Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
shay
It’s been a long, stressful week, and I feel like I’m running on empty.
I’ve barely spent any time with the guys since life conspired to pull us in different directions.
While I worked and spent my free time sitting with Luke to put a solid transition plan in place and finalize all of the sale documentation, August had to travel down to the Valley to handle some personal business.
Memphis, Ridge, and Lyon have been splitting time between some necessary storm repairs out on the ranch and helping out Kash, Wyatt, and Beck over at Horses for Healing.
To be honest, I miss them.
Somewhere along the line, without me even noticing, they’ve become an integral part of my life.
More often than not, I find myself thinking of them or wanting to tell them about something that happened in my day.
Multiple times, I’ve picked up my phone to shoot off a text, only to stop myself and erase the message.
It’s too early to be this clingy. I wasn’t even like this with Miles, and we were together for years.
The last thing I want is to become some excessively needy Omega who demands all of her pack’s attention. We’re grown adults with responsibilities. We can be apart without the world ending, even if my heart disagrees.
Holy shit. Do I love them?
I nearly tumble down the stairs but catch myself just in time. The din of voices sets my already frayed nerves on edge. The vodka Redbull in my cup is going to come in handy, no doubt.
Iris nudges my elbow. Her dark brown hair is up in a messy bun, and she looks adorable in a pair of overalls with a cropped white shirt underneath. “You look like you just ate a bunch of sour grapes. What gives?”
“More like she hasn’t gotten laid in days,” Jules quips.
Of course, the rodeo queen looks like she just stepped out of a photo shoot—which, of course, she did—with her blonde hair in a high pony, an off-the-shoulder black blouse, cream-colored skinny jeans, and black heels.
I, on the other hand, came straight here from the bar, so I’m in a ball cap, gray tank, and worn jeans. They can eat shit if they don’t like it.
Yeah. Your girl is hangry. Maybe I should’ve grabbed some of the bar nuts before I left.
My eyes roll. “Can’t a girl just be cranky without her sex life being called into question?”
“Not when you have a pack that looks like yours.” Iris shoots me the side eye. “Those boys aren’t giving you any trouble, are they?”
It always amuses me when Iris or Jules goes into mama bear mode. “If I said yes, what would you do? Go beat them up for me, Iris?”
Jules snorts. “We’re protective, not stupid. But if it’s any consolation, the few times I’ve seen them, they don’t look like they’re faring much better. Kash said even Memphis seems to have a short fuse, and you know that man always has a smile for everyone.”
My head cocks to the side as we hit the last step. “You know, oddly enough, that does make me feel better. At least I know all of this pent-up frustration isn’t one-sided.”
Iris huffs. Loudly. “At least you know your frustration is temporary. I’ve got hordes of Alphas shooting their shot and none making a single damn basket.”
I snort. “Did you just make a basketball reference?”
She shrugs. “Sorry. The last pack that showed up at the bakery was a group of basketball players, and I was hopeful.”
“So, what happened?” Jules asks.
Her nose scrunches up. “One smelled like the rubber of a cheap basketball, and the other smelled like Athlete’s foot cream. Though I’m pretty sure the latter wasn’t his scent but the actual cream he was wearing.”
Jules and I grimace.
“Yeah. It was bad. Honestly, I’m getting tired of all the nonsense. I’m half-tempted to fake a pack just so I can tell the CFOC to stop sending Alphas my way.”
“I vote yes to that plan.”
“Same,” Jules agrees.
We cut off talk of fake packs and lack of sex as we make our way toward the Dirty Darlings inner circle. Sally is already at the podium, impatiently checking her watch and tapping her kitten heel on the concrete.
Calm down, Sweetheart Sally, we’ve still got ten minutes before you can call the club to order and pretend like you have any real authority over us.
A few of the women I recognize from last time give us warm smiles, and then I catch sight of the little old lady I’ve been affectionately referring to as Sophia in my head.
Her long-sleeved pleated shirt looks like something that was stitched from vintage curtains, and it’s paired with a huge broach at her throat, a black pencil skirt, and flats.
Her glasses have one of those chains that attaches to the ends to keep them from falling to the ground.
When I sit down beside her, large eyes peer at me through thick lenses, but it’s the warm smile she sends my way that has me smiling back.
“Hi! I didn’t get to introduce myself last time. I’m Shay.” I hold out my hand, and she gently places her frail fingers in mine with a soft shake.
“You can call me Lucy. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Have you lived here long? I don’t think I’ve seen you around town.”
“I moved here a while back, after my husband of fifty years passed away, but I don’t get out much.
My son, who still lives down in the Valley, keeps telling me I need to socialize more, so here I am.
Sally saw me put a book in my grocery cart and was kind enough to extend an invite.
I do enjoy my crafting magazines, but I’ll admit, smut is where it’s at. ”
I laugh. “I’ll admit, this is my first foray into the world of smut. I’m a little scared.”
“Don’t be. I wish I had some good why choose stories when I was your age. Then maybe my husband and I wouldn’t have been vanilla all those years.” She shakes her head. “Such a missed opportunity because the man was hung like a horse.”
Almost choking on my spit, because I did not need that particular image in my head, I rush to change the subject. “Well, if you ever need anything, you can find me at the Slick & Saddle Saloon. I’m the new owner.”
She nods, her glasses slipping down her nose before she pushes them up with a gnarled finger. “That’s so kind of you. And if you ever need some book recommendations, you come to me. I’ve got quite the collection.”
“Of course, thank you.”
“Incoming,” Jules whispers in my ear.
Well, that sounds ominous. My head whips up, and I’m forced to do a double take.
Walking toward us is Ronnie and a woman who is her exact replica.
Both have short dark hair and matching faces, but their sense of style is completely different.
Ronnie is in a comfortable pair of jeans, a floral blouse, and a pair of boots.
The woman who has to be her twin is in an elegant, form-fitting black business dress, complete with black high heels.
Her makeup is a little bolder, whereas Ronnie is more natural.
They’re equally stunning. It’s easy to see where Memphis gets his good looks from.
But wait. That must mean…
“Girls, I’m not sure if you’ve ever met August’s mother, Ashley. She visits quite often, but we don’t usually go into town much. Sis, this is Jules, Iris, and Shay.”
Ashley’s keen eyes immediately home in on me. “Shay Bennett. I’ve heard so much about you!”
She walks over while the girls quietly snicker beside me. As if meeting one mother at Smut Club wasn’t awkward enough, now I’ve got the twin version eyeing me with intent in her eyes.
I stand, and without hesitation her arms wrap me up in a massive hug.
She smells like honeysuckle and jasmine, similar to Ronnie, but a hint more floral.
Just like her twin, though, something about her scent fills me with a sense of home and peace.
Not even Lily had this strong of an effect on me, and I’m not sure what to make of that.
“I’m so glad our boys found you,” she murmurs, pulling back to look me over. “You are absolutely stunning. Oh, the babies you’ll all make.”
Jules and Iris are outright laughing now, while I kind of want to just sink into the floor.
“We haven’t…um…actually had that conversation yet, but—”
She releases me, waving her hand through the air. “You are literally all Augs could talk about the entire time he was down in the Valley. Figured it was time I made the trip back up here with him so I could meet this amazing Omega he’s so enamored with.”
A blush creeps up my cheeks…
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Once again, Sally has come to my rescue. She’s getting free drinks the next time she comes into the saloon.
Ashley pats my hand and tells me we’ll talk later before taking a seat next to her sister and the girls.
Thankfully, we dive right into the book discussion.
I managed to sneak some reading in during the mornings after the guys left, and even a little while on break at the bar.
I’ll admit, I’m enjoying it way more than I expected to.
“I feel like Ms. Foxx did an amazing job on the character growth through the first part of this book,” Ronnie says, holding her paperback open to a page.
“The FMC and the three guys are all immediately likeable, and you can’t help but fall a little bit in love when they all agree to be her fake boyfriends. ”
“I liked that too,” one of the other women agrees. “This author always writes really relatable characters that draw you in and get you invested.”
“Personally, I’m a sucker for the alphahole…and, of course, the sex,” Ashley adds, surprising me, but the other women simply nod like it’s not at all unusual for her to be here.
Hell, for all I know, maybe it’s not.
“I really believe Eden Foxx has a gift. Her characters make you feel like you’re right there on the page with them. I think I’ve read every single book in the series, some of them even more than once,” Lucy says.
We spend the next hour discussing theories about the shitty ex, if there will be a third-act break-up, our opinions on such things, and what we rate the book based on what we’ve read so far.
Finally, Sally calls the meeting, reminding us we need to reach the halfway point before the next time we get together.
I wave to Lucy as she picks up her book and heads for the stairs, then turn my attention back to the conversation at hand.
“How long will you be in town?” Jules asks Ashley.
“I can work from anywhere, so I’ll probably stick around for a bit.” She touches my shoulder. “I’d love it if we could set up a dinner with you and the boys.”
Ronnie jumps in. “Yes! We’ll host. Just let us know when a good night is, and we’ll take care of everything.”
Then it hits me. Is she staying with us?
I had really been hoping to corner one of the guys tonight to take the edge off, if you know what I mean, but if August’s mother is under the same roof, that puts a damper on my plans.
“Definitely. I didn’t drive hours just to see my sister. I want to spend some time with the boys while I’m here.” She turns to me. “It was so great to meet you, sweetie. Give Augs and Memphis a hug from me when you see them.”
Exhaling a relieved breath, we say our goodbyes with a plan to touch base to arrange a dinner.
“I thought you were gonna keel over there for a second,” Jules whispers, watching the twins walk away. “Guessin’ you don’t want your future mothers-in-law pressing their ears up against your bedroom door to see if you’re making those babies they want so badly?”
I lightly punch Jules' arm, earning a loud laugh that has Sally narrowing her eyes on Jules. “Sometimes I hate you.”
“But they’d be the kind to do it, right? Lock up your birth control the next time you go into heat because they may just sabotage it.”
Iris laughs. “I’ve changed my mind. I think I might actually be okay staying single for a while longer. I don’t need any baby pressure or, hell, even baby fever right now. Harper is more than enough.”
“At least Ridge’s parents live in Hawaii, so I don’t have to worry about his mother showing up at Smut Club.” I glance between the two of them. “Right?”
Iris nods. “And Lyon was basically adopted by Ridge’s pack, so that’s one less set of parents to worry about too.”
Jules stares at me for a minute, deep in thought. “Do you want kids?”
I blink. Honestly, it’s never really been something I’ve thought about. Up until recently, I never intended to have a pack, so kids weren’t really a possibility.
“I don’t know.” Turning to my friend, I probably look a little like a deer in headlights. “Can you picture me with a kid?”
But it’s Iris who answers. “I’ve seen you with Harper and Charlotte. Personally, I think you’d make an excellent mother.”
A slew of mixed emotions is churning in my gut. My abandonment issues—that I’d long thought to have conquered—rear up loud and fierce, making it hard to think about the situation from a clear perspective.
“No one’s askin’ for you to make a decision right now, Shay,” Jules says softly, grabbing my hand and squeezing hard.
“But you need to think about it. Because that pack of yours, they’re daddy material if I’ve ever seen it.
I don’t want any of you gettin’ hurt because you each want something different. ”
That’s why I love Jules. She gives it to me straight instead of making up any bullshit. And she’s right. These are probably the types of conversations the guys and I should be having because Darling is a small town, and if this implodes, the fallout could have far-reaching consequences for us all.
“Anyone else need another drink?”
Both of them raise their hands, so we walk through town square and head for the saloon. Maybe I can drink away this uneasy feeling that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.