Twenty minutes later, we all sit around the dining room table when the corks begin to pop and the bubbly pours.We don’t talk about what happened. Mom has banned that kind of conversation. “Last thing we need is for you all to start barking arguments again. Tonight is only a celebration of life. And
The next morning, I go down to find Mom. She’s in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast. We’re set to leave after we eat, so Mom is cooking up a big farewell breakfast, likely the size and scope of our dinner last night, sans the alcohol.There’s a lot on my mind. Everything that happened with Mr. and
When it’s my turn to say goodbye, I pull Isaac into a hug first and then move to Mom. She has tears in her eyes, likely knowing that now she has to say goodbye to Mia.“You better bring this baby back to see us again,” Mom says, sniffling. She wraps her arm around me and pulls me into a hug. “And yo
Other than the occasional random hookup, which has been admittedly very sparse lately, the brothers don’t entertain very many visitors at the Pyramid. So it is unusual when I walk down toward the kitchen and find Neil in the living room with a pair of middle-aged strangers in ill-fitting suits.None
“Oh, Chloe,” Angela says sadly. “Was that never covered in your previous school?”“No one really talked about it,” Chloe says. “Survival was more important. Basic life skills. Who has time to worry about something as arbitrary as a mating bond when you can’t afford to eat every day?”More and more p
“Yes. Is everything okay?”“Everything’s wonderful,” the nurse says. “Your friend Tide is awake.”Debbie and I split up with Angela, who tells us again and again that she understands as we apologize profusely. Then Debbie and I rush to the hospital.When we arrive, Tide is sitting up in bed, eating
Debbie’s question and my response stay with me the rest of the day. As happy as I am to have Tide back with us again, it is hard not to feel anything other than restless with how uncertain I am in my own life.I try to be positive during the rest of the visit, and even as I hug and say goodbye to De
I really don’t want to celebrate the day I will probably lose the men I care about, the only men I have ever cared about so much, for the rest of my life. It feels morbid to even try to plan it.But, Beau looks so excited and earnest, that what choice do I really have? I would rather eat broken glas
I’m happy because I have four hearts beating alongside mine.“Do you feel it, too?” I ask. “My connection to each of you?”I blink my eyes open once more. I want to see their faces, their reactions.Neil has his hand over his own heart. “It’s strange. It’s like part of you is inside of me.”“Me, too
In the darkness of my mind, I floated, surrounded by the comforting embrace of love. Distantly, I could feel another presence, one that grew stronger and stronger, the more I focused on it: my wolf.As I thought of her, she appeared before me as if I willed her into being. Maybe I did. We are in my
Damn alpha wolves and their heightened senses.“I’ve already made my choice,” I say. “Honestly, I think I made it a long, long time ago.”Archer relaxes marginally. Steven starts to smile.Neil turns to me, worry still on his face. “You say that now, Chloe. But the pull could be strong…”“I don’t ca
The eve of my birthday, I rest in bed and stare at my ceiling. It’s late, near midnight, but I still have my bedside light on.With my feelings shared and grown with Neil, Archer, and Steven, I didn’t expect to spend any night alone, especially the one right before the day that could change everythi
I awake to a sharp knock on my bedroom door. Neil’s arm is still draped over me but some distance had inched between our hot bodies in the night. I’m able to slink out from under his arm without him waking.Naked, I quickly stop by the bathroom to throw on my fluffy bathrobe. Then, after glancing ba
They.Beau glances at me and see my incredulous look. “What do I need to go out every night? Can’t a man just enjoy staying home for a change?”“You can do whatever the hell you want,” I say.“Good, then.” Beau slumps down on the couch. He stretches out, lifting his feet up and into my lap. “Now tel
For the rest of the morning, I desperately try not to think about Neil. Whoever he’s in love with, I won’t be offended by it. The hurt I feel has nothing to do with this new person. She must be great for her to have won Neil’s affections.The hurt is my own loss, my own problem. I let my feelings fo
After Steven and I have cleaned ourselves up with a quick shower, we fall back into bed together, giggling and laughing all the way. My now, Steven has discovered a few of my tickle zones, which he is exploiting. As revenge, I touch the places I now know make him shiver.For a while, nothing seems l
His hands fumbled with the buttons of his own shirt. Such usually steady hands are rendered useless by his nervousness.“Allow me,” I tell him. I lightly bat his hands out of the way before replacing them with mine on his shirt buttons. My times with Neil have served me well. I’m able to undo all th