Page 61 of Broken Bonds

Carefully, I refold the letter and put it back in its envelope. Stacking it with Rule’s letter, I place them both in the glove box with Van and Lake’s, before leaning my head back against my headrest to take a few deep breaths.

I’ll read Rule’s later, when I’m not sitting in a parking lot in broad daylight barely holding myself together.

On my way home, I stop to pick up dinner from mine and Jillian’s favorite Thai place, then I stop by the grocery store to grab a few snacks and drinks. When I get home, I rent one of the new romcoms we’ve been waiting to watch for a while and set the coffee table in front of the couch with all of our food, snacks, and drinks.

She should be home from work any minute, and I hope she takes this olive branch I’m extending. I know I’ve been shutting her out since everything happened. I’ve pretty much left her to deal with everything alone and it makes me feel like the shittiest friend.

We’re long overdue a girls’ night, and we both could use some laughs. A night of just being us. The only thing that could make this night better is margaritas, but alas, that will have to wait a few more months.

I unconsciously rub my belly as I look the table over, trying to make sure I’ve gotten everything. Jilly’s favorite gummy candies and my favorite caramels. Popcorn, buttered and extra salty. Sweet tea and lemonade. Pad Thai, fried rice, yellow curry, and coconut curry noodle soup.

The front door opens and I turn, smiling when Jilly walks in and stops, staring wide-eyed at me and the spread I have laid out.

“What… is… happening…” she says slowly, looking at all the food and then the movie sitting paused on the projector screen.

That one took some finagling for me to put up by myself. Normally when we use the projector and the screen, someone else puts the screen up or I have a few helpers. I might have been out of breath after it was up, but I’ll neither confirm nor deny it.

“I know things have been hard since… well, yeah. And I know I haven’t made things any easier on you. I’m sure I’ve stressed you out a lot, pissed you off quite a bit, and scared the hell out of you while I’ve been stuck in a pit of misery.” I blow out a breath. “I’m ready to start working towards healing. Forde got me to go to that rage room where I got to break a bunch of stuff, and I went to a grief support meeting the other day. I even ate dinner with Link and managed to not cry my eyes out while looking at him. I figured maybe we could gossip about all of that, eat our favorite food, and watch a funny movie. Girl’s night,” I say, smiling weakly at her.

Jilly’s lips tremble as she smiles back at me and sniffles. “I’d freakin’ love that, you bitch. Jammies and the snuggie blankets the guys got us last Christmas?”

I gasp, having forgotten all about mine. “Yes! Meet you back in here.”

We both take off down the hall, splitting off to our rooms and giggling like children. I’m smiling and nearly breathless as I throw on one of the many t-shirts of the guys’ I’ve stolen over the years and some flannel pants. Pulling the dark green sherpa snuggie that’s mine over my head and shoving my arms in the armholes, I let it drop and land around my feet.

Best gift any of them could have gotten me.

It’s like a dress, but a blanket!

So soft, so warm.

As I walk back to the living room and take my seat across from Jillian, a genuine smile on my face, I realize this is the lightest I’ve felt in a long time. Sitting here, enjoying good food and conversation with my best friend.

I’ve missed her.

ChapterSeventeen

RION

“Hey, man. I’m looking for—”I look up in time to see a delivery guy stop in front of where I’m standing behind the bar, staring down at a clipboard as he searches for the name.

“Van Daniels?”

I glance over at Jillian from my spot behind the bar when he says the name of one of Ramsey’s alphas. Her brows are furrowed when she looks over, a pensive look washing over her features as she approaches us.

The man, an alpha, takes notice of her as soon as she’s close enough, a disarming smile stretching across his lips. A protective wave comes over me, and my eyes narrow. It’s slightly alarming.

I didn’t realize I’d come to look at the sweet beta like a sister, likepack,until now, when the need to protect arose inside me at the leering look in the alpha’s eyes as he looked her over. I suppose it’s not completely out of the norm considering it’s just her and Ramsey now, and despite not being around Ramsey much, the urge to protect her is also there. Something primal inside of me recognizes both women as pack, whether they technically are or not.

“He died a few months ago,” Jillian says eventually after eyeing the alpha skeptically, making the man’s eyes widen and his smile drop instantly.

He clears his throat, suddenly becoming flustered.

“Oh. Uh, well, I’ve got a few packages out in the truck that are supposed to be delivered here for him. Does he have any surviving family I could pass them along to or…?”

“You can leave it here. This is his bar. I’ll make sure his omega picks it up later,” Jillian tells him, a puzzled frown playing on her lips.

“Cool,” he replies, nodding his head up and down like an awkward as fuck bobblehead before stopping and rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at me.

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