Page 63 of Coming Home

Shelby looked up at me and scrunched her nose.

I laughed. “Pretty sure you just put a cold shower stop to that plan, but thanks.”

“Come on,” Shelby said. “Let’s get you three home.”

We got the boys into the car and I drove over to the Alpha house. Maddie and Cora were waiting outside for them. With heads hung low, they went to face their punishment.

Liam stepped out to evaluate the scene. “Let me guess, truth or dare?”

Oscar grinned sheepishly up at his father and nodded.

“To the cemetery?” Maddie asked, sounding exasperated. “Really?”

He shrugged. “It sounded good at the time. We weren’t planning to spend the night out there, Will just got so upset that that’s what we ended up doing.”

“Will, are you okay?” Cora asked, sounding genuinely concerned. “What happened?”

Shelby shook her head. “Not now, Mom. I’ll explain it later. We have it under control.”

Maddie stared at her and I watched as something transpired between the sisters.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. You guys are safe and that’s all that matters. Come on in and eat breakfast,” Maddie finally said.

“Really?” Oscar asked looking from his mother to his father, waiting for one of them to laugh or discipline him or something.

“If that’s what your mom said, then go. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Liam said.

The boys scurried off into the house while Maddie walked over and hugged Shelby.

“Are you okay?” she asked my mate.

Shelby nodded. “Yeah. We had a talk with them. It’s fine.”

Cora wiped tears from her cheek. “They found Annabelle’s grave, didn’t they? I noticed there was a new addition to it made recently.”

“I’m not going to apologize for that,” I said.

“You knew?” Shelby asked.

Cora started crying and hugged her close. “Of course I knew, but Doc said you were adamant that he tell no one. He had to get permission from your father to bury her in a Collier plot. You seemed to be handling it okay, so I never said anything. We always assumed she was Ben’s, but we weren’t certain until we saw Shay carved under her name a few days ago. I still visit her often.”

“Thank you,” Shelby said.

Cora grabbed my arm and pulled me into their hug. “If the two of you can get through something like that, and find your way back to each other, then you can face anything life throws your way. I’m so glad she has you back in her life,” she told me.

Later that day the boys had to say goodbye to Oscar as Maddie and Liam headed back to San Marco. I didn’t even growl when Walker hugged Shelby goodbye.

When Monday came, Shelby and the twins settled back into their school routine and I was on my own for much of the day. I tried showing up to lunch a few times, but she actually told me I was too much of a distraction.

By Wednesday most of Shelby’s things had been moved to the house. She was staying in my room and would be even after I left. My days seemed short and I wasn’t ready for Monday to come.

Saturday, I finally got to spend some time alone with Shelby. Cora and Zach had decided to pay a visit to my parents and took Troy and Will with them for the weekend. I wasn’t sure how I would ever repay their kindness.

“Alone at last,” Shelby said, flopping back onto my couch and reaching for the remote.

I frowned. “I have roughly forty-eight hours left here, and you want to spend it watching television?”

“I was thinking a movie, unless you had something better in mind,” she said slyly.

---