Page 119 of The Good Boys Club

Clem shrugged. “You both may have been sleeping with other people, but as far as love goes, you’re the only person Mash has ever shown any real interest in. You were practically in an open relationship all along and never realised.”

I opened my mouth to counter, but no sound came out. I rewound the moments in my Mash memory bank—cooking for him, travelling together, going on holiday, going to the cinema or festivals or restaurants. But these were things normal friends did, didn’t they? Snuggling on the sofa, watching kissing movies, foot rubs, washing him when he’d been too wasted to do it himself. Were those standard?

“Anyway,” Clem said after a few moments of silence from me. “Do you want to hear my theory about why successors are chosen?”

My attention snapped back to Clem, then drifted over to Mash again, who wasstillchatting to Sam. Still too much touching.

The wolf in me snarled. Stop fucking touching her.

“I think it’s based on whichever cub shows the biggest capacity for love,” she said.

“But you’re a mother.” The instant I said it, I wanted to reel it back in.

Clem laughed, though, so I obviously didn’t offend her. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids—most of the time—and I love my pack, but Mash has a love . . . for life, for everything, that none of us has ever had. Mash loves with his whole heart. We always knew one day he’d make the best mate for someone. And this is gonna sound super cheesy, but I’m so glad it’s you and not some old lesbian classmate of mine.”

She ruffled my hair, big sisterly. “I know you’re worrying about uprooting your life, I get it. I wish there could be another way, but you’ll learn to love it h—”

“Uh,” I made to interrupt, but immediately thought better of it, and shook my head.

“We’re a lovely bunch. Best friends you could ask for. You’ll find your place in the pack, but most importantly, you’ll have Mash, and home is anywhere your mate is. I promise. After all, Mash spent however many years in Remy just to be near you. We all knew he hated university, and labs, and written assignments, and whatnot, but he stayed because you were there. Because on some level, he must have known you were meant for each other. Fated.”

“Fated,” I repeated in a whisper.Fated.

How much I wished Clem’s words were true.

I glanced over at Mash again, and my heart flopped against my windpipe like a fish out of water. At first glance, it appeared as though Mash and Sam were kissing.

I gripped the handle of the cheese scoop so hard my knuckles turned white.

“You are properly scenting each other, right?” Clem asked, the same panic evident in her features too.

“Sort of,” I replied, my eyes fixed on my fake mate.

Clem looked at her watch. “There’s only half an hour left of this gig, and only a few potatoes too. You’re excused from the rest ofthe shift. I’ll tidy up. Don’t worry about me, you go get your man. Save him from Sam.”

At that moment, Sam leaned forward and whispered something into Mash’s ear, which made him throw his head back and laugh. Then she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

“What’s she doing now?”

“Looks like she’s trying to smell you on him,” Clem said.

I didn’t need Clem to dismiss me twice. I put down the cheese scoop, took my pinny off, and stepped out of the trailer.

I Peed on It, so It’s Mine

Present Day

Mash

“Ican’t believe it. The great Mash Cassidy settled down. Pre-mated. I thought you were like me, man. Figured we’d be lone wolves forever.”

Sam was beautiful. More beautiful than I remembered, and perhaps it was the wisdom—the life—now etched into herfeatures that was to blame. She wasn’t an eighteen-year-old girl any more, she was a thirty-four-year-old woman. With a thirty-four-year-old woman’s body, and a thirty-four-year-old woman’s confidence.

If this had been another time—a few years ago maybe—we’d have wasted little effort jumping back into bed together. But everything was different now. I was different. I understood things about myself that I hadn’t been able to come to grips with before, and there was only one person I wanted now in that way.

And I wouldn’t risk what little time I had left with him for anything.

“Sam Dixon, fancy seeing you here. You’re looking—as always—radiant as fuck.”

---