Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Jonas accepted a beer from Adam with a nod of thanks.
“Your in-laws are dicks,” Adam told him, continuing a conversation from earlier.
“Yeah. How they raised that sweet woman, I don’t know. And she swears her brother’s a good guy.”
He and Cindy had seen her parents off early the morning after their ambush, then Cindy had called Myra.
Myra and Adam had arrived quickly, and they’d all tried to deconstruct what had happened.
Jonas thought it was pretty simple. Brenda had screwed her parents over and they were too stupid to have realized it.
Adam’s question of why Brenda would want to join their pack still bothered him, but she wasn’t, so he figured it didn’t much matter anymore.
Cindy considered the issue dealt with, and she and Myra had called the ladies of the pack and suggested a girls-only run.
They’d picked a day and time when everyone was available, ditched the guys, gone out to a nice lunch, and then were driving to a new place, so they could explore.
She’d texted just before he’d headed to Adam’s, to let him know that the exploring part was about to begin and she was turning off her phone.
Jonas was kind of bummed he hadn’t been invited.
But there was football, and Bill was coming over to join them for the game, so that didn’t suck.
Cindy had offered to make them some food, but he’d told her to plan a fun girls’ day and not worry, they could fend for themselves.
He grabbed some frozen pizzas, Adam got the beer, and Bill said he’d bring chips and guacamole. They were set.
“Maybe her brother’s a good guy. I trust Cindy’s opinion on a lot of things, but her family might be the exception. She certainly never let on how bad her parents were.”
“True. I suggested we go up there for a visit soon, and she said as soon as we get the land purchase decided, one way or the other.
“That’s good. I know you put your offer in—and we’re meeting with your agent tomorrow, by the way, see how we get on with her. Have you heard anything?”
“Yeah, the agent talked to their agent, there was a little back and forth, and we should hear something definitive by Tuesday.”
“Nice. I really like that spot, and it’s super convenient to the pack house.”
“I thought you might,” Jonas said, raising his beer to him.
“But, tell me the truth. Do you ever miss the hermit life? Cabin deep in the woods, right? I mean, if Myra wasn’t a question, if she’d be perfectly happy in that cabin, would you want to be back there, away from the endless drama that comes from a pack?
We hardly have any members yet, so you’re just getting a tiny sneak peek. ”
“Trying to scare me off?”
Jonas laughed. “As if you weren’t already perfectly aware of what’s in store for you. You don’t need me to point it out.”
“No, I wouldn’t go back. What you’re really asking is how a guy goes from being a hermit, to having the weight and responsibility of being an alpha.”
Jonas nodded. “It’s a change.”
“You’re not wrong. But it’s what I needed. What I’m meant to be doing. Denying myself that wasn’t helping me any. I was trying to heal, and for a while it’s what I needed, but then it just became habit. Almost a crutch.”
“Well, in case you haven’t figured it out, I’m glad…hell, we’re all glad that you did come out of the woods and take on the responsibility.”
“Aww, shucks,” Adam said with a laugh. “But thanks. It’s good to hear it.
In some ways, it would have been easier to join an established pack.
There’s a lot of pressure to pick a cohesive group here.
I was worried about Olivia and Tasha. Doing right by them.
Doing right by the rest of the pack in inviting them.
It’s worked out better than I thought, faster than I’d thought it would. ”
“Before they moved in, I was a little hesitant. That first day, still a bit. But Olivia relaxed and warmed up pretty quickly. And now I already can’t imagine them not being a part of us.
” He paused, not sure if it was smart to bring up, but…
“I was also worried you might have some animosity for Olivia, since she was with the Mesa pack and didn’t do anything to stop the assholes in Phoenix. ”
Adam nodded. “It was a concern. I was pissed at the whole pack. But when I met her, I just couldn’t hold on to it.
She makes my wolf protective. I think it was brave of her to ask to come out here, knowing I would be alpha.
She assumed we would say no, but she risked being rejected. Did you ask her why?”
“No, I didn’t know if it would make her more uncomfortable to ask about the past.”
Adam nodded. “Tasha’s grandmother, her father’s mother, lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. And she’s not a werewolf, doesn’t know her son became one. Olivia couldn’t tell her why they had to move to Chicago. Or why she was able to move south again, but not closer.”
Jonas pulled in a deep breath, thinking about Cindy and her layers, nodded his head. “I think we should plan a road trip when school’s out.”
“I think that would be good,” Adam said. “She did try to apologize the other day. I could tell she was scared to bring it up. I didn’t let her get very far. I think she’s good now.”
Bill arrived, and had chocolate chip cookies from Thomas, in addition to the chips and dip, so they were more than set. Neither of the teams playing was any of theirs, so they got to trash talk without any fear of overstepping.
His phone buzzed and he checked the text. “My dad says he’s tired of reading recipes, he’s coming over. Do we need him to bring anything?”
“Not for now, but maybe he should grab something for dinner. When the ladies get back, they’ll be hungry after their run,” Adam said.
“Good idea. I’ll work that out with him. You guys want to text Thomas and Joe, see if they want to join in?”
They made their plans and returned to yelling at the screen, even though none of them cared about the outcome too much.
His dad arrived in the third quarter with dinner supplies. “Anyone heard from the ladies? Candace isn’t much for texting.”
“Nope, not yet. Feels like they’re having fun out there, though,” Adam said.
And he was right. Jonas was getting brief flashes of joy and excitement that made him smile. He was also starting to feel a soft tiredness, so he figured they were winding down their run.
By the time the game ended, Thomas had arrived with wine. Jonas and his dad headed to the kitchen to make the spaghetti while Adam showed Joe, Bill and Thomas the progress they’d made on the guest rooms.
While he chopped the garlic and his dad chopped onion, Jonas filled him in on what had happened with Cindy’s parents.
“You bring her over for dinner this week,” his dad said forcefully.
Jonas glanced over at him. His expression was fierce and angry.
“You bring her over so she’s one hundred percent clear she has parents who love her exactly as she is, even if they’re not blood.”
“All right, Dad. I will,” he said quietly.
His dad nodded and dumped the onions in the skillet, then went rummaging through the spice cabinet to see what was there. He searched out the stockpot and soon they had the meal underway.
The ladies arrived happy and hungry and they all gathered around the large dining room table. It was a lively meal, with Tasha excitedly telling them about the canyon they’d explored, the critters they’d chased and the small but lovely stream they’d rested by.
After dinner and cleanup, they dispersed.
His mom joined Olivia, Joe and Bill at the dining room table with Joe’s laptop to look at different ideas for decorating the guest rooms with more than the basic beds and sheets Myra and Adam had managed so far.
Since it looked like Joe would be running the house eventually, the alpha pair had gleefully handed over the decorating decisions.
Tasha brought out some homework and Jonas’ dad nosed his way into seeing what “they were teaching the kids these days,” but Tasha seemed to be enjoying explaining her assignment to him.
Myra curled up on the couch next to Adam, and Thomas took the other end.
Jen and Jonas took the club chairs, kicking their feet up on the coffee table, with Cindy joining him on his lap.
Jen was telling them about the restaurant the ladies had eaten at when Myra’s phone rang.
She frowned and showed Adam the screen before answering the call.
After only a few seconds, she motioned to Adam and they walked out of the room. Jonas supposed they were going to the library. He raised one eyebrow at Jen, but she just shrugged.
“Jen, how’s the job going,” Cindy asked.
“Really well. It’s such a completely different type of job than it would be in Los Angeles.
The nice thing is it gives me time to work with Myra and Adam on how we want security set up here.
I went out to the land you guys are taking a look at, and would love to offer some security suggestions if you end up buying it. How’s that going, by the way?”
“We should hear something tomorrow or Tuesday,” Cindy said.
“And Adam told me he and Myra are giving serious thought to the other parcel. They’re going to meet with our realtor.
Thomas, we’re going to have a lot of questions for you, and work, if you want it.
I know you were taking time to settle in and get your own place organized, so just tell us what our boundaries are, and we’re happy to work with that. ”
“I can’t resist a good project, so you’ll probably have to beat me off with a stick. Did you look at those architectural plan websites I sent you?”
“Yep, and we’ve narrowed it down to a bunch of styles we like. We definitely have more research to do, though,” Cindy told him. “And our realtor is getting information about gas lines, electrical and sewer lines, that kind of thing. I have lists.”
“All the fun stuff,” Thomas laughed. “And of course you do.”