Chapter Twenty-Seven – Jess
It takes a full day to clean the heat room from bottom to top.
Though I remain adamant the entire time that I don’t need their help with it, they are soldiers in how they execute it.
The blankets, the pillows; everything gets washed.
Walls get scrubbed down. The floor gets vacuumed and steam-cleaned once it’s cleared of all extra objects.
It is definitely a job, a big job that probably would have taken me a full week if I would have done it myself. So, in that way, I am grateful to the guys for helping out.
I mean, some of the mess is from them, anyway. It’s not all me.
After the room is taken care of, it’s time to pack.
It’s late that day, so we decide to leave early the next morning.
We take whatever food we can and pack everything up that we won’t use the next morning; the extra food in the refrigerator and the freezer will have to be thrown out once we reach a town.
Needless to say, none of us want to create any issues for Asher and Mason’s parents the next time they come up here.
I’ve met them before, the misters and missus. At some school function, way back when. They knew Asher and I were close. They seemed nice, from what little I can remember. I suppose, soon enough, I’ll have to meet them all over again.
Same with Rourke’s mom.
Frankly, I don’t know that I’m confident enough to meet any of them just yet.
It’s a lot of pressure, even though I know the guys will stand by me no matter what.
Having their parents like me is… it’s important to me in a way I never thought possible.
I want their parents to like me, I want their parents’ approval.
Not something I thought I’d ever care about.
But, alas, one thing at a time. One big, momentous event at a time.
Morning comes all too soon, and I’d be lying if I say I slept well.
The guys all offered to sleep with me, but I knew if they slept in the same bed, we’d be tempted to dirty the sheets up all over again.
Obviously, I didn’t want that. Waking up early without having to wake up even earlier in order to do another load of laundry was bad enough.
I’m too nervous to eat breakfast.
Cars are loaded up. The fridge is empty. We are ready to go, as ready as we’ll ever be.
I stand with Asher, Rourke, and Mason near the door to the garage. Since all three guys have their own vehicles here, we’d be a little traveling caravan—and each time we stopped to get gas or eat, I would hop from vehicle to vehicle to spend some time with each of them.
My concern must be written on my face, because Rourke says, “You all right, Jess?”
“Yeah,” I say, though there isn’t much heart behind it if I’m honest. “I’m just… I’m nervous about how this is going to go.”
“Don’t worry,” he tells me, and he says it with such vehemence it’s basically an order. “My boss handled everything while we were gone. We have a meeting with him and your aunt the moment we get back to the city. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Yeah,” Asher chimes in, lightly touching my arm. “Plus, you’ll have us next to you the entire time.”
I let out a long, slow breath as I glance between Mason and Asher, and then at Rourke. “Did any of you tell your parents yet?” It’s the last thing I should worry about right now; giving myself something new to be anxious about is dumb, but I can’t help but ask.
“Not yet,” Mason says. “We figured it’s a conversation that should be had in person.”
“Same,” Rourke says with a shrug. “If I called my mom and told her over the phone about you, she would have driven all the way up here herself and not taken no for an answer.” Though he clearly did not want his mom to come up here, I can tell by the way he talks about her just how much he cares.
I look down. “I hope they approve.”
Mason frowns at me. “Of course they fucking will. Who the fuck wouldn’t approve of you? Be serious, Jess.”
Rourke chuckles. “Yeah, what he said, minus all the needless swearing. It’s time to go. You ready?”
With a heavy inhalation, I meet the über’s sapphire stare and say the only thing I can: “I’m ready. Let’s go.” Best get on with it, otherwise I’d let my nerves get the best of me, something I’m not used to.
This anxiety is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. It means I care, as silly as it might be. I want to do this right. I want their parents to like me. I want…
I want a family again.
Together, we file out of the house and into the garage.
I ride with Rourke first. His car sits outside the garage, and while he backs us up and turns us around in the grass, I can’t help but stare at the house that became my home these last couple weeks.
I think about all the fun we had, how fate seemed to bring us closer together before I realized what was happening.
I fell in love in that house, on this property. My life changed here.
And for the first time ever, I can honestly say it changed for the better. I feel like a different person as we leave that house in the rearview mirror. I am changed. I’m still Jess Dryers, but my heart and my mind are both open and accepting of the changes that have taken place.
The love, the acceptance, everything about these three guys. Rourke, my scent match. Asher, my childhood best friend. Mason, the closed-off alpha who slowly opened up to me. The connections I have with them are all different, and yet they’re all the same in the end.
I might not be ready to say it out loud just yet, but it’s true. I love them. I love them with all my heart, and I cannot imagine my future without them.
What will this future look like? I don’t know yet, but I suppose that’s half the fun. We’ll discover our future together—but before we get to that point, there’s one very important meeting we need to get through, first.
Aunt Cecilia, I’m ready.
The drive is long, and it feels even longer on the way back than it did when it was just Asher and me on the way to the cabin.
We play musical cars, and it’s clear each of the guys have a preference on how they spend their time while they drive.
Asher likes to listen to music—the radio with all of its commercials.
Mason chooses a premium app where he pays extra to avoid commercials.
Rourke, on the other hand, prefers podcasts.
Me? I’m used to sheer silence in the car. My aunt never liked music, and she hated podcasts.
I know, I know. What kind of person hates all music?
The entire drive is… different. I feel different, because I am different. I want different things.
A lot of differences, okay? So much so that it’s damn near overwhelming, and the only reason I don’t crawl out of my skin and find somewhere to run to is because of the alphas who’ll have my back no matter what.
After a long, long drive and a few musical car sessions later, we near the city. I’m in the car with Mason, Rourke and Asher’s vehicles ahead of us on the highway. The closer we get to the city, the more nervous I become.
Which is just insane to me. I don’t get nervous.
That’s what I used to tell myself, anyway. I don’t get nervous because I don’t care about anything. Now, I can’t say any of that, simply because it’s not true.
I do care, and that’s what scares me the most.
Mason must sense my nerves. He glances at me and says, “You’re going to be okay.”
“I know.”
“None of us will let that fucking aunt of yours hurt you again.”
I fiddle with my hands on my lap. “I know.” And I do.
I do know it. These guys… thanks to them, I won’t have to do any of this alone.
Still, it’s amazing to me I’m doing it in the first place; I honestly never thought this day would come.
It seemed so far out of the realm of possibility that it would simply never happen.
Yet here we are, on our way to a meeting with Rourke’s boss and my aunt.
When we stopped for lunch earlier, Rourke detailed how the meeting would go.
I knew the gist of what would be said, the loopholes that Darius and Alabaster Security were using to keep the law on their side when it comes to me not returning home right away.
I just… it doesn’t feel real yet. Only when the smoke settles and everything is clear, only when my aunt is out of my life for good will it feel like reality and not some dream.
Mason speaks, “You know, when I first saw you and Asher at the cabin, I… I wasn’t very happy.
I went up there to be alone. Being alone was easier than being surrounded by people I didn’t give a shit about.
I never had to pretend when I was alone.
I was so pissed off at you and my brother for showing up out of nowhere. ”
I nod along, remembering it well. It might feel as though it’s been ages since then, but it hasn’t been long at all. Things really do move fast when you know.
He goes on, “But then something happened. I don’t know what and I don’t know when, but something changed.” He tosses me another quick look. “I blame you for that.”
The corners of my mouth pull into a small smile, but I don’t say a word.
“You were… feisty and aggravating. You wouldn’t take my shit sitting down. I couldn’t push you away.” His hands grip the wheel tighter. “You were not what I expected, but somehow… you were just what I needed.”
“Needed?” I highlight his use of past-tense.
“Yeah, you were what I needed, just like you’re still what I need and what I’ll always need, and now it’s my turn to be what you need.” His tone is deadly serious when he says, “If your aunt thinks she can get to you, she’ll have to go through me—and Asher, and Rourke. That’s a promise, Jess.”
It’s not an outright declaration of love, but coming from Mason, it might as well be. It makes my heart swell in my chest, those butterflies in my stomach to flutter about.
“You know,” I tell him, “I think that was the sweetest thing you’ve ever said—and it didn’t have any fucks in it.”
“Fuck,” he swears, “you’re right. I’m losing my edge.”
“Seriously, though, I’m glad you’re here.
I’m happy you’re with us. I couldn’t imagine doing this without any of you.
You, Asher, Rourke… I never sat down and thought about my future.
I guess I always thought it’d be shit since most of my life was like that.
It was impossible for me to look ahead and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m glad you’re my light.”
Mason takes a hand off the steering wheel and brings it to my lap, and I slip my fingers around his and hold on tight. “And you’re mine.”
In the distance, the city lines the landscape, skyscrapers and other densely-populated areas growing bigger and bigger the closer we get. A sight like that might’ve made me uneasy before, but now… now I have something else to look forward to, a future that’s beyond bright.
I can do this.
No, wait. Correction: we can do this.