Page 34 of Knot Happening

The question stops me mid-chew. I think for a moment. “What do you want to know? You already know I work at Mom’s as well as Haze. I live with my mom. Right now, I take care of hersince she can’t work anymore.” I won't go into detail about why. “I like the colors pink and purple, and I–” I almost confessed that I enjoy stealing things… Maybe Easton relaxes me a little too well. “I like collecting things. Um.” I nibble my lip trying to think of things I like to do, or…anything else, but I come up blank.

“What do you collect?” Easton asks softly, and I shrug.

“Different things. Nothing in particular.” For some reason, I’m stuck on my answer, though. That all I could think of was theft. I used to enjoy other things.

Coloring books and painting. Writing in a journal. All things I used to do with Hayden, but stopped when he broke my heart. Maybe I’m more fucked up than I realized.

“What about you? Tell me what you like doing.” I consider asking why he gave me a fake name too, but that’s probably just because we met in a bar and giving strangers your real name can be risky.

“Lots of things. Jumping out of planes, arcades.” He bumps my shoulder as he grins at me. “Pretty Omegas named Tatum.” This time he watches me as he says the words, his gaze dropping to my lips as he leans closer. “I like dancing and fighting. Fucking…” his eyes lift to meet mine, and I swallow thickly. Fucking… He smirks like he only added the last word to tease me. If he did, it worked. My stomach did a violent flip at his words, and my core heated, slick threatening to soak my panties.

“Sounds exciting to be you,” I murmur, and he grins brightly, breaking the intimate spell he’d trapped me in.

“You have no idea.”

After we finish eating, Easton drives me home so I can get ready for my shift at Haze. When he walks me to the door of my apartment, holding my hand once again, my heart flutters with joy because of the date we had.

“I had fun tonight. Thank you, Easton, for taking me out.”

“It was my pleasure, Tatum.” He leans forward, pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek. The temptation to drag my cheek against his to leave a scent mark, flashes through me before he pulls back. As he walks away, I can’t help but feel that deep, achy feeling of loneliness sinking in once again. “Until next time,” Easton calls out as he makes his way down the stairs, and I smile, but it feels sad.

I don’t know if I’ll do that again. Because right now, watching him walk away, feels like being punched in the gut. If things got more serious, if I let him get to know me, then how bad would the fall-out be for me when he walked away, and never came back?

Chapter Sixteen

Tatum

Today is the day. Four fucking weeks. I made it. I made decent money, way fucking more than I had been able to make in all my years at Mom’s diner. Paid off some overdue bills. Got groceries to stock the kitchen with. Even purchased a few new blankets for Mom.

But now, I need more. I need way fucking more.

It’s time for me to get Mom the help she needs. One fucking way or another.

So that means, I need to go in and see Declan.

Plus, I need more suppressants. Two birds, one stone, since I never got the extras the day I met Easton.

I feel like the last pack Declan gave me are weaker than what I’m used to. All these emotions and instincts are flooding in, but I need them nonetheless. I want to buy them more now, after that night with Hayden. I do not want to go even an hour without the next dose, so I need to be prepared.

I tug on my sundress as I make my way into my small bathroom. I am late. Hopefully, Declan isn’t already at the club, or I’ll never hear the end of it.

It’s not like I’m being careless, but I can’t exactly tell him I’m late because my mother hasn’t eaten all day, and I had to force-feed her this afternoon. Again. At least there wasn’t any vomiting.

I stuff my heels and some clothes to change into after work into my duffle bag and head into the living room. Meg is already here, taking care of Mom, and I sigh. Thank goodness, she is always on time.

Despite being the one to pay the bills for this place, it’s all in her name, since we moved in when I was still a teen. Which means my credit is shit, and I can’t prove how responsible I am. I couldn’t get my own place, even if I was willing to leave Mom behind. But that would be the same as leaving her to die.

“I have to work tonight, Mom. Meg will take care of you and get you to bed. Then I’ll be back around three.” I always tell her, even though she never responds anymore.

I lean down, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before pushing some of her hair away from her face. She’s staring blankly at the TV.

“I love you.”

I do love her. Even if she’s no longer the woman that once cared for me. My father dying, her Alpha, her mate… It destroyed her. I think she only managed to hang on for all those years for him. He would have wanted her to take care of me. And she did.

She tried her best, even if it wasn’t…good, sometimes. She paid the bills, made sure I was fed. Bought me clothes when she remembered, or the school started to complain. I don’t have any other family, and I had to learn how to care for myself a long time ago.

A spike of pain and resentment rises to the surface, but I shove it down.

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