126. Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Four
Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Four
Scarlett
Ican’t believe Kian saved me marshmallows, and Riley doesn’t even want one.
These guys are the best. They’re so damn sweet.
It’s still dark out while I eat my sugary breakfast, sitting next to my only unclaimed mate on the softest, plushest towel I’ve ever had against my skin.
I let out a sigh as I lean into Riley, resting my head against his shoulder for a few seconds.
“This was such a good idea. I’m so glad you woke me.”
“Are you really glad, or is it just the sugar rush?”
I move my head back and smile at him. “I’m really glad. But also, I’m hungry. Dinner was pretty awful. I’ve skipped a meal or two in my time, and usually it’s not so bad. I don’t know what it is that’s making my stomach so grumbly out here.”
“Well, don’t worry,” he assures me. “We’ll get to the resort soon, and we can eat as much as we like there. The food is amazing. You’ll love it.”
“I have no doubt,” I agree. “Though I have to admit I’m a simple pleasures kinda gal. Chicken nuggets are my go-to meal item. I can demolish a steak, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something so satisfying about a chicken nugget.”
He chuckles. “That’s Xane’s favorite food.”
“You’re kidding!” I can’t believe it.
“Nope,” he reveals. “We came up with the barbequed meats as a pack favorite so we don’t have fans sending us junk food in the mail or whatever, but Xane’s favorite is chicken nuggets.
Kian would eat candy all day long if he could get away with it.
Trick actually loves barbequed meats, like we all do, but that’s his absolute favorite. ”
“And what about you? What’s your go-to meal?” I ask, before I start eating a second marshmallow.
“I eat a fuck-ton of chicken and rice, and it used to be my favorite thing. It’s just kinda what I eat now, to fit in with my workout routine. But whenever I get a chance to have a slice of chocolate cake, and I mean really fucking good chocolate cake, I grab it. It’s too good.”
“Nice choice.”
“I usually have a few slices on vacation. Golden Palms has amazing chocolate cake.”
“I can’t wait to try it.”
I finish that second marshmallow, and I put the bag down at my side.
There are a couple left, but I want to be ready for that sunrise.
“Can you pass me my purse?”
He still has it in his hand.
He passes it to me, and I unravel the strap and take Sapphire’s phone out.
The battery’s low when I switch it on, so I guess I just need to hope it lasts long enough to grab a pic or two.
“How’s your foot?” I ask.
“It’s fine,” he says. “I’ve had that happen before. A couple times, actually. I was into surfing for a while. It was a hazard where I used to surf.”
“Surfing sounds fun.”
“It was. I stopped when I started the band with Xane. That stuff took up a lot of time, and surfing was more like a casual hobby, so I dropped it. Gave my board to one of my brothers.”
“You have brothers?” I ask, extremely curious about his background.
None of the band really talk about their past.
“Had, I guess,” he says, giving me a wry smile.
“The family disowned me when I told them I was gonna be a musician. They wanted me to marry an Omega they vetted. Someone from one of the right families, whatever that means. If I was gonna be in a band, I was throwing away the traditions I’d been raised to upkeep, or some shit like that.
Mom and Dad were assholes. My brothers were collateral damage.
They’re not allowed to speak to me, or they’ll be cut off and disowned, too. ”
“I’m so sorry, that sucks. I can’t imagine ever being cut off from my sister.”
“It’s okay. If they were more like me, they’d break free of our parents and live their own lives. I’ll be there for them if that happens. I can’t force them to do what’ll make them happy. That’s their own choice to make.” He shrugs. “I have pack brothers now. They’re my real family.”
“They’re pretty great,” I agree, making him smile.
“Do you see your sister much?”
“Not as much as I’d like. I live in Silver Valley. She lives in Cressidan City. It’s not super far, but we’ve been living our own lives for a while, and we don’t get together too often. I’m gonna change that when we get back. I miss her.”
“How ‘bout your parents?”
“They call once a month or something. They’re not completely awful. Sometimes they can be a bit … judgy, but they’ve let Sapphire and I lead our own lives. They didn’t try to make us go to an Omega Academy, or anything like that. So, I guess they’re more progressive than some parents.”
It’s funny how tough they seemed when we were kids. We’d joke that they were tyrants.
But they were far from it, really. Riley’s parents seem like real pieces of work.
They cut off their son for going against their wishes. Who the hell does that?
“They can be a lot. My Mom, especially. But I love them anyway. I know she would say the same about me. I was a whole lot of trouble as a teenager.”
“I can believe that.”
I gasp out a breath and touch his arm as I see the sky starting to turn red.
“It’s happening!”
I put the camera on Sapphire’s phone and watch, and wait, my free hand going around Riley’s arm. The burst of color turns into so many other colors as the sun rises.
I take a picture, and then I let go of Riley and get to my feet to take another.
He gets up and puts his hand out when I look back at him with a grin on my face.
“Here. I’ll take one of you. It’ll look amazing.”
I give him the phone, and I move onto the wet sand a little bit.
He takes a picture of me in front of the gorgeous sky, and then I turn to look at it.
“It’s so pretty.”
He comes up behind me and puts his arms around me. “It’s not prettier than you, but it’s nice.”
“It’s nice,” I agree, thoughts sliding to what we could be doing. “But it’s not really why we’re out here.”