Chapter 31
“ I t’s going to be fine,” Luke promised. “Nathan would never hurt her.”
“Alpha hindbrain doesn’t give a shit about that. A stranger rocked up to our house and drove away with our mate.” I paced back and forth in the foyer, half-surprised I didn’t wear a path in the tile. None of us had known he was coming and none of us knew why he had taken Ava away without a word to the rest of us.
What if she needed us? It didn’t feel like distress coming through the bond, but her feelings were definitely intense. What if something happened? I needed to know that she was safe . I wouldn’t survive losing her, not between the bond and how quickly she had wormed her way under my skin. Ava belonged with us and I needed her home.
“I’ve known Nathan my whole life. He’s not a stranger; he’s Ava’s brother.”
“Why couldn’t he talk to her in here?”
“I don’t pretend to understand what goes on in Nathan’s head,” Luke replied.
“How long do we have to wait before I can phone her?”
“Phone her right now if you want.”
Bryce and Micah were watching me pace, both of them somehow calmer than I was in this situation.
I dialed Ava, relieved when she answered. “Hey, we’re on our way back. What’s up?”
“I just needed to hear your voice.”
“That’s unfairly cute. I’ll be home in about five minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon. I love you.” I froze as I realized what I’d just said, and the silence from Ava’s side was painfully loud.
“That’s the first time you’ve said that.”
“Uh, yep. Yep it is…” My heart pounded like a drum, my palms getting sweaty.
“I love you, too.”
My shoulders sagged with relief, my stomach full of butterflies. “I’m going to kiss you in front of your brother.”
Ava laughed. “I’ll warn him to avert his eyes.”
After the call ended, I turned to find the others watching me with amused expressions.
“Dropping the L bomb on our girl already?” Micah asked.
“It slipped out.” My cheeks were uncomfortably hot, my blush probably visible from outer space.
“As long as you meant it,” said Bryce. “That’s the important part.”
“Definitely meant it. Just wasn’t expecting to say it quite this soon.”
“I can’t even tease you about it because I’ve already said it to her,” said Luke.
“When the hell was this?” Micah asked.
Luke shrugged. “A while ago.”
The second I heard the vehicle hit our driveway, I flung the door open and ran outside in just my socks. Her brother turned away as I swept open her door and bent down so I could get her mouth on mine. Praline sweetness rocked me down to my toes. I drank down the taste of her lips until her brother loudly cleared his throat.
I pulled back, helping her out of her seatbelt and to her feet. She melted right into my arms and I anchored myself with the warmth of her body against mine.
“I get it,” Nathan drawled, “you like her. Can we go inside now?”
Ava stuck her tongue out at him.
“You can go inside after a more friendly introduction than you gave us before,” I stated. “You’re welcome as family, but you have to respect everyone in this household.”
Nathan examined me carefully before extending his hand with a nod. “Nathan.”
I put my hand in his to shake it. “Jesse. Can we get you something to drink?”
“Nah. I’m planning on kidnapping Luke after I say hi to the others.”
I frowned, but if Luke wanted to go with him, that was certainly his choice. Nathan took a moment to greet Bryce and Micah before tilting his head toward the car.
“Where are we going?” Luke asked.
“It’s your city. You tell me where we should go.”
“I’ll pick on the way.” He slid into the passenger seat and Nathan joined him.
“Bring each other back in one piece,” Ava yelled as they rolled back out.
When it was just the four of us standing there, Ava looked up at me. “You made me feel really special today. Thank you.”
“Because of my poorly timed I love you?”
“It was perfectly timed,” she defended. “And I have no brother to eyeball his displeasure now if you wanted to kiss me again.”
“Let me at least take you inside. Our neighbors don’t need a show.” I scooped her up bridal style and marched her back inside, Micah closing the door behind all of us.
I deposited both of us on the couch in the living room with her on my lap and went right back to sampling her perfect mouth. Ava’s fingers curled into my shirt, a soft moan muffled against my lips.
“You really love me?” she asked between quick, delectable kisses.
“How could I not? You’re sweet, fierce, open.” I punctuated each word with my own kisses. “Brave as hell taking a chance on all of us after everything you’ve been through.”
“I’m really trying.” She got quiet, a burnt edge tainting her scent.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel like I should tell everyone when Luke is back. It’s kind of big.”
“We can wait, if you’d like,” I offered even though I was dying to know.
“I should probably tell Nathan too.” She sighed. “Everything is really fucked up and I don’t know how to fix it.”
I squinted. “Are these new fucked-up things?”
“Unfortunately. I mean, related to the old things, but different.” Her forehead scrunched up. “I don’t know if I have the energy to tell it twice.”
“Is this a speakerphone conversation or an in-person one?” I asked.
“Probably in person, though given how those two tend to react to things, speakerphone is likely better for all of us.”
Thank god.
“Can one of you call them for me?” she asked.
“On it.” Micah pulled out his phone and dialed Luke.
“I’ve been gone for five minutes,” came Luke’s response.
“Ava has news everyone needs to hear. If you and Nathan had stuck around for those five minutes, I wouldn’t have to call you.”
“What’s going on?” Luke asked.
“We don’t know that yet,” said Micah. “I was just in charge of getting you and Nathan on the phone.”
Everyone turned to Ava. She shrank against me and I wrapped her tighter in my arms.
“Charlotte’s been messaging me about adopting the baby.”
“Oh hell no,” Luke snapped. “She can back the fuck up right now.”
“She still doesn’t know who I am,” Ava explained. “Andrew told her some bullshit about me adopting to them through an agency. He’s refusing to tell her the truth so the only way she’s finding out is if I tell her. I don’t want to tell her.”
“Why not, sweetness?”
“Because it fucking sucks to find that out. She’s in way deeper than I was and she’s not going to have a pack to help her out of this. She has two little kids to worry about.”
“Want me to drive to New York and run him over?” Nathan offered.
“In what universe would that help anything?”
“I never said it would help,” he replied. “Would be damn satisfying, though.”
“I would help,” said Bryce. “The bar for him is on the fucking ground. How does he keep digging deeper?”
“I don’t know . What should I do? I know Charlotte deserves to know, and obviously she would find out when I don’t give her a baby, but I hate having to be that messenger. She was so excited.”
“I don’t think there’s any way around it, angel.” Micah sighed, scratching his chin.
I was of the same mind. There was no real way to spare Charlotte. She was married to an abuser, had children with him, and sooner or later that world was going to come crashing down on her. If I could find a way to soften the blow…
“No matter what way you look at it, Aves, you’re going to have to break her heart. She’s not getting that baby.”
Ava trembled, swallowing hard, burnt sugar filling my nose. “You really don’t want me to take that route?”
Micah and Bryce looked as if her question punched them both in the face, and I was feeling similarly slugged, my chest tight at her words.
“You think we would want you to give up our child?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “Is that something you thought of or something he fed you?”
“Both,” she quietly confessed.
I clutched her to my chest and pressed a kiss to her hair. I knew why she might worry about it, even with the bond, but god, it fucking stung to have it expressed. Swallowing that hurt, I focused on my mate. As difficult it was for me to hear her have those concerns, I knew it was a million times harder for her to experience it.
“I don’t ever want you to worry about that. Any child of yours is a child of mine. I don’t give a fuck who the father is. If you love them, I love them.”
“Ava,” said Nathan, “should I bring your alpha back?”
“No.” Her voice cracked. “I’m okay. Catch up. I’ll still be sad about it later.”
“We’ve got her,” I told them. “Finish your visit and we’ll work on a plan.”
Bryce got on his knees in front of Ava, taking her hand in his. “This baby is pack. I swear I’ll raise it with love.”
“I never intended to do otherwise,” Micah added. “Andrew can go fuck himself. He’s not getting our baby.”
However this panned out, that was the one certainty. “Ava, you’re ours, the baby is ours, and I’ll kill Andrew myself before I let him take either of you.”