Page 67 of Second Chance Mates

Ava finishes her breakfast and places her knife and fork in the middle of the plate neatly.

“Good?” I ask.

“Amazing.” Her eyes light up. “Thanks again.”

She stands to put the plate away, but I grab it before she can and silently usher her to sit back down.

“Are your parents coming to the wedding?” Ava asks curiously.

Lucy looks at me for a moment and sighs, her shoulders tensing. “We haven’t had contact with them in a while,” I admit. “Remember what I told you before?”

She nods once. “Sorry. It slipped my mind.”

“It’s complicated. I know they’d want to be here, but they wouldn’t jeopardise our safety. Who knows if they’re being tracked? It’s tough for us without them, especially for Luce with her wedding day, but I know they’ll be there in spirit.”

“Oh.” She frowns. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. I hope wherever they are, they’re okay.”

Lucy’s head shakes, her blonde hair flying everywhere. “It’s okay. Bash’s family will be there. Some of our cousins and childhood friends are coming, too. It'll be lovely, even if our parents won’t see me get married. I know they’re happy for us. Everything they did was to keep us safe, and I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

Ava’s lips part to respond, but another voice cuts her off. “Good morning, everyone.” I turn to find Kayden strolling into the kitchen with a sweat-soaked T-shirt from his morning workout.

“Morning,” Lucy chimes with a smile before sinking her head back into her laptop.

The hairs on my arms tighten, and I turn to find Ava completely rigid. I frown at her body’s reaction as she follows his every move around the kitchen, especially when he pauses by the coffee machine to make a drink.

Before I can register what is happening, Ava leans over to take my hand which is resting on the counter. I know being in the same room as Kayden is a huge step, especially when she told Gemma she wants to battle this head-on. I gently run my thumb over her knuckles in soothing motions.

I got you. Our mindlink opens, and I fill the bond with a safety net.

Within seconds, she exhales a sigh that I realise was constricting her chest. She squeezes my hand, letting me know she’s okay. I let my gaze fall on her, and she nods to herself. I raise her knuckles and kiss the skin gently.

This distracts her for a moment, and her eyes gleam but not with tears.

“H-hey, Kayden.” Her voice is quiet and shaky, but we all hear it.

Kayden looks at us and smiles. “Hi, Ava. Coffee, anyone?”

Lucy points a finger to the sky. “Me, please.”

“Always, Luce.”

The kitchen then is filled with Lucy telling Sebastian the plan for their wedding day. Ava is still holding my hand, breathing a little steadier than before, and I know this is taking everything out of her right now.

I’m so proud of you, I whisper through her mind with every emotion inside my heart. I’d never let anything harm you. You know that, right?

Yes, she shoots back immediately, and it fills me with relief.

“And before you moan, Jaxon.” Kayden glances over his shoulder at me with a cheeky smirk. “Training starts at midday. I’ve got an hour before I take the wolves to the border.”

Quite frankly, the thought of training the pack is the last thing I’m thinking of. Ava, in this moment, has my undivided focus until my eyes dart to the counter beside the coffee machine, and I spot the residue of pressed coffee sprinkled over the marble. I twitch. “That’s not what I’ll be moaning about today,” I murmur.

Kayden rolls his eyes and places a mug down next to Lucy. “Sometimes I think it would be better if you had a cleaner.”

“Sometimes, I think it would be better if people cleaned up after themselves.”

“I’ll do it after breakfast.”

“Which basically means never.”

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