Chapter 29
Hailey
My entire pack was drunk.
I didn’t know what I expected when I heard giggling coming from the living room after my nap, but I hadn't expected to find them all sitting around a board game, laughing like a hoard of frat boys.
“What are you doing?” I asked, padding over to them and craning my neck to look around their shoulders while the smell of alcohol was strong.
“Hey, beautiful! We’re playing Chutes and Ladders!” Wilder exclaimed, the liquid in his glass sloshing as he spoke. “We did try playing chess, but we started to forget the rules. Way too many rules in that one.”
I had a sneaking suspicion that their forgetting of the rules had something to do with the almost empty bottle of whiskey on the floor next to them. Thanks to the baby, I had been exhausted, so I’d decided to take an afternoon nap.
I'd assumed they wouldn't be able to get into that much mischief in an hour, but apparently, I was very mistaken.
“Yes, well, chess is a very hard game,” I said with a nod, trying to bite back my smile.
“Too many rules. We don’t like rules.” Wilder grinned.
“I like rules,” Nolan rebutted, looking affronted by the suggestion.
Wilder laughed. “Of course you would, Mr. Lawyer!”
“Like nurses don’t have a million rules?” Merrick asked, grabbing the bottle of whiskey and topping off his own drink.
No one even mentioned the strict rules that governed Merrick's job. Firefighters had such rigorous regulations to follow for the safety of themselves and others. But I wasn’t about to start something.
“I’m kicking Nolan’s butt,” Merrick said, turning to beam at me. He was genuinely happy. The realization hit me with surprising force.
“And I’m kicking Wilder’s.” Nolan laughed.
“And I'm just happy to be here,” Wilder said with a dopey smile.
As I watched the three of them staring intently at the board, I couldn’t hold back my giggle. They looked so…normal.
Talking to Walker really had changed everything. Suddenly, there was a level of friendship between Merrick and the other two that hadn't been there before.
Our suspicions toward them had eased, and now everyone was starting to genuinely get to know each other and grow as a pack.
In a way, I understood Nolan a lot better and could understand his actions leading up to this point. Sure, he’d been secretive and surly, but he’d been protecting his pack mate in the only way he knew how.
I could appreciate that.
“Do you want to join?” Merrick asked.
“I’m grabbing a snack, but then I’ll come watch. Keep kicking their asses.” I laughed.
“That’s easy.” Merrick chuckled as I padded into the kitchen.
I could hear the three of them bickering playfully as they played. At one point, Wilder suggested Scrabble while I was putting cream cheese on my freshly toasted bagel, and either Merrick or Nolan had slapped him on the back of the head for that suggestion.
It was all very domestic.
Once I had my snack in hand, I made my way back to the living room, sinking onto the couch to watch them be utter goons.
They had all had a few drinks, so their hand-eye coordination was a little less than stellar. Still, they were all cackling as they tried to navigate the complex world of chutes that forced them back to the start and ladders that would gleefully take them higher.
Sitting behind Merrick, I ran my hands over his hair occasionally as I watched. “I’m jealous I can’t join you drinking.”
“We’ll take you to one of those fancy cocktail bars when you can drink again, those ones with all the fun drinks!” Wilder insisted.
“I’m going to hold you to that.” I giggled. “Oh, and sushi. I will need sushi.”
“I’d like to hold you to me,” Wilder said with his own laugh.
“All in good time, cutie.”
They turned back to the game, taking turns and shouting at one another, no matter if the outcome was good or bad. I loved it.
“Oh, also, what’s your favorite color?” Nolan asked after celebrating landing on a ladder by sticking his tongue out at the others.
“Pink,” I said, without even having to think about it.
Sure, I was a girl who liked all different colors, but the subtle pink and white theme to my nest was definitely my favorite.
He nodded, looking over at Merrick. “You called it. We’ll get her a pink car.”
I looked between the two drunk alphas in confusion. “Car? Why are we talking about cars?”
How had a question about my favorite color turned into a discussion on cars? Sometimes the way alpha brains worked truly baffled me.
“Because we’re buying a safer car for you and the baby,” Nolan said, as if it was totally obvious.
“I have a car…” I pointed out.
I loved my car. I'd had it since I graduated high school. Yes, it was kind of falling apart, but that was part of its charm.
Merrick shook his head. “Yours is old. You need a safer one.”
“And we’re going to get it in your favorite color. A pink SUV!” Nolan declared, so much louder and animated than he usually was.
“That will be so cool,” Wilder agreed with an adamant nod, taking it much more seriously than I would’ve expected.
I looked between the three alphas for a moment. I wasn't sure I could reason with them in their current state, or at all, for that matter, but still, I had to try.
“How about we don't make any financial decisions when we've been drinking whiskey?”
“We decided this before we even finished the first drink, so I think it counts.” Nolan laughed.
“But I have a perfectly functioning car,” I said, repeating the earlier sentiment.
“Hailey, please.” Merrick snorted. “You and I both know that thing is falling apart. Do you really want to have a baby in that car? We're not saying you get rid of it. We can keep it in the garage and work on it, but I think something safer would be a good idea.”
My hand drifted down absentmindedly to my stomach. He had a point. I doubted a car seat would even fit in my current vehicle.
“And you'll get me a pink one?” I asked softly, needling them.
“If that's what you want, we'll take you to the dealership and you can pick out whatever you want, and we can make it whatever color you want,” Wilder said.
“As long as it's a safe car,” Nolan interjected.
“Top safety ratings. That's all I will accept,” Merrick agreed.
I laughed, sitting back. “Okay, why don't we all have this discussion in the morning when you guys are a little more sober?”
“Sure, but it's not going to change anything,” Nolan shrugged.
The impact of his words was somewhat diminished by the fact he was slurring slightly and looking into his empty glass of whiskey as he spoke.
But we’d just have to wait and see.
It only lasted another hour before the alcohol all got to be a bit much. Wilder fell asleep sitting up while Nolan and Merrick continued playing the board game. Eventually, Merrick stood, stretching, his shirt lifting and showing off those beautiful firefighter abs I was slightly obsessed with.
“I’m going to crash. Are you okay?” he asked, attempting to lean down and kiss me, but thanks to the alcohol, he was slightly off-balance and it hit my nose.
“I’m good. Go get some rest.”
He did as he was told, wandering up the stairs.
When I turned back to Nolan, he was looking at me with a serene smile.
“What’s going through your head?” I asked playfully. I wasn't used to seeing such a relaxed, unrestrained expression on his face.
“I'm just amazed that you're here,” he admitted, standing and wobbling.
Now that he was upright, the alcohol was probably hitting that much harder. If he didn’t sit back down in the next few seconds, he was going to topple over.
“Let's not stand up just yet,” I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him down onto the sofa.
He collapsed next to me, his scent muddled by the alcohol but no less pleasant.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“A little dizzy?” he admitted questioningly. “Actually, I think I want to lie down.”
Without thinking twice, he sprawled out on the couch next to me, pressing his body close to mine.
“Am I squishing you?” he asked in a slurred voice.
Slightly, but I didn't mind it one bit. In fact, he was rather comfortable.
“I'm good here.” I giggled.
“Thank you for being so understanding. I know I haven’t been the best.”
“You've been under a lot of stress,” I said and gently ran my hand through his hair, the same way that Merrick did to me.
That turned him into a puddle of goo, and Nolan hummed appreciatively. “That's nice,” he mumbled, pressing his face into my neck. “You smell pretty. Have I told you that you smell pretty?”
“You haven't today, but thank you. You smell very nice as well.” His unusual paper scent made me feel like I was wandering through a library, something I hadn’t done in too long.
“Strawberries are the best,” he declared, eyes closing.
“Why don't you try and sleep a little bit?” I suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea,” he agreed, and with every sentence, his words began to slur a little more.
We stayed like that for a few moments, just basking in each other’s embrace. It was the first time I truly felt close to Nolan, and it was relaxing in that easy way. I was mildly surprised to realize that I felt just as comfortable near him as I did Merrick.
When a large rumbling snore escaped his chest, I burst into laughter.
It wasn't a normal snore, but a deep reverberating bear-like snore that rattled the windows. It was the kind of sound that could only escape an alpha.
Whatever this side of Nolan was, I had to admit…I liked it.