2. Jax
JAX
Parking my truck, I hop out as Sweet Whiskey’s door swings open. My heart flutters for a second, seeing the deep brown eyes I love, but it calms as fast when it registers there’s no way it’s the woman I just dropped off. It’s Cooper, her little brother.
“Heard congrats are in order. Went and got yourself hitched,” I tell him. I put my fist out for him to bump, and he does so with a reluctant smile.
Cooper sighs. “Yeah, don’t tease Marley about it. I feel bad enough.”
I raise my eyebrow, confused. “Feel bad about what?”
“That she missed it. She’s my sister, and she wasn’t there to see me get married. Kinsey and her pack flew out, and I feel like I failed at being a brother.”
My hand drops to my side and I frown. “Did Marley say she was upset?”
He shakes his head. “No, she said she understood. But you know how she is.”
A hollow laugh escapes me. “I do, and if you hurt her feelings, you’re one of the few people she wouldn’t hold back on. If she says she’s not hurt, then she’s not.”
He scowls, and then blows out a deep breath before staring at me more intensely.
I return the stare, confused. “What?”
“When are you going to win her back?”
This time a bark of laughter rips from me in complete astonishment. “Kid, you think I haven’t been trying? It’s like trying to get through an iceberg with a toothpick.”
Cooper shakes his head. “No, I think you’ve been treating her with kid gloves, and I think you need to put your foot down.”
I stare at him, calculating. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, back her into a corner. She’ll choose to fight, and you let her go, or she’ll concede, and that’s your opening.”
I have to smother another laugh, beyond entertained with his analogy. “Like a wild animal?”
“A frightened animal,” another voice pipes up, coming through the door.
She throws her golden hair into a large bun and moves to cuddle into Cooper’s side.
Brielle’s presence is as loud and noticeable as Marley’s in my opinion.
I can see why he was drawn to her, wanting a fierce woman.
She looks up at me with a raised eyebrow.
“A frightened animal who doesn’t want to get hurt again. ”
My lips roll over each together, and I shrug. “Maybe she wasn’t the only one who was hurt.”
Brielle shrugs back. “Maybe, but you’re the alpha, and she’s a beta who doesn’t have the instincts to hone in. Suck it up and apologize. Chase your woman.”
Cooper rolls his eyes. “It’s always the man’s fault, ain’t it, Sunshine?”
She smiles brightly, patting his chest. “You’re learning. Good boy.”
I snort at the two of them, and then I hold out my hand to shake his. “Thanks. I think I will chase my woman.” He holds tight for a second before nodding and letting it go.
Brielle is about to say something else, but only a shriek comes out as Cooper picks her up and carries her to the truck. I watch with amusement as a similar truck parks right next to it, and Colt climbs out, not paying the couple any mind as he walks toward the door.
I watch curiously before following him inside. Most of the patrons have cleared out, which I should have realized with the parking lot being more empty than usual.
“Shut down early?” I ask Tracy, nodding at a regular who is sipping on his last beer. He grumbles, tossing the rest back before moving his way out.
“Yeah, the vibes were getting bad. Too many alphas in one place, feeding off each other’s energy. Marley being set off was the wake-up call,” she says, shaking her head.
My lips twitch. “But how funny was it watching him get sprayed in the face like that?”
Tracy’s eyes twinkle with amusement before she clears her throat and glances over my shoulder. “Kinsey, honey. I want an all-clear from your doctor by next week. You look a little flushed this evening.”
Colt stands straighter, his hand flexing on the auburn-haired waitress.
She and Brielle came rolling in a few months ago and shook up a lot of things in our small town.
If you would have told me that Asha Haven’s ranch would have two packs with omegas within weeks of each other, I would have never believed you.
The farm turned out bachelors like it was a side business.
It’s been good for our bar, though. A lot of townspeople have stepped in for a peek at the omegas that caught the cowboys’ hearts.
The one that got knocked up immediately, and the other that got the epitome of a shotgun wedding in the middle of rodeo season.
The latter had just returned from running the circuit for months, so it probably added to the chaos of tonight.
“She won’t be back unless cleared by the doctor,” Colt says.
Tracy waves her hand with an eye roll. “Is that not what I said?”
I have to stifle a grin.
Kinsey pats her alpha’s chest. “Calm down. Me and the baby are fine.”
He grumbles, looking over at Tracy. “Need any more help closing down?”
She shakes her head and nods over at me. “Jax is back. We got it.”
Kinsey and Colt both say their goodbyes, and then I close up the near-empty bar. Only one other waitress and a busboy remain. “Want me to send them home too?”
Tracy sighs. “No, let them finish out their shift. Can you finish up Marley’s tasks? I need to balance the tills.”
I nod and then pause. “You got her spraying him on video?”
She flips me off, walking to the office with a low chuckle.