Chapter Two #2
Frey shook his blond head. “She’s had the best time with Lane and Derick. I can tell with all the giggling in the mini videos Lane sent me.”
Out came the phone, and they all gathered eagerly to watch the small screen as Frey hit play to reveal his daughter, Emmy, who he had recently adopted with Booker, his mate.
It was a messy situation that was made better by Frey wanting to take the little girl and care for her after the traumatic situation around her birth.
No one had suspected a visit to a factory in Drinkwater would have such an impact on everyone in Starling Enterprise.
The factory had been purchased by the brothers, only no one had known the extent of the awfulness the divergent omegas were living in.
Imprisoned and worked as slaves, abused by the alphas, one had gotten pregnant and…
Isley couldn’t think about how that beautiful little girl could have died and them all missing out on getting to spend time with her.
Lane and his organized skills had sorted a rota, with their approval.
They all got an hour a day through the working week to allow Frey to continue what he loved to do, and have his baby close by.
Isley had missed her too and had an idea on how to spend his free afternoon.
“With the afternoon off, what are we all going to do?” He didn’t want to push Frey because he had to have missed Emmy the most.
“Go see Emmy?” Lennon murmured.
“What do you think, Monty?”
Bowie turned to Isley at the question, frowning, and Isley gave him a soft smile, seeing they’d lost him in his own little world, which wasn’t unusual for Bowie. He was such a sweetheart. The man didn’t have a nasty bone in his body.
“Catch me up, I was thinking about what I could do with my free time.” Monty fidgeted, sounding like that was the last thing he was thinking about.
Isley frowned at Monty. “That’s what we were talking about. Do you want to go to Frey’s to see Emmy? Maybe head to the park and try out the place Frey raves about that makes brownies?”
Monty nodded enthusiastically.
“As long as I get to taste the brownie you raved about last time!” Ziggy stated dramatically, making them all laugh. “Then I’m in.”
Frey grinned sassily. “Good, because then we can talk about your… engagement!” Frey glanced in Monty’s direction. “And we can talk about you and—”
“Frey!” Monty hissed, giving Frey a warning look.
What was that about? They’d all been fascinated by Monty’s attraction to Kendrick the night they went to Ranch-Down, the bar in Bayfield, the closest town to Darling ranch. Had Monty shared something with Frey?
Isley spent the rest of the flight watching Monty. It was much better than the alternative, as Monty worked not to look at Rue. It would be funny if he wasn’t doing the same thing.
Off the plane, Isley waited on his luggage, listening to the conversations going on around him as he considered who to ask for a lift.
He’d gotten his brother Somme to drop him off as his own car was out of action.
On a Friday afternoon, Somme would be working so wouldn’t be able to come. Isley would just have to take a cab.
“What do you say?” Lennon nudging Bowie caught Isley’s attention.
“If you could drop me off, I’ll get my car. It’ll save you from making a double trip to mine when you live on the other side of town.”
“Can I catch a lift, too?” Isley interjected, giving Lennon a hopeful smile. “My car’s in the auto shop for repair.”
“Of course.” Lennon cast his gaze to where Kodi and Kari stood, having a conversation in hushed tones. “The more, the merrier.”
Hours later, after a fun afternoon with Emmy and everyone else, Isley opened his front door.
Finally alone, he sagged with exhaustion, ignoring the suitcase he had to unpack.
Walking through his apartment, he shrugged off his jacket and threw it on the couch on his way past. Not feeling hungry after all the chocolate brownies he’d eaten, he went to grab a glass of wine.
Frey wasn’t wrong, the brownies were delicious.
The best he’d eaten, hence why he had gorged and eaten two large pieces.
He might be feeling a little sick, but it was worth it.
Wine in hand, he connected his phone to the speakers and went to sit in his favorite seat.
A week away and he was ready to enjoy some home comforts.
He groaned in delight as he sat down and took a sip of the chilled, sweet wine.
A melodic tune played in the background and Isley stared out the window, his thoughts returning to the earlier conversation in the car with Lennon and Bowie.
Bowie had a Daddy, who happened to be his boss, Kari!
If that wasn’t a ‘holy shit’, he didn’t know what was.
How had he missed it? Somehow he had and then Lennon’s confession that his older brother was also a Daddy, though not so much of a shock, still gave him a wow moment.
It seemed Lennon’s family all knew and weren’t concerned about it. That was cool.
Isley was undecided about how he felt, after all these years of close friendship, that he hadn’t known these things about his friends.
Isley supposed they all had secrets. He had his own so why would they be any different?
He took another sip of wine to get rid of the bitterness that followed that thought.
He huffed out a frustrated breath, doing his best not to focus on his own issues. A teary Bowie over the situation with Kari and keeping his promise to say nothing until Bowie was ready to tell the others, was where his concern lay. What he’d said ran through his mind.
“And when you decide to talk to the others about any of this, we’ll be there for you, got it? It doesn’t have to be today, or tomorrow, or next week. Go at your pace, that’s always best.”
Maybe you should take your own advice, his animal side said in a condescending tone Isley hated.
It’s not the same. I’m not in love with Laken. Bowie was most definitely in love with Kari.
Delusional is what you are.
Not listening.
As if he was in love with the intolerable man. He ignored the clutch in his belly and shut out his animal’s howls of laughter. Nothing to see here. Abso-damn-lutely nothing!