countered.
"Killjoy," Mathias muttered. "It doesn't have to be a romance, action or fantasy would work, too."
"We don't know anything about Taryn. That profile online was made up. Her shock and surprise when we arrived proved that. Plus, she won’t give us the time of day to figure it out, so we are at square one with her," Ash reminded us.
"How do we get to know her and what she likes?" Mathias asked before he took a sip of his water.
We were all quiet until Ash smacked his hand on the table, grinning like a madman.
"Truth or dare, like we did in college," Ash said with a wicked grin. He jumped up and started ransacking the kitchen looking for something.
"Do you really think she would come down and play?" I asked, not hopeful that she would. She barely accepted the food.
"It's all in how you present it," he answered as he held up a pen and paper.
He returned to the table and scribbled some words on the paper before he ran up the stairs to deliver the note. I held my breath until he reappeared.
"You think she'll bite?" Mathias asked.
"I do," Ash said as he started eating again, devouring everything on his plate now. “Oh, and I promised cookies.”
Which meant it was my job to deliver on that promise. At least it’d be something to pass the time.
Especially since I wasn't hungry. This whole predicament had my stomach in knots and my SUV was under a tree. I needed to go for a jog. That always helped me get my mind off everything. The damn rain dampened that for me today, though.
"If she doesn't come down, I think tomorrow I'm going to town to see if anyone needs help with homes or yards. I need to do something with my hands. All this sitting around has me antsy," I told them.
"That's a good idea, even if she does come down. I saw a little mom and pop hardware store. We can stop in and see if they have chainsaws and axes. There were a lot of downed trees that we can help with," Ash said.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure there is something I can help with, too," Mathias added.
He wasn't as physical as Ash and I but we never teased him about that. We were a great trio because we all played our part.
"Yeah, there will be enough to do for all of us," I tried to reassure him as I moved back to the kitchen, gathering ingredients and preheating the oven.
We chatted about lighter topics as I got to work on the first batch of cookies. Not long after the scent of gooey chocolate-chip cookies filled the air, we all heard the sound of socked feet on the stairs.
Taryn was headed to see us, or at least my heart hoped she was.