Chapter 3
“Boone Harding is back in town,” Milo said, smiling slyly and nudging Demarien’s side. “How lovely.”
“Shut it.” Demarien’s cheeks heated, and he avoided looking at his friends as they walked toward Sammie’s Seafood.
It was strange to be back in their hometown.
After over ten years, there were some differences, but not nearly as many as Demarien expected.
The bay was still all crashing grey-blue waves.
Sandy dunes still dominated the beach near the docks while rocky drop-offs lined the rest of the nearby coast. The green, spruce, and fir-covered hills around the town still looked haunted, covered in fog.
Boone Harding still looks delicious, he thought, smiling.
There had been a few fine lines around his eyes and faint scars dotting the left side of his face, but that made him look more rugged than ever.
Plus, Boone was even broader about the shoulders than he had been in high school, and a nice pair of shoulders had always been Demarien’s weakness.
“This feels right, doesn’t it?” he asked, one hand patting his abdomen. “It feels like home.”
“There are a few differences,” Puck said, scowling at the new hotel near the docks.
“I know, right?” Milo settled an arm around Demarien’s shoulders. “Demarien already has a date with Boone, which is a lot different than Demarien pining after Boone from a distance.”
“A date?” Felix’s eyes brightened.
Milo grinned. “He’s going to teach Demarien self-defense.”
Puck snorted. “Oh, really? A shame Dahlia wasted all that money making us take self-defense lessons when we left for college.”
Felix snuck Demarien a smile. “It’s a perfect way for you to break the ice with golden boy.”
Demarien smiled softly. “He looked good, didn’t he?”
Felix nodded. “As handsome as always.”
“The scars surprised me,” Milo admitted, wincing. “Your golden boy was always the most handsome alpha in town. It’s strange to see flaws.”
Demarien narrowed his eyes and glared at Milo. “He’s not flawed at all. Those scars are part of him, and he’s perfect, which means they’re perfect. That’s all there is to it. His looks aren’t even the best thing about him anyway.”
Demarien made a face as he remembered hiding in the school bathroom to avoid Doug Marsh’s mocking insults. Doug Marsh - AKA The Asshole. Freshman year had been horrible until Boone had come along to be his protector.
Milo leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You love the golden boy.”
Demarien shoved Milo away and pulled Felix into his side when a large, unfamiliar alpha passed them, making his friend nervous.
“Boone walked me to every class that year so that The Asshole wouldn’t bother me,” Demarien said. “He even kicked Marsh’s butt when he cornered me at that last football game. Boone Harding is much more than just a pretty face.”
Milo kissed his cheek again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply your alpha was anything less than perfect.”
“He’s not my alpha,” Demarien grumbled.
Fortunately, they reached the restaurant before any of his jerky friends could tease him again. A familiar figure leaned against the wall next to the door, arms crossed.
“Sorry, we’re late, Dad.” Demarien hurried forward and hugged the older alpha. His dad’s familiar scent surrounded him, and Demarien snuggled his face against Joe Watts’s chest. “I know you’re busy, so we’ll make it quick.”
“Forget quick.” Joe’s strong arms tightened around him. “I’ve missed you, son. Seeing you twice a year isn’t enough. I can’t believe you’re finally home.” He looked over Demarien’s shoulder. “You’re all home.”
“Hey, Mr. Watts.” Milo smiled widely and opened the door. “Thanks for meeting us for lunch. I’ve missed Sammie’s since we moved to Portland.”
Puck groaned as he sniffed the air. “No one makes maple salmon like Sammie.”
Milo headed toward their favorite booth in the far corner next to the windows overlooking the bay. “I’m so hungry. We’re all getting salmon, right? It’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, which will help our babies’ developing brains and nervous systems.”
“You even sound like someone who runs,” Puck said, giving Milo a disgusted look. “Keep your healthy living away from us.”
Felix snickered and slid into the booth, cozening up to the window and watching the fishing boats in the bay. “What are you going to do when you can’t go running anymore, Milo?”
“You could take up knitting,” Puck said, smirking.
Demarien ignored his friends and took the spot across from Felix. Sammie’s had been their favorite hangout when they were kids. Felix liked watching the storms roll in the bay, Demarien loved the food, Milo loved the prices, and Puck loved Sammie.
“Well, look who’s back.” Sammie came to stand next to their table, her hands on her narrow hips. The older woman’s hair was still bright red and currently styled in a neat bun atop her head.
“Sammie, my love,” Puck held his arms up. “Hold me.”
Sammie chuckled and leaned down to hug Puck. “Joe has been telling everyone who will listen about you boys coming home.” Her eyes narrowed, and she gently smacked Puck’s shoulder. “What the hell took you so long?”
Puck gasped, clutching his heart dramatically. “You’ve been pining for me, haven’t you?”
Sammie rolled her eyes. “I’ve survived.”
Puck gave her a pitiful look. “I guess you don’t love me anymore. We’ll have to start going to Wilma-Jean’s.”
Sammie growled. “Don’t you dare go to that silly little chatterbox’s two-bit diner. You’d die of food poisoning, then I’d feel guilty.”
Demarien hid his smile. Sammie and Wilma-Jean were sisters and extremely competitive. His dad had told him the two women had always been close, even back when they were kids. Wilma-Jean had been a protective big sister, doting on Sammie.
Now, they were business competitors, and the town benefited from their very tasty attempts to outdo one another.
“Dad said you bought Wilma-Jean diamond earrings for her birthday,” Felix said, smiling shyly. “Admit it, Sammie. You love her.”
Sammie sniffed. “Of course I love her. I don’t want you dying because of her pitiful cooking.”
They chatted for a moment, then Sammie took their order and headed back to the kitchen.
Demarien settled his head on Joe’s shoulder. “How’s the store doing?”
Joe kissed his forehead and wrapped an arm around him.
“It’s going well. We still sell the best-quality meat and produce in town, and the Farmer’s Market sets up in our parking lot on Sundays.
That always brings people in. Oh, I’ve also been expanding the vegan options, too, since we’re getting more tourists from Portland. ”
“That new Safeway can suck it,” Demarien said, laughing at the pride in his dad’s voice.
“Exactly.” Joe smiled. “I just made Rochelle a manager.”
Demarien’s eyes widened. “Rochelle? You really trust her with that responsibility?”
“Was she really that bad when she was younger?” Milo asked, arching a brow. “She always seemed nice to me.”
“That’s because she saved all her annoyance for me.” Demarien made a face. “Dad, I’m glad you and Mom never gave me a little sister.”
“Your cousin isn’t a little kid anymore.” Joe gave him a pointed look. “She’s doing a great job, and it’ll give me more time to spend with you and my grandbaby.”
Demarien sat up and stared at his dad. “Seriously?”
Joe cupped his face in his hands and kissed Demarien’s forehead. “I missed a lot while you were growing up. Dahlia stepped in and helped, but it was my responsibility.”
“You had to work,” Demarien said, shaking his head as his heart beat fast in his chest. He had never held those lost moments against his dad, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t wanted Joe to spend more time with him.
“I needed to provide for us.” Joe nodded and patted Demarien’s cheek before picking up his menu. “Now, I have several well-trained employees and Rochelle to run the store. I’m gonna be here for you, son.” He looked at Demarien’s friends. “I’ll be here for all of you. I owe it to Dahlia.”
Puck blinked a few times, then a tear trickled down his cheek. “I love you guys so much.” His lip trembled. “What the fuck is wrong with me? My heart literally hurts with love.”
Joe started laughing. “It’s called mood swings, Puck. My Maylee had them when she was pregnant with Demarien. They lasted the whole dang pregnancy.”
Puck groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Feelings are stupid.”
Demarien laughed with the others when Puck leaned into Milo and buried his face against his neck.
He smiled widely. “This day just gets better and better. My first day in town, and I get a date with Boone Harding, and Dad tells me he’s going to spend a lot of time with us.
I bet Dahlia’s caretaker replaced the exercise room with a giant chocolate fountain. That would top this day off perfectly.”
Joe snorted. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up that Bernard did any more than he absolutely had to while he was there.”
Milo patted Puck’s back and looked at Joe. “What do you mean?”
“Well, he cut off all access to Dahlia’s property when your aunt moved to Portland to be closer to you boys,” Joe said.
“We’ve tried to check up on things, but he made it impossible.
I could only see a bit of the main house from the bay, but it doesn’t look good.
The beach house close to the cove is looking rough, too, but everything’s so overgrown, it’s hard to tell. ”
Demarien frowned. “That’s the house I wanted.”
Puck sat up straight, eyes still red from crying, as he rubbed his hands together in glee. “I’ll take care of the overgrowth. By the time I’m done, the property will look as nice as it did when we graduated high school.”
Felix bit his lip. “I can handle repairs on the house. We’ll be okay.”
Milo nodded. “We’re in this together. Aunt Dahlia sent Bernard a lot of money over the years for upkeep, so it can’t be that bad.”
Joe winced. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Their server arrived before they could continue the discussion, and Demarien pushed away the niggle of worry. Today was too good a day for worrying.