“You really think it went well?” I asked, not for the first time.
Cam gave me a sweet smile, pulling me close as we headed up the walkway. I glanced up, just as enchanted with our new home as I’d been when I first laid eyes on the brick cottage. We’d only been here for a month, but it was the most at-home I’d ever felt.
“It was perfect. You did a great job organizing everything, and you were the best fighter,” he said, unlocking the front door.
Happiness filled my chest, and I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. I was craving praise even more than usual—probably because my heat was starting soon—and my alphas were happy to oblige me, never making me feel like an inconvenience. Looking at Cam now—the way his forearms flexed with his sweatshirt sleeves rolled up, the messy strands of hair that had escaped his topknot, the way his ass…
Cam cleared his throat, and I realized I was standing unmoving in front of the open door.
“You need more time to eye fuck me, or should we go inside?” he asked, lips twitching.
I stuck my tongue out at him and walked through the door, squealing when he smacked my ass hard.
“Ouch,” I said, shooting him the most unconvincing glare.
“Ouch, what?” Ben asked, walking into the foyer. He’d gone in through the back so he could unload the empty food trays in the kitchen.
“Cam smacked my ass,” I said, jutting my lip out in a pout.
Ben chuckled before quickly schooling his expression into something serious.
“I’m so sorry, precious. Can’t believe he would do that.”
Ben moved behind me, grabbed my ass cheeks with both hands and massaged them.
“Brat,” Cam said, gripping my chin. His gaze was heated and I squirmed, feeling warm all over. Ben’s cock brushed against my ass and I was about to suggest we take this to the bedroom when Theo walked in the door, a frown on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my chest clenching.
“You got a letter in the mail,” he said, looking down at the envelope in his hands as if it were something poisonous. I pushed at Cam’s chest, and he reluctantly released me.
I held my hand out for the letter, but Theo hesitated.
“It looks like it’s from your mom,” he said, finally meeting my gaze.
Ice ran through my body as I froze, my open hand dangling midair. Cam growled and wrapped me up in his arms. His body was warm and soothing against mine, and his protective touch helped force the air back into my lungs.
“You don’t have to read it,” Ben said fiercely, a growl ripping through his chest. I jumped, startled by his strong reaction.
“You okay?” I asked, reaching up to cup his face.
Ben often covered his deeper emotions with humor, but right now, there was deep hurt pulsing through the bond. He knew what it was like to have his parents fail him. After long talks with Lilah, he’d reached out to his mother to understand why she’d fallen in line with their community’s wishes and cut off communication all those years ago. They’d had a few stilted conversations, but it hadn’t brought him the closure he’d hoped for. Sometimes the pain ran too deep to repair.
“Don’t like how she treated you,” he muttered.
I ran my thumb across his bond mark and felt the tension seep out of him.
I reached for the letter again, and this time, Theo placed it in my hand. I wavered for a moment before deciding to rip it open. My mother’s familiar script stared at me, making my heart ache. I scanned the letter twice before looking back up.
“She wants to come see me,” I said. “Um, apparently to apologize.”
The letter was short and to the point, making it hard to discern her ulterior motive in sending it. Because there was no way in hell that she wanted to see me just to apologize.
“What do you want to do, baby?” Cam asked. I melted at his question, turning in his arms to hug him. That he had asked what I wanted instead of deciding for me meant everything.
I was about to say I would just ignore the letter, or maybe do what I really wanted and send her a nasty one in return, but then my mind flashed to the tender way she had brushed my hair at Glen’s… and her leaving the door unlocked when she left. And if Jericho was to be believed, she had saved me long before then, too.
“Am I stupid for kind of wanting to hear what she has to say?” I mumbled into Cam’s chest.
“Of course not,” Theo said, pressing himself against my back.
My eyes found Ben. His jaw was tight. He sighed, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.
“We’ll be with you, whatever you decide.”
