Page 109 of Talk About… History

I snorted. “Absolutely not, especially not at a family barbecue.”

“I’ll leave,” Maverick warned. She rolled her eyes and gave him her middle finger. His glare had us both chuckling.

“Ignore him,” she said. “But aren’t Charlie and your mama adorable?”

“They are,” I agreed. They had found a spot to sit, legs touching and full focus on each other. It made this day even better to know that she’d found some happiness of her own.

“Thanks for telling me about the breaking news,” I said, changing the subject.

“Girl, I’ve never been so happy to see anyone go to jail in my life. I’ve been following the story. I’ll give you the cliff notes if you want. I know it had to be hard to watch.”

“Thanks. My lawyer is doing the same. I’m avoiding anything and everything on that. I’m too happy to let them ruin any of it. They’ve done that enough.”

“Speaking of that pack… are those claiming bites I see?” she teased, gripping the collar of my shirt and pulling it aside to reveal my matching mate bites.

“I’m a happily claimed omega,” I said proudly, not bothering to shy away from it. I wanted the world to know.

“It looks good on you, Avery,” Sidney said. “Now, we have to save this party. It needs music.”

And just like that, she was off. She was too social to sit in one place for long, or maybe that was just a little bit of ADHD.

I was happy to sit down and catch up with everyone. Glenn gave us an update on Molly and Lola. He’d kept them during my heat and was recounting stories on settling in. He loved Rockwood Valley as much as I did.

Cohen reassured me that his lawyer had contacted Clara, and they were threatening a lawsuit for what she’d done. Her lawyer was now desperately trying to save her reputation and settle outside of court. I had a feeling that Glenn was going to drop it, and if that’s what he needed, then good for him.

I was all about closure these days, and I thought he deserved it just as much. Especially now that he had a new house, access to his own money, and seemed like a whole different man than the one we found in that rehab center.

His smile was brighter, there were no dark circles under his eyes, and he was wearing fresh clothes.

I’d always thought that Rockwood Valley was a town that held a little magic. Seeing it heal people, and feeling that healing power myself, I was even more convinced.

Avery

Driving down these country roads with music blasting and windows down was something I would never get tired of.

Arden was sitting in the driver’s seat of my new Jeep, a soft smile on his face as he listened to me sing at the top of my lungs. I could feel his contentment through the bond and hoped he could sense my own happiness.

I don’t know when the last time I felt this good was.

My heat was over, we had an amazing cookout with the family, and now we were going on a date. Even my omega couldn’t complain, the low rumble echoing from my alpha making the moment even better.

They were the only ones to ever purr for me, to bite me and claim me properly, and to treat me like a princess.

Yet, they celebrated my independence as much as I did theirs.

Mason and Ford had started at the new firm, and their new boss was an alpha only a few years older who was made for this small town. He was friendly and welcoming, and I knew if we had any future jobs I would trust him easily.

“Wait, I thought we were going on a picnic?” I asked as I sat up straighter, realizing he’d turned on the road to Whitaker Ranch.

“We are,” he agreed, driving around the dirt road toward the new build that was still very much in progress.

I spotted the picnic table right away. I’d mentioned getting a few and apparently, he’d gotten a jump start on it.

He parked and walked around, opening my door for me and helping me down before letting me take in what he’d prepared.

The table was covered in a blue tablecloth, an array of covered dishes waiting for us. There was even a bouquet of gorgeous fall flowers in the center.

My thoughtful mate led me to the table, helping me sit before taking the seat right beside me so our thighs were touching.

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