Page 22 of In Plain Sight

We all laughed.

“Gage is pretty great, most of the time, but he has a lot of past baggage to deal with and sometimes I just want to talk and he’s off in his own head completely ignoring me. I try not to let it bother me, but sometimes I just want to slap him and tell him to snap out of it and pay attention to me,” Clara confessed.

“So basically, true mates still have their flaws and that’s normal. We what, just deal with it?” I asked.

“You’ll complain, drive him just as batty, argue, and even occasionally fight,” Lizzy said.

“But the makeup sex is worth it all,” Lily admitted.

I looked at her in disgust. “Baby brother, remember? You can keep that shit to yourself.”

Lily only shrugged. “I’m just telling it like it is.”

“You guys make me glad I haven’t found my true mate yet,” Sydney said.

Lily hugged her. “You will, because you’re amazing and wonderful and deserve to be the happiest of happy.”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” I told her.

“Shhhh, just go with it,” Lily said.

“How much did she drink?” Clara asked.

Sydney shrugged. “I don’t know for sure. They kept refilling the shot glasses, but she really sucked at the game and drank more than they did and insisted she keep playing, swearing she was getting better. Thomas almost called it a night, but she convinced him she was fine, and I’d take care of her because it’s ladies’ night.”

Lily’s buzz must have been wearing off, because her eyes kept closing like she was going to fall asleep or pass out at any second.

“Maybe we should get her home,” I suggested.

“I think you’re right,” Syd said.

“I’m fine, y’all. It’s girl time. I love y’all so much.”

“Uh-oh, it’s never good when the ‘I love yous’ start coming out of her,” Clara said.

“I’ll help you get her to the car and follow you back, because I’m certain you’re gonna need help getting her into the house,” I said.

“You’re leaving already?” Clara pouted.

“Yeah, I have to hunt up some dinner still and get home. I really appreciate you all telling me it’s normal to get frustrated and want to strangle him sometimes,” I admitted.

“I don’t think we said it was okay to strangle him,” Lizzy said, amused.

“Shhh, just go with it,” Lily told her. “The makeup sex is worth it. I promise.”

“Okay, she’s going home now,” I said.

Bran

Chapter 9

I almost felt guilty by the time I dropped Thomas off at his house. I had convinced him to drink vodka with me and play a few drinking games I knew I’d win easily. I had convinced myself I’d have to get him drunk for him to let me stay in the Pack, but as the evening wore on, I knew in my heart that wasn’t the case.

Thomas Collier was genuinely a nice guy. He cared about his Pack and especially his family. He loved his sisters and only wanted to see them happy. He even commented that he’d never seen Ruby so happy as she was when he’d stopped by the apartment. I’d thought she’d been irritated and unhappy they were there, but as he’d told me several times, that was just Ruby’s way, and he could tell she was happy.

He really believed in true mates and was head over heels in love with his mate. It didn’t just show in his words, but in his actions, too. Bulgarians believed in mating for strength, but we were an isolated Pack that mostly kept to ourselves, so finding a true mate was rare. My father had always said that it had been sheer luck that he’d found his. I understood what he meant now. It felt like some divine force or just sheer damn luck that Ruby had stumbled across me literally in the middle of nowhere the way she had.

After seeing Thomas safely inside his house, I left the keys on his kitchen table and let myself out. He was stumbling down the hall towards the bedroom and I could hear Lily giggling and calling for him from the direction he was heading. I smiled and shook my head.

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