Chapter 6 #4
Wasn’t it? Thom had no other explanation.
He pushed his fists into his sternum and looked down to see Felony eyeing him.
Yep, his dog had picked up on his tension, on his sharp, controlled irritation.
Thom absently patted his haunch in reassurance and was rewarded with a low warning growl.
It was, he knew, Fel’s way of telling him to keep the touchy-feely crap to a minimum.
Truth: he didn’t want Poppy to go to a singles evening, with or without him there.
Not because he was marking his territory, or because he was being a macho dick.
No, this came from a desire to protect her from anything that might hurt her, like being nudged before she was ready.
She shouldn’t be forced into any situation where she’d feel uncomfortable. Why couldn’t Luna see that?
And then, because it was always there, on his mind, was the kiss they’d shared. It had been ground-shifting, world-tilting, and the idea of her, them, going to a singles social felt like they were ignoring their electricity, dismissing it as being unimportant.
It had been fucking important. How, he didn’t know, just that it was.
And if she was ready to date, then he wanted to be the first one, the only one, in the line. Not that he thought they could last long-term—he was too fucked up for forever—but because he thought he might die if he didn’t have her under him, over him, up against a wall.
Dramatic much, Sheffield? Sure, but the truth could, occasionally, be theatrical.
Anyway, this … thing between them was—had to be!—simple biology; chemistry, sexual attraction. There couldn’t be anything more between them. He wouldn’t risk being blindsided again…
Not even for her.
“I’m with Wren,” Hayes told Luna, heart-attack serious. “We’re used to you meddling, and we tolerate it—up to a point. But you’re crossing a line with Poppy.”
When Luna’s gaze swung to him, silently demanding his take, Thom nodded. “I agree with Hayes and Wren.” Again, the idea of her with another man made him want to punch something … anything. A wall. A tree. Himself. “She needs time to process her breakup before she puts herself out there again.”
Hell, it had been two years since Benji’s betrayal of him, and it was only recently that Thom had stopped feeling like he was balancing on an upturned bucket on rolling, vicious waves. He wasn’t ready for another relationship. Might never be. But at least he wasn’t seasick anymore.
Luna shook her head and sighed deeply. “Can you three look beyond the obvious and actually think?”
That didn’t bode well.
“For Poppy, this event isn’t about meeting men.”
Thom frowned, relieved to see that Wren and Hayes looked as confused. “Then why do you want her to go?” Wren demanded.
“For Poppy,” Luna said calmly, “it would be a rite of passage.”
Still not helping.
“You’re going to have to give us more than that,” Thom said. A lot more.
“If she waits to feel ready—to date, to live, to experience—she’ll fossilize while she’s waiting.
” Impatience flashed in Luna’s eyes. “I’ve watched Poppy her whole life.
I know how much she wants to be accepted.
How easily she twists herself into whatever shape she thinks other people want her to be.
“She needs to understand she doesn’t have to become what people expect,” Luna continued. “She needs to show up as she is—that people will be drawn to her despite her pain, and the mess, and the chaos.”
Thom shifted on the step, unease creeping in. Her words cut closer than he liked. He shook it off. This was not about him. Luna was talking about Poppy.
“Hiding is the easiest option for her right now,” Luna said. “But easy doesn’t mean it’s good for her, and I won’t let her non-wedding steal her appetite for connection.”
Luna reached out and stroked Hadley’s hair, twisting a strand around her finger as her expression softened.
“No one is ever ready for the moments that change them. Waiting to feel whole before rejoining the world is a trap.” Her gaze locked onto Thom’s, and something in his chest tightened.
He was wrong, this wasn’t just about Poppy.
“Healing happens when you move forward,” Luna said quietly. “When you feel broken. When you risk showing up anyway. You don’t need a desired outcome—you just need to be present.”
Thom looked away, crossing and uncrossing his ankles. He wanted to leave, but pride kept his ass on the step.
“You can’t let someone else’s betrayal decide your future.” Luna stood, brisk and decisive, and handed each of them a ticket. “Attendance is mandatory.”
“Luna,” Hayes snapped, “what part of ‘we’re not doing this’ do you not understand?”
But Luna was already jogging down the steps.
She swung onto her bike, fired the engine, and grinned back at them.
“You have a couple of days to wrap your head around it, because it’s happening Friday night,’ she shouted over the sound of the bike’s growly engine. ‘After the Lantern Dedication Walk.”
With that order, she was gone.
Thom stared at the ticket in his hand and flicked it with his thumb. “We’re not going,” he said.
“Of course we aren’t,” Hayes replied—but without conviction. “She can’t make us, we’re adults.”
Hadley snorted. “Pfft, you all know you’re gonna go. None of you is brave enough to defy Luna.”
Thom had the sinking feeling she was right.