22. Juliette
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
juliette
One word.
No, slash that.
Three words.
Awkward. As. Fuck.
From the moment we step foot inside those pretty double doors, my stomach is lodged in my throat. I’m either going to end up with major heartburn or toss my cookies all over the pretty wood floor.
We dropped Charlotte off with Hudson—because no way in hell would I subject my daughter to this shit show—and headed straight over to the Callahan estate.
Beck and I enter first, followed by Wyatt, then Kash, which means I’m on the frontlines in a war of wits with a man that has bested me my whole damn life.
Not because he’s particularly smarter than I am.
He’s just always had intimidation on his side. Now, I’m praying I have the upper hand.
Daddy is casually standing in front of the fireplace, one arm leaning against the mantle, while Mama is sitting primly on the sofa next to Gran in a dress that is more suited to an evening on the Italian Riviera than an afternoon in Darling, but she’s always been over the top and I’ve learned to love her for it.
Especially now that I can pick out my own clothing.
Both women share knowing looks as we walk in, while Daddy’s scowl becomes the stuff of nightmares.
“Honey bun, look at you!” Mama gushes, getting to her feet and making her way over to me in her four-inch heels. She grips my shoulders, leans in, and kisses one cheek then the other. “You are positively glowing .”
“Considerin’ I’m in last night’s clothes and could use a hair brush, I need to ask… What did Gran put in your drink?”
Beck snorts, and I give him the side-eye as he does his best not to full-out laugh.
Mama smirks. “Don’t think I don’t recognize the sight of a well-satisfied and cared for Omega.”
Dad growls softly under his breath, but we don’t pay him no mind.
“ Mama! ”
“It’s a wonder she isn’t stinkin’ to high Heaven,” Gran adds.
Thankfully, Wyatt keeps his mouth shut about our joint shower.
I roll my eyes. “Y’all are impossible.”
She and Gran laugh as Mama sets her sights on the Alpha beside me. “So, who is this ?”
“I’m Beck McCoy, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
With my dad already in a tizzy, she smartly forgoes a handshake with my Alpha.
Turning to the man who just stepped up on my other side, she eyes him up and down before cutting me a knowing look. “And you must be Wyatt.”
He holds out his hand, and she does the same. “Yes, ma’am. Now I know where Juliette gets her stunnin’ good looks.”
Leave it to the Beta to charm his way into my mama’s good graces.
“I can see why you chose them.” She grins, leaning in to whisper, “Young and hot beats old and uppity any day.” Then her eyes snag on something over my shoulder, her smile going wide before she slips around Wyatt. “Oh my goodness! Kash Ford! Is that you?”
“Hello, Mrs. Callahan. It’s so good to see you.”
Daddy’s disgruntled huff echoes through the room, but Mama isn’t bothered. She pulls Kash into a big hug then pushes him out so she can take a good look at him.
“Look at you, all grown up with a pack of your own. You’ll have to tell us what y’all have been up to in Austin.”
As they make small talk, I introduce the guys to Gran, who luckily keeps her outrageousness mostly in check. Daddy’s pheromones are making the tension in the room thick and cloying, and I’m pretty sure she’s purposely holding back in order to not make things worse.
Beck squeezes my hand and I know what he’s suggesting without words.
Shit’s about to get real. Walking up to my father, he takes a sip of his whiskey before he sets it on the wood mantle.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he eyes us with an air of importance that usually gets him whatever he wants.
Of course, it also gives off I’m the one in charge vibes.
“Daddy, I’d like you to meet Beck McCoy. Beck, this is my father, Mason Callahan.”
Beck holds out his hand. “It’s an honor, sir.”
Daddy considers him a moment before grudgingly placing his hand in his with a rough shake.
“So you’re the Alpha my daughter gave up a perfectly suitable pack for?” Daddy mutters, dismissing him as he once again reaches for his glass.
“Daddy…”
“What? I’m just telling it like it is. Pack Latham courted you for six whole months, then these guys show up and you toss that all aside for men you barely even know.” He shakes his head. “You’re normally a pretty level-headed girl, but I’m starting to question your judgment.”
My irritation flares, making my scent take on a burnt edge. “As if you have any room to question me at all.”
“What in the hell does that mean?” he snaps.
“Mason—”
He holds up his hand, effectively shushing my mother. “You honestly think that these kids could possibly provide for you better than the other Alphas could?”
“I know they can.” I seethe.
Beck slides his arm behind my back, effectively calming my inner rage with the simple touch. I’ve got a lot to discuss with my father, but I plan on having that conversation in private at a later date. These guys don’t need front-row seats to all of our family drama right out the gate.
My Alpha’s hand strokes my back as he tries to talk sense into my stubborn father.
“Sir, I don’t claim to have the sort of wealth Pack Latham has or the same standing in town as a pack of their status, but what I do know is that my brother and I will love your daughter and make sure her and Charlotte are cared for the rest of their lives. We?—”
“You’re willing to take on an Omega and her child and provide for her little girl even though she’s not your blood?”
Beck and I share a look that barely disguises our shock. Apparently, Daddy didn’t get the full memo from those old assholes.
“Daddy, there’s something you need to know.”
His eyes narrow, but thankfully all he says is, “I’m listenin’.”
I open my mouth to tell him the truth, but Beck beats me to it.
“Sir, Charlotte is my daughter. I was the Alpha that Juliette was with four years ago.”
For the first time in my life, I witness what happens when Mason Callahan is caught off guard. His arms go slack, eyes widening as his mouth opens and immediately snaps shut.
“Cat got your tongue, son?” Gran asks smugly.
With my dad currently speechless, Beck continues.
“I’ve spent the last four years wishing I had left my contact information behind when I had to rush out to catch my flight. It’s no excuse, but I?—”
“Enough,” Daddy says softly, all of his earlier aggression gone.
The room is silent, no one willing to risk setting him off again.
“You’re tellin’ me it was a complete coincidence that a member of Kash Ford’s pack met my daughter at a random bar in Charlotte, spent the night with her, and left her for four years, only to come back and reconnect right here in Darling?
” he asks with a level of calm that belies the suspicion in his eyes.
“I know it sounds implausible, but I swear to you, sir, I had no idea who she was when I sat down next to her in the bar. My packmates were already up in our room at that point, and neither of them ever saw her.”
Daddy runs his hand over his graying hair. “Is that your version of events, Kash?”
Kash nods. “Yes, sir. I had no idea Juliette was in Charlotte. We were there to check up on our facility that was hosting the event and had finished with our last meeting when Wyatt and I headed up to the room. Beck split off to go down to the bar. When we found him the next mornin’, he told us the girl’s name was Rose. We had no reason to connect the two.”
Daddy rubs his hands over his mouth as he takes in the latest development he never saw coming. “And where do you fall in this, Kash?”
Kash clears his throat. “Beck and Wyatt are actively courting Juliette, sir.”
“I take it that means you’re not interested.”
There’s a drawn-out silence that makes my heart pound in my chest.
Finally, Kash says, “I’ve agreed to support them, but I won’t actively be participating.”
Even though he didn’t say anything I hadn’t already known, I think my heart stops for the span of a few seconds. Daddy’s eyes meet mine, and I’m sure he can see the hint of misery that I didn’t have time to hide. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was regret shining back in his.
“And can I assume you’re going to go by Pack McCoy to avoid any… complications ?”
Beck and Kash share a moment of silent communication before Beck turns back to my father.
“Sir, we’ve already established all of our business documentation under the Pack Ford name. It holds more weight than my family name and?—”
“You’re not willing to consider a change, even if?—”
Holding up my hand, I put a halt to this absolute nonsense. “Daddy, we will be Pack Ford, and that’s that.”
I can feel the weight of Kash’s stare, but I ignore it.
Daddy purses his lips, sucking a bit of air through, which gives off a hint of a hiss before he smacks them closed.
There’s now resignation staring back at me, but I’ll take that over his anger any day.
He’s finally starting to understand why I made the choice I did, even if he’s not yet fully aware of the true reason I left Pack Latham in the first place.
He’ll be getting an earful about that later.
Daddy nods, picking up his glass. “Then I think it’s time we get to know each other better, boys. Come have a drink with me in the study while the ladies sit out here and gossip about shit us men don’t need to be a part of.”
Beck leans in, giving me a peck on my temple. “We won’t stay long. I’ve got plans for you later.”
My cheeks heat a thousand degrees.
Wyatt grabs my hand, dropping a respectable kiss on the back. “Be good, hotshot. I’ll keep the boys in line for you.”
The guys head for the doorway, and for the briefest moment, my eyes clash with Kash’s.
There’s something dark and broody there that I can’t quite name, but it seers my soul regardless.
In the next breath, he stalks out after his packmates.
I’m left staring after them with my belly doing somersaults.
“My, my, my,” Mama murmurs, fanning herself.
“Told you she scored herself some young hotties.” Gran picks up her tea, which I’m guessing is laced with whiskey, and nudges my mother. “If only Kash could pull his head out of his ass and man up.”
“Gran!”
Mama shakes her head, her smile dimming slightly. “Can you imagine the fall-out? It would be like setting a bull loose in a china shop. The entirety of Darling could be destroyed beneath the wrath of Jack Ford and my stubborn but sexy husband.”
While they go back and forth, discussing the level of destruction one could expect from an all-out Ford-Callahan war, I can’t help but think about what that might look like from my side of things.
Would Kash shield me from the worst of the massacre, or would he toss me right into the middle of the chaos without thought or worry about whether I survived?
Days ago, I definitely would’ve said the latter, but I’m starting to think it might actually be the former. Suddenly, the answer seems more imperative than ever.