Page 82 of Broken Bonds

She blows out her breath, her cheeks puffing up.

“I didn’t either. Then again, I didn’t really expect Forde. He’s been really great with me, and I’m not saying I want to run off and bond with him or anything, but… I value our friendship. He’s been a big help in dealing with everything since… since the guys,” I say, my voice getting quieter.

“Hey, none of that. You know as well as I do that this is what’d they’d want. Not the guilt stuff, but you finding someone. And Forde is great from what I know about him. He’s pulled you back out of your hole, so he gets automatic brownie points for that in my book. So you don’t feel guilty about what you two did, so what? Rule and the others wouldn’t want you to feel guilty, anyway. And I don’t think you should either, for the record.”

“Thanks Jilly,” I say, smiling at her.

She grins back at me, and when she looks at me for a split second before putting her eyes back on the road, I can see her eyes twinkling with mischief.

“So… How was it? Did he rock your world?” she asks, smirking.

I gasp out a laugh and smack her arm.

“Jilly!”

“What? It’s a valid question. I need to know if he took care of my girl,” she snorts, throwing her head back and cackling.

I shake my head and smile. Gods, I fucking love her. I really don’t know what I’d do without her.

We continue on our journey, keeping an eye out for our next adventure. Ashcroft is where we end up. It’s about four hours from St Elmo, and according to what I looked up on my phone, it was originally known as Castle Forks City. It’s home to several historic ruins and homesteads, leaving it with an even creepier vibe than St Elmo.

Based on what I find on a website, when two Leadville miners discovered silver, news of their discovery spread like wildfire and the town suddenly grew in population. In a matter of weeks, the groundwork was laid, and a courthouse and the streets had been established. After the town was renamed Ashcroft, the population soared to over two thousand people and various saloons opened up, but a rich strike in nearby Aspen is what drove the whole town out.

According to the plaque we see when we first arrive, although this town is known for its silver mining history, this land used to be home to the Ute Indians. That wasn’t mentioned in the article I read, but it’s an interesting fact to know.

We pull into a parking lot, the ground muddy from the melted snow, and I note a few wooden shacks spread about. Beyond where we park, I can see the town’s last ten buildings to prove that it once existed.

No one is at the information center when we approach, but we leave a ten-dollar bill in a box we see nearby to pay for our entrance. Since we’re here on the off season, we won’t be able to check out the museum, but that’s okay. There are plenty of other things to explore.

We spend the next few hours checking the place out, following the dirt trails and plaques to guide us so we don’t get lost. I envision the hustle and bustle that must have once filled these dirt roads as we look around, imagine families in their cabins and the saloons full of patrons. It’s amazing, walking through these buildings and seeing them for what they are now, but also picturing how it must have looked back then.

It’s nearly dusk when we trek back to the car, so we need to get a move on to find a place to stay for the night. I’m exhausted and my body is sore from all the walking we’ve done, as well as being cramped in the car for hours, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our day.

We find a motel and trudge into our rented room, falling into the beds. Jillian and I face each other and grin.

“Thanks Jilly. I needed this.”

“I think we both did,” she murmurs, her eyes softening.

Tomorrow brings a new day and fresh adventures, but for tonight, my heart is content, and my mind is light.

ChapterTwenty-Six

RAMSEY

The next morning,we start early like we did the day before. After grabbing quick showers and checking out, we’re back on the road, looking for our next destination.

Jillian and I talk the entire drive. Really talk. Something I don’t think we’ve done since my alphas died. She gets to tell me how she’s been coping with their loss and about the quick friendship she’s formed with Rion. I’m grateful she’s had someone to talk to while I’ve been so caught up in my own shit.

I finally tell her about all the thoughts I’ve been struggling with, the anxiety since the bonds snapped. And then I tell her about my biggest fear. That I won’t be the mother for the babies I want to be without the guys.

Jillian scoffs and glares at me from the passenger seat. With my growing belly, I can barely touch the pedals because of how far I have to have the seat to avoid the steering wheel.

“Ramsey, with or without Ollie, Van, Rule, and Lake, you will be a wonderful mother. I know it. And it’s your fear of not being one that assures me of it. Mistakes will happen and you’ll have to learn everything as you go, but that’s life, isn’t it? You’ve been learning to live without the guys for a few months now, and you’ll probably be doing that for the rest of your life. I don’t really know. But Idoknow that you’re going to rock this. And besides, you’ll have me there to fix your screw ups along the way,” she chuckles, throwing me a wink when I glance over at her.

“Auntie Jilly to the rescue, huh?” I snort, smirking at her.

She’s more clueless than I am when it comes to babies. I can’t wait to see how she acts when they actually get here.

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