Page 37 of Broken Bonds

I scoff, because like hell will he be the favorite. Kids love me. I’m a godsdamnpeach.

“Yeah, all right. We’ll see about that, knothead.”

ChapterEight

RAMSEY

Days bleed into weeks,and before I know it, an entire month has gone by. Link, Rion, and Forde didn’t leave, as I suspected they wouldn’t. They haven’t spoken to me much, but their presence is felt, regardless.

Upon learning that they had rented the cabin that’s been sitting unoccupied for several years, situated only three miles away from my home, I was uncertain of how to feel, so I’ve tried to ignore it, but it’s in the back of my mind, always. That someone who looks like the man I love is living so close to me.

Most days, I feel like a ghost, my emotions numbed and unable to connect with the world around me. I’m trying to pull myself together, but it’s so damn hard. Waking up every morning without them there. Our home, which now feels too large without them here to take up space, has gained the atmosphere of a mausoleum. A tomb.

Some days I can’t get myself to leave. Others, like today, I need to breathe and escape the box I’ve locked myself inside of for a while. Besides, I’d told Maribel I’d check in with her every month on how things are going at the bar, and today is that day.

My feet stutter and I nearly fall flat on my face when I walk through the doors and see Forde and Rion behind the bar, but no Maribel. I know I told her to hire some help, but she didn’t tell me she hiredthem.

Everywhere I turn when I leave the confines of my house, the three alphas seem to be in the vicinity. The grocery store. The bistro on main street. And now, they’re behind the bar atJinx, and I truly don’t know how to feel about it.

Violet eyes glance up, catching mine, and I become trapped in them. As I gaze into the turbulent depths of Forde’s eyes, I can sense a shared anguish and grief between us, causing my wounded heart to clench painfully in my chest. It’s almost like he’s waiting for me to come to him as he stares at me, but I couldn’t tell you why.

There’s something about him that feels… inherently safe. I can’t explain it, and that scares the shit out of me, so I force myself to close my eyes and break the trance he has me in. I can feel his gaze still lingering on me, so I quickly turn away and head toward the back to find Maribel.

I find her, just as I predicted, in the rear office that Lake and Van had been sharing between them. Her glasses are perched on the end of her nose and her face is thoughtful as she examines the papers in her grasp. Even though the door is already ajar, I knock out of courtesy. Noticing it’s me, her face lights up with a smile as she takes off her glasses and puts them and the papers she was reading on the desk.

“Hey, Ma,” I say as I walk in, pushing the door closed behind me.

After spending a year getting to know Maribel, I began to affectionately refer to her as‘Ma’. It’d just slipped out one day, but also felt so right and natural that I never corrected myself. Seeing the joy on her face when I said it was enough to reinforce my decision.

Maribel was never blessed with children of her own, which is why I think it was no surprise that she embraced our ragtag bunch the way she did. She proclaimed we were the only children that she ever needed in her life. She might have also said the guys made her happy she’d never had offspring of her own, which had made me giggle like a loon.

“Hey, sweet girl. Has it been a month already?”

As I approach, she rises from her seat and wraps me in a warm embrace. I let her hold me in her arms and close my eyes as her familiar scent of crisp apples envelops me. I’ve avoided the bar these last few weeks, which means I haven’t seen Maribel or gotten one of her comforting hugs in a while, so I soak it in.

“Yeah. I’m on my way to a doctor’s appointment, but I wanted to pop in and check on things. I noticed you hired some help…” I say, trailing off as I take a seat in one of the three chairs in the room.

She leans against the desk in front of me, her arms crossed over her chest as she audibly clears her throat and nods her head.

“I did. They wanted to help, so I put them to work. They’ve been helpful. Nothing like my boys, but I can trust them not to burn the place down if I’m not hovering over them 24/7.”

My throat gets tight when she mentions‘her boys’and tears threaten to spill, so I have to glance away for a minute to get myself under control. I stare intently at the wall in front of me, noting the chipped paint and forming a plan to come back and spruce it up with a new layer of paint when I have the chance.

“They’re good alphas, Ramsey. I think you guys would have been lucky to have had them in your lives much sooner than now. Lake and Van would’ve gotten along great with Forde and Rion. They just want to help and make sure you’re alright. I’m also sure Link is desperate to be in those little ones’ lives. He hasn’t said it out loud, but they’re his last link to Lake, and he wants to be around.”

Her voice is soft when she says all of this, but all I can focus on is how she said Link wants to stick around to be in my children’s lives. How will I handle that?

“You’ve been speaking to him?” I ask, flicking my gaze back to her with my heart pounding in my chest.

What a stupid question. Of course, she has. If his pack mates are working here, it stands to reason he would come in here from time to time, and Maribel is just one of those people that’s so easy to talk to. She has a way about her that makes you realize she’s actually listening and hearing the things you’re saying. She makes you feel heard and makes your feelings… well, feel valid.

She nods.

“He comes in most nights before the other two get off to have a drink. He hasn’t said it in so many words, but it’s the impression I get. I can also say he looks as shitty as you do, in case you were wondering. Seriously, baby girl, when is the last time you ate? Or slept? Gods, the boys would be horrified if they were here to see you like this.”

Her arms are firmly crossed over her chest and she’s giving me a stern look of disapproval.

“I understand it’s difficult, but you gotta keep going, baby. I hate that they’re gone more than anything, but you’re still here. And soon, those babies will be too. They’ll breathe new life into you if you can just get them here, I promise. Your alphas are gone, but they left pieces of themselves with you, so you will always see them in your children.”

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