Chapter 21 - Maddox
"Jillian, we have to go now or we are going to be late." I checked my phone once more before shoving it back into my pocket. I grabbed the cooler off the ground and popped the front door open. I turned as Jillian started down the stairs. My eyes widened.
She was wearing a swimsuit with a pair of white shorts over it. She had on a knitted shawl, which didn't do anything to cover underneath. My mouth dropped.
"What?"
I moaned, walking towards her. "Maybe we have a few minutes to spare."
She crossed her arms as she stopped on the last step. "We're going to be near the lake, and we girls thought it would be fun to go in with the kids."
"Yeah, but wearing that only makes me want to get you naked and fuck you again."
Her face went red, and I knew she was thinking about the other day on the mountain. We'd fucked three times before we left. She was like a drug I couldn't get enough of.
"How about once before we leave?" I teased as I reached for her, pulling her tightly to me.
She swallowed, seeming to agree, but she shook her head, placing her hands on my chest. "Maddox, you said we were late."
"That's okay. Everyone is late."
She rolled her eyes. "You're like a horn dog."
"Only for you," I joked as I kissed her softly. She sank into it before she pulled back. "Maddox, we have to go. Come on." She pulled at my hand, and I groaned.
I grabbed the cooler while she grabbed a hat, and we were heading to the car. I put everything inside while she set up the music. She smiled at me as I started the car up, and she giggled. "Why the face?"
"Because you're like a walking sex stick."
She smirked. "Well, maybe if you're good, I'll be like that when we get back."
I smiled. "Is that a promise?"
A playful smirk pulled at her lips. "Maybe."
"You're a little vixen."
She smirked, proud of herself, and I couldn't help but laugh.
We headed to the park, which was just half a mile from our house. The guys were already unpacking food, and the gals were setting up blankets to sit on. The kids were running around, giggling as they played a game of tag.
"You made it," Henrik said, waving us over. "Did you bring the fruit?"
I nodded, setting our cooler down and unpacking everything. Once it was all unpacked, we all sat down to eat. Everyone was talking, asking questions about each other. I looked at Jillian, who was talking to Nina, who sat across from her.
I reached a hand out, placing it on her back. Jillian leaned into it, and I couldn't help but smile.
"So, have you finally gotten settled in the pack now?
" Frank asked, pausing midbite to ask her the question.
I could see from the look in his eyes that he'd been worried.
Which surprised me, you didn't often see that side of him.
Every time Nina brought up that he was a kind and caring Alpha, I couldn't help but smirk because that wasn't the type of person we often saw.
Jillian nodded. "I am. I actually applied online for a job with the city last night."
Frank looked surprised. "Really?"
I nodded. "She would be a great addition. She has years of experience and an eye for landscaping. It would go to waste if she didn't do something."
"That's great, Jillian." Nina smiled at her happily across the table. "You guys are doing well, then?"
Everyone seemed eager to hear that answer. Jillian leaned into me, nodding her head. "We're doing really well."
"How's Johnny?" Jillian asked. He was still sleeping on the blanket next to him. He was a spitting image of Frank.
"He's a baby," Nina said, giving Jillian a look. "I miss sleep. I miss not waking up and smelling like vomit and shit."
Sam laughed from her spot. "It's going to be a while before that happens." Katie nodded her head in agreement.
"I love him dearly. I don't think I've loved someone as much as I love him."
"Hey," Frank said, looking hurt. "What am I? Chopped liver?"
She scanned him before smirking. "I stand by my statement."
I chuckled as Maddy turned to Sam. "Mommy, when are we going to go swimming?"
"Once you finish eating your food," Sam said, pointing towards Maddy's plate.
"But it's so much food," Maddy said with a whine.
Sam looked at Jay, who leaned closer to Maddy. He ran a hand over her head, moving her curls around. "Half of your salad then."
Maddy smiled, taking another bite of her food. "Does Mommy have to eat her food for the baby?"
Sam's face went red, and we all stared, confused. Sam looked at Jay, who ran a hand over his face. "Well, she kind of pulled that out. Might as well tell them."
"Tell us what?" Katie asked, looking confused.
"I'm pregnant," Sam admitted with a blush.
"Shit, really?" I asked, looking between them. We knew that Jay and Sam were trying for another kid, but I didn't think they were being that serious. I thought they might want to wait until we got the darkness issue under control.
Sam nodded. "I'm a month along now. Maddy walked in on me and Jay talking about it."
"Congratulations!" Nina said, "That's great!"
I scanned the table and frowned. "Speaking of surprises, Henrik, where's Henry?"
Katie and Henrik both looked where Henry had been sitting, and then they looked underneath the table and around the picnic area. We all looked and spotted him crawling towards the lake.
"Son of a bitch," Henrik said, pulling himself up and hurrying over towards him. He was a few feet away from us, but the kid moved quickly. Henry burst into a loud giggle as Henrik pulled him up into the air.
"Where do you think you're going?" Henrik asked him in a fatherly voice.
I glanced at Jillian, who softly smiled. I rubbed a hand up her back, feeling that tug, that want.
The girls quickly broke away, taking the kids down by the water as we packed the food away. Jay paused next to me. "Have you guys talked about kids?"
The others looked at me. I nodded. "We had the conversations, but this was a while ago."
"And?" Frank asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We're taking things slow. Unlike you, horn dogs, I want her to have everything she wants first before becoming a mother."
"Ouch," Aaron said with a snort.
Jay punched him in the shoulder, and Aaron lost his balance. "What the hell," Aaron said, waving a hand. "Jesus, are you working out more of something? That hurt." Aaron rubbed his shoulder, making a face.
I couldn't help but laugh.
"So, she's happy?" Frank asked.
I looked at him and tilted my head. "I knew you were concerned, but I didn't realize you were that worried."
Frank frowned. "If you saw what I saw, Maddox, you'd understand my concern."
I frowned at his words. I knew that Jillian said her parents had died, but I didn't know the details. I suddenly wondered what had happened.
"Alright, let's go." We both looked over to see Aaron and Jay circling each other. I frowned. "Are we serious, you two?"
"He said he wanted to see if I was stronger than him, which I am," Jay said, a smirk pulling at his lips.
"No, you're not stronger than me," Aaron said, ducking lower.
"Get him, Dad!" Maddy cheered as she ran over to us.
"Hey, what about Uncle Aaron? I bought you a doll set for your birthday."
Maddy giggled as she watched them. Frank swung down, pulling her up out of the way. My eyes snapped back to the water where Jillian stood. She was holding onto Henry's left hand while Katie held onto his right hand. I watched her smile happily as she said something.
My heart clenched, not realizing how badly I wanted that. I told myself that I was better off not aching for a family. It was hard enough to find someone to connect to, but even harder to find someone who would understand everything. Understand my fear and the stress of it all.
But when it came to Jillian. It all changed.
An hour later, we were walking back. We waved goodbye to everyone and headed up the road. Jillian was set from the water and hadn't thought to bring a towel to dry off. We decided a walk was perfect, and the weather was nice enough.
"That was fun," Jillian said, a smile still plastered on her face.
I nodded, pulling on her hand, hoisting her closer to me. She placed her hand on my shirt, her fingers leaving fingerprints.
"How old were you when your parents died?"
The question shocked her, and she blinked, seeming unsure of why I would ask. "I was nine. Marsha was seventeen."
I frowned. "You said before that she raised you."
She nodded her head. "She did. She dropped out of school and began working full-time. We lost our family house, and there were times we almost lost the apartment we rented."
I tried to think of connections when it clicked. "Wait, how did Frank know about this?"
"Marsha went to the Alpha a lot…she had no idea what she was doing. At least that's what she'd always said to me. Frank's dad was Alpha, so Frank was often asked to stop by and check on us."
My eyebrows went up. "Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah, he dropped off groceries and asked Marsha if there was anything she needed. I was scared of Frank for a long time until I was a little older and figured out he'd been helping."
That explained why he looked at her like a little sister.
"How about you? You said your folks died when you were young."
I shook my head. "My mom died when I was younger. She had difficulty after the birth and never really recovered. She died when I was three from a weak immune system. My dad died when I was twenty. He was a heavy drinker. He never got over my mom. His liver failed."
I watched her frown. "Didn't…. didn't you say the previous Alpha neglected the town?"
I nodded. "My father wasn't a great Alpha near the end. The town really needed him, and he just wasn't there. After my mom's death, he kind of… spiraled out. I took over the role at a young age."
"How young?"
I sighed, trying to think back to it. I joined meetings as soon as I was eight and able to understand. "I ran the meeting by age fifteen."
She looked stunned. "Holy shit. That's…young."
I nodded. "My father was absent. I know he loved the pack, but…he loved my mother more."
She offered me a sympathetic smile. "So, you're cleaning up your father's mess?"
I nodded. "In a way. My father didn't exactly have a guiding hand with his role. The previous Alpha never had an heir to take the role, and when my father started his training, he wasn't taught how to do everything right."
She nodded her head. "That seems like a lot. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that."
I pulled her closer. "We both had to go through hard times."
She leaned against me as we walked, both of us falling into silence. There was nothing but the sound of our footsteps on the pavement. It was nice. I leaned into her and soaked up the moment.