Page 151 of Tangled in Knots

We had a blast, and Paula was nowhere to be found. It was a perfect way to spend my time.

DAMON

“Fuck if I’m not nervous,” I mutter, blowing out a breath as I wrap a scarf around my neck.

“Where are you taking her?” Jed asks, amused and slightly jealous.

“Ice skating,” I answer. “It may be a little cliché, but?—”

“It’s not,” Kane says, coming into the room, his hair wet. He went to the gym earlier, and recently got back. Everyone is dealing with the clawing anxiety of not having Adira with us in different ways.

The little omega wants her space, we’ll give it to her in measured doses so she doesn’t forget we exist.

At my dubious look, Kane huffs out a laugh. “Your first date with her should be memorable and fun," he insists. “You told us food isn’t a good choice, because there’s pressure behind it, and it’s another glaring reminder that we’re assholes. Keep things light.”

“She’s still not eating well?” Morris asks, leaning against the wall. He’s quiet and brooding, though things are better than before Adira’s bite. It’s not exactly how I saw things going between them, but I’m glad our omega will have peace of mind that her instincts are right.

There’s nothing worse than constantly worrying that you may be broken, or that you’re a bad judge of character. Instincts keep us all alive, and Morris skewed her ability to tell if he was lying to her.

“No,” I grunt. “Adira will forget to eat because there’s not any time in between classes, or won’t want to because her stomach rebels easily. I brought her breakfast and a smoothie fromBrewed Awakeningsat class earlier this week, and she made me feel ten-feet-tall.”

“She has a way of doing that,” Kane murmurs. “Our little rabbit yelled at me to stop playing with my food when I was fighting. I can’t wait to see if she’s serious about helping us kill Dad.”

“I’m hoping for a call from Cian,” Jed admits. “She’s going to be the key to this working.”

“That reminds me, I’m going to look into her family,” Morris says. “There’s something odd about Rock’s fierce need to punish a dead man. It feels more personal than simply taking everything of value from a man, because he stole from you.”

“It doesn’t add up if he had his own money,” Jed agrees. “That’s not to say that men haven’t been dumb enough to steal when there’s no reason to, but I’m not getting that feeling here.”

“The way he begged for Adira’s safety doesn’t make sense either,” I chime in. “Usually greedy people only care about themselves, and his last words were not to hurt his daughter.”

“I may have prematurely blown up the house,” Kane says glumly. “I’m going to head down to one of the mafia clubs tonight to see if there’s any gossip floating around about her.”

“Need someone to go with you?” Morris asks, appearing worried.

Kane enjoys fighting, and if someone says something shitty, he may not be able to help himself.

“I’m a big boy—” Kane begins, but Jed shakes his head.

“Low profile,” Jed barks. “Kane, you definitely need someone to pull you back when the little voices start to tell you it would be a good idea to stir up shit.”

“You’re no fun,” Kane grumbles as I chuckle, opening the apartment door.

“You’re in time out,” I tease him. “Bye, guys.”

I shut the door on their jokes, rolling my eyes. I can handle a date with Adira just fine. Leaving the building, I decide to walk to the ice rink. It’s not far from either one of us, something I checked before suggesting it. I wanted to make sure she wouldn’t have to take a bus or anything.

It would be easier if we were on better terms, because I’d be able to simply pick her up from the shelter, but we aren’t. A little makeout session and longing glances aren’t going to fix what my pack and I broke.

Trust is a fleeting thing, easy to lose, harder to repair. One day at a time, I’ll have to show her that she can trust me.

Adira is waiting for me when I walk up, and I kick myself for not being here before her. I’m twisted up with nerves, wanting tomake sure she has fun. Her eyes glitter with excitement, helping me see how much she’s been looking forward to this.

“Hey,” she says, her cheeks already pink from the cold.

My arm wraps around her to drag her closer, gazing at her to remember every detail of this moment.

“Hi,” I growl. “I’m torn between kissing you and making myself wait.”

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