Page 38 of Bonding the Band

“I…uh…I couldn’t find my shirt,” she admitted, worrying her lip. “So I just grabbed the first one I could find. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize!” Beckett rushed to say, his eyes still wide. I suppressed my laughter. The fucker was getting a hard-on seeing the pretty omega in his clothing. She hadn’t noticed, but everyone else on the bus had. “I’m Beckett and this is Phin.” He gestured between them. “I know you’ve met Hendrix and Arlo.”

“We would have been even better acquainted ifsomeonehadn’t disturbed us.” I pouted, crossing my arms.

Meadow’s face turned a delightful shade of pink at my words, her scent intensifying.

“Stop that,” Beckett scolded me, before turning back to Meadow and gesturing to the empty couch opposite me. “Why don’t you take a seat? I imagine we have a lot to discuss…”

Meadow nodded, going out of her way to take the path to the couch that avoided us the most. Beckett was an idiot for suggesting that sofa. My omega needed to be with me.

Standing up, I went to move toward her, intending to pull her into my arms. The conversations we needed to have could easily happen with her sitting in my lap.

Meadow’s eyes widened, and she scooched back. “No! You stay over there. We need to talk without you guys doing any of that mind-messing matey touchy stuff. It makes my brain turn to mush, and I don’t want that right now.”

My chest puffed up. I made her brain melty!

“Fiiine.” I drew out the word as I held my hands up in surrender, returning to my seat with a grin. I could have a grown-up conversation…for a few minutes.

Then all bets were off.

Phin sat down next to me, his eyes never leaving her. Beckett remained standing, hands on his hips like a disapproving mother.

“So…tell us a bit about yourself?” Beckett asked, his tone unsure.

What was one supposed to ask their omega whom they had never met but who was bonded into the pack?

Meadow groaned, resting her head in her hands. “This situation is so fucked.”

I agreed with her there, but I was happily along for the ride.

“It’s…unconventional,” Phin said. “I’m Phin, as Beck said. I’m the drummer. Out of all of us, I’m the most relaxed and clearly most handsome.” He beamed at Meadow, and it did the trick. She cracked a smile at him. “What do you do?”

“I’m a student…getting my master’s in journalism. I’ve only got one more year and I’m done.”

Smart girl.

“Are you from Seattle, or were you just there for the concert?” Phin asked. For a stoner, he really did ask all the important questions.

“I’ve lived there my whole life.”

I glanced over at Beckett, who was frowning slightly. Seattle was a long way from our home base in LA. Given the situation, living apart wasn’t exactly an option. If she had been feeling the distance anything like Hendrix was, staying away from her would be downright cruel.

“Where do you guys live?” she asked after we didn’t reply.

“LA,” Beckett admitted.

Her eyes widened as she nodded, probably calculating the miles in her head.

Would she be willing to abandon her studies, at least temporarily?

“And you guys have been a pack for how long?” she asked, her voice wobbling slightly.

“Years. We all grew up together, and we were a pack long before the idea of becoming a band was a thing,” I replied. “I mean, who can blame these fuckers for forming a pack with me? I’m fucking amazing!”

Meadow snorted but didn’t respond.

“How are you? I mean, with the baby and everything?” I asked, confirming for the others that we’d been right about the pregnancy.

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