14. Juliette
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
juliette
My heart is pounding in my chest, right along with the roiling in my gut.
The mile drive home has never felt so long in my entire life.
There are all of these messy emotions swirling through me, fresh off the end of my courtship with Pack Latham and the beginning of whatever crazy shit Beck promised while I was damn near delirious from his kiss.
The grand entrance of the Callahan estate comes into view, and I’ve barely managed to turn off the engine and shut the door behind me when Gran comes barreling out of the front door like the hounds of hell themselves are on her heels.
“Juliette Callahan! Where in God’s green Earth have you been?
I’ve been worried sick.” She grabs my shoulders, eyes scanning the mess that is me before they go wide with shock.
“Good Lord! What did those feral beasts do to you? You look like you were ridden hard and put away wet. Gotta admit, didn’t think those old bastards had it in ‘em.”
My snort is loud and indelicate, but the sound quickly shifts into a sob as I break down in my grandmother’s arms, giving her a fully detailed account of everything that happened last night.
“I’m going to give your father a piece of my mind when I see him. What in the hell was he thinking?” She guides me up the steps and into the house where a pitcher of sweet tea and a plate of macarons are waiting.
“Don’t bother, Gran. You know how stubborn he is.” I settle onto the sofa. “Is it weird that I’m kind of?—”
“Relieved? Of course you are. Hell, so am I. Those men don’t have the sense God gave a goose.”
A half-smile curls my lips as I pour myself a glass of tea. “I should’ve listened to you, Gran.”
“Damn right you should have.” She side-eyes me with a keen intelligence that misses nothing. “Does that mean you’re willing to give Kash and his pack a chance?”
I choke, nearly spitting out the sip I just took.
“Which I suppose also brings up the subject of just where you spent last night.”
Ollie comes click-clacking into the room, followed by the tiniest black-and-white piglet I’ve ever seen in my life who toddles in after him.
“Um. Gran. When did you get a piglet?”
Her exaggerated sigh nearly makes me laugh.
“Betsy Ashcroft down at the dry cleaner had a litter of micro mini pigs. She had one left—the runt—and no one would buy her.”
“So you did?”
She nods. “Yup. Isn’t she just precious?”
The pig in question comes right up to me, runs her wet nose across my bare ankle, then looks up at me with large round eyes.
“ Oink! ”
“What’s her name?” I ask as I pick her up, clutching her to me like a newborn.
“Waddles.”
I chuckle. Waddles and Ollie. Sure. Why not?
“What does Ollie think about her?”
“Ask him.”
I search the floor for the parrot, finding him cleaning his feathers. “Ollie, do you like having a friend like Waddles?”
“ Chirp . I love you!” he responds. “Alexa… chirp . Play…‘Sweet Caroline.’ Chirp .”
“Thank God I unplugged that blasted device.” Gran rolls her eyes, but there’s a smile on her face.
I set Waddles down, and she happily meets up with her friend for an impromptu sniffing party in the middle of the sitting room. How is this real life?
“Where’s Charlotte?” Redirection is the name of the game. Here’s to hoping Gran forgot the question she asked before we were interrupted by her little barnyard ménagerie.
“Hudson picked her up for breakfast while I was frantically searching for my granddaughter who still hasn’t told me whose bed she warmed last night.”
Slouching back against the sofa with a sigh. “You know, I thought Ollie was the menace, but I’m thinking he got it from you.”
She straightens her perfectly unwrinkled skirt. “Of course he did, dear. Now, spill.”
So I do. I tell her all about the gelato, the loft, and my rude awakening this morning by the men that make my heart feel more than a little funny in my chest.
Or maybe that’s just the indigestion.
“And what about Kash? Where does he fall into all this?” Her shrewd gaze is studying me so intently, I’m careful to mask the emotions that surge forth as best I can.
“He wants nothing to do with it. Just Beck and Wyatt.”
“Hmph. Stubborn boy. I swear it’s past time that damn feud was ended for good. Maybe I’ll have Hudson?—”
My hand lands on her arm. “No, Gran. If he doesn’t want me, I’m not going to force or guilt trip him into anything.
Honestly, it’s probably better this way.
Daddy’s already gotten wind of Kash’s arrival in Darling thanks to Pack Latham, and it’s only a matter of time until Jack does too.
I would hate to see all-out war break out after so many years of peace between our families.
Knowing I’m the one responsible for it would kill me. ”
“It’s time those boys get over themselves. Seriously. It was obvious to everyone that had eyes, your mother always favored Mason. She barely gave Jack the time of day, and when she did, it was only because he was your father’s best friend.”
My gut, already unsteady and threatening upheaval, lurches dramatically as I suddenly sit up. “What? I thought he was courting her first.”
“Mason started courting Mia after sniffing after her for years. It wasn’t until she agreed that Jack got jealous and started spinning tales.
He’s just a pompous, ego-centric man that couldn’t handle it when your mother chose his best friend over him even though he never stood a chance. His own father is ashamed of that boy.”
How did I not know any of that, even after all of these years?
“But Daddy never disputed any of the gossip. Why?”
She shrugs, but her lips curve up in a telling grin. “Because he knew the truth and had the woman he loved by his side. That’s all that mattered.”
With all of the new information fighting to make sense in my head, one question stands out above all the rest.
“Then why was Daddy so insistent that I no longer have any contact with Kash, pushing me into all that Omega debutante shit?”
Her sigh is long and heartfelt as she shakes her head.
“I tried to warn him against that, but he wouldn’t listen.
He was so worried Jack was going to use you as a pawn against him that he wasn’t willing to risk you getting caught up in a second generational feud—for all the good that did.
He wanted you away from the Fords and out of the path of their negativity. ”
So my father wasn’t just being a selfish jerk? He was trying to save me from the same fate he’s dealt with for decades? I suddenly feel bad for every bad name I’ve ever called him under my breath.
“Gran, there’s one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”
“Oh? What is it, dear?”
Just then, Ollie tugs on a cord, pulling Alexa off the side table where she’s perched, nearly crushing himself in the process. His tiny feathered head pops up, and he immediately starts pecking at the little round globe as it wobbles across the floor.
“You gonna?—”
She shakes her head. “Nope. Looks like he’s got a new toy.”
My head tilts. “Well, it appears Waddles likes it too.”
The two of them bat the device around, having a grand ol’ time.
“At least they can have some fun with the blasted thing. All it ever did was annoy me while probably listening to everything I said and reporting it all back to the government.”
“Gran, I don’t think?—”
She waves her hand through the air. “I don’t give a damn about any of that. Now, what did you have to tell me?”
Meeting her wise eyes, I take a deep breath and prepare to give her the one piece of information I’ve held close to my chest for years.
“Beck is Charlotte’s father. He’s the man I was with four years ago.”
A soft gasp rings through the room, and when I turn, I find Charlotte and Hudson staring at me with wide eyes.
“Mr. Beck is my daddy?”
I share a startled look with Gran, standing on admittedly shaky legs.
This isn’t how I wanted my daughter to find out that her daddy is right here in Darling.
I had this whole image in my head of the two of us sitting her down and having a talk with her.
Now, that’s shot all to hell and I’ll have to navigate this conversation like I’m walking through a damn minefield.
When Hudson sets Charlotte down, she runs straight into my arms. Brushing a stray blonde hair off her face, I look down at the little girl I’ve had to myself for three and a half years.
“Yeah, sweet pea. Mr. Beck is your daddy. Is that… Are you okay with that?”
Her little head bobs as she nods enthusiastically. “Mmhmm. He likes Twizzlers just like me. And he’s got a brother, which makes Mr. Wyatt my…my…”
Her brow knits in confusion.
“Your uncle, baby. Mr. Wyatt is your uncle.”
“Then what is Mr. Kash?”
Hudson’s sincere, kind eyes meet mine, and for that split second, I wish things were different. I wish we’d had more summers together fishing and horseback riding. I wish I never had to push him away. I wish we’d never become enemies.
With my mind a mess, I decide to at least give her a partial truth.
“For now, he can be your friend.”
“So, is that what you meant?”
“What do you mean, sweet pea?”
“You and Mr. Beck had a one-night sit, and that’s when you had me?”
I choke on air, and her little hand harshly pats my back as I attempt to stop my spontaneous coughing fit.
Gran chuckles. “Yes. Do tell us, dear, all about this one-night sit .”
My cheeks are flaming as Hudson laughs.
“First off, it’s one-night stand . Secondly, we’re not going to say that to anyone else, you hear me? That’s something we keep between us girls, okay?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Good. Now, I’m going to call Iris and see if we can set up a sleepover with Harper tonight. Would you like that?”
She squeals with glee. Harper is her best friend.
Her mama and I bonded over single motherhood and often help share the burden when life gets to be too much.
Don’t get me wrong, Gran is great, but she’s also not quite up to running after a three-year-old full of piss and vinegar all the time.
After the drama I put her through this morning, she deserves a break.
With hopeful blue eyes, Charlotte stares up at me. “Maybe we could help Ms. Iris bake her cookies for the bakery?”
I kiss her forehead. “Maybe. But you’ll need to be on your best behavior.”
“I know, Mama. Can I go pack?”
“Sure thing.” I set her down, and she races off to her room upstairs.
“So…” Hudson strides in, sitting in the armchair across from us. “Beck is her father, huh?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know who he was back then or how to even find him. I didn’t purposely?—”
He sits forward, his elbows hitting his knees. “Jules, I know you better than that. You’d never keep that little girl from her father.”
My stalled breath leaves my lungs in a rush. “I honestly can’t believe he’s packmates with Kash. This has disaster written all over it.”
Hudson stares down at the carpet for long seconds until he finally meets my eyes.
“He’s not an easy man to get close to these days, and I can see why you wouldn’t want him to be a part of what you’re going to start to build with Beck, and I’m assuming Wyatt, too.
But, Jules, Kash is a good man. He’s not like Jack, I swear to you.
He was devastated when you shut him out. ”
“That wasn’t my idea. I?—”
“Sweetheart, I know that, but Kash doesn’t.
I tried to tell him there was more to it, but by that point he wouldn’t listen.
” He shakes his head, regret making his deep pine scent take on a burnt edge.
“Look, for whatever it’s worth, I support whatever decisions you and Kash make.
I’m not saying it will be easy either way, but know that you have people who will back you a hundred percent…
even against Jack if it comes down to it. ”
Sharing a look with Gran, who pats my hand, I ruthlessly swallow down the tears that threaten to spill.
I’ve done enough crying. It’s time I get myself put together and figure out what I want for my life moving forward.
Because there’s no going back to the way things used to be.
Beck won’t allow that, and Charlotte deserves a chance to finally get to know her daddy.
Where that leaves me… Well… I’m not sure yet.
The part of my heart that has always secretly belonged to Kash is begging to be freed, but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want me.
I refuse to be the kind of girl that throws herself at a man who isn’t interested, but with Grandpa Hudson’s words ringing through my head, maybe it’s time his grandson and I had a little sitdown to clear the air after all these years.
Especially if I’m going to accept his packmates’ proposal to court me.
I nearly snort. I don’t think they’re going to give me an option to decline even if I wanted to, and I can’t really say that I’m all that upset about that. It’s… nice to let someone else make the tough decisions for once.