Page 119 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Could be going better, honestly.”

“Uh-oh, what happened?”

I laid out what had gone down the night before, and how things had gone downhill as soon as she sat down to dinner with me. Tate walked in as I gave my rundown of events and took a seat next to Miles. It felt like they were judging me. It was more than likely not true, but I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. By the time I finished, I had beads of sweat on my forehead.

“You know, I’m glad you finally came around. This is a much smarter path to take.” He waved a hand in the air. “The wholemake her hate mething was bound to fail.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Miles and Tate both laughed. It was all good-natured, but it did nothing for my nerves. “It wasn’t really me. It was my bear. That’s what brought me around.”

Tate nodded. “I understand that. The whole time I was trying to figure out what I had with Harley, my dragon was being real emo. Made my whole life pretty miserable.”

The real problem, the major fear I had was swirling in my head. If I didn’t voice it now, when would I? If I couldn’t ask advice from my friends, my brothers, who could I ask?

“What happens if this works? April will become a shifter. Her life will change forever, and it’ll be my fault. I’ll ruin her life. I feel like a selfish asshole for even trying.”

“If April loves you, then becoming a shifter won’t be a big deal,” Tate said. “I was afraid for Harley, but her becoming my mate was the best thing this curse ever did. It worked out for us; I have no doubt it will work for you all.”

Miles nodded. “You’ll be fine, Steff. So will April. If this curse has taught us anything, it’s that you have to go with it. Don’t fight it. Whatever’s gonna happen will happen.”

I appreciated what they were saying, and it did make me feel better. The fear was still there, not only about what would happen if April became a shifter but with what would happen if the hunters got too close.

“On a different note, that Ryland guy is still sniffing around April. Calling her. When I got home last night, she was on the phone with him. It was quiet out and my hearing picked up his end of the call. He was asking her out again.”

Tate’s snarl was totally warranted. Thiswasthe guy who’d tried to murder his mate. If it was me, I’d react the same way. Even as it was, I wanted to kill the guy. I could only imagine what Tate was thinking.

I leaned out the door. “Blayne? Can you come here for a second?” I called.

Miles raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what does Blayne have to do with the guy calling April?”

I held up a hand. “Hang on, will you?”

Blayne walked in a few seconds later. “What’s up? Your Majesty rang?”

Ignoring the joke, I said, “That same hunter has been trying to get with April still. Is there any way to block his calls?”

Blayne looked at Miles and Tate, then back at me. He laughed, nodding. “Dude, I can do that in about five minutes. We’ll make sure that guy doesn’t get anywhere close to April.”

My entire body sagged with relief. It was nice having friends with diverse talents. I really didn’t know what I’d have done if Ihadn’t met these guys after I lost my career. It had been tough going for a while. I’d had a little nest egg from when I signed my contract after getting drafted, but once I’d paid off my uncle’s house and taken care of some other things, I didn’t have much to go around. I’d been dumb with most of my money the first few months. In my mind, I figured I would be in the pros for the next fifteen or twenty years. I’d have tons of big money contracts. When that hadn’t happened, I’d come home with my tail between my legs, almost as broke as I’d been when I left.

If I hadn’t fallen in with the guys, I’d have had to spend what money I’d saved to eat and pay rent on a shitty apartment. I’d have never had the cash to help start the security firm. My friends were one of the best things to ever happen to me. I thanked God for them every day. They were the closest thing I had to family.

Tate stood and edged toward the door. “No matter what, we need to keep our eyes out. The hunters are back, and they are trying to get close to the people we care about. We have to stay vigilant.”

We all agreed, each of us looking more somber than we had a few moments before. I glanced at my watch, noted the time, then headed out to go pick Aiden up.

I pulled up to Kellan’s house five minutes early. One of the benefits of living in a small town was that everything was five or ten minutes away. Aiden and Kellan were in the front yard throwing a baseball back and forth. I had a moment of surrealism as I watched. It was hard to believe my best friend from high school had a kid. Something about it made me feel strange. Like life was moving by way too fast. Moving by and leaving me behind. Suddenly, I had such an intense and painful feeling of regret, that, for the millionth time, I kicked myself. I’d ended something special way back when I was a dumb kid. Whathad I missed by doing that? What memories hadn’t been made? What happiness had I lost out on?

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I got out and waved to Kellan. He caught the ball out of the air and waved back. I closed my door and walked toward him and Aiden. The boy grabbed his duffel bag and ran toward me.

“Coach, I’m ready to go.”

Aiden didn’t even stop for me to say anything. He just ran straight toward my truck and threw his bag and bat into the back seat. I looked at Kellan, who was grinning. “The kid’s talked about this nonstop since I said he could go. I really appreciate you driving him.”

“No problem, Kellan. Like I said, I have to be there anyway. I’m happy to do it.”

Before I could say anything else, a contented internal sigh breezed through my mind. My bear sensed something that made it pleased and tranquil. I knew what it was before I turned.

April had pulled up into the driveway behind my truck. Catching sight of her car made my stomach flip-flop. When she stepped out and the breeze caught her hair, I thought I might pass out. Every time I saw her, she was more beautiful. She was carrying a big plastic bag that looked like it contained boxes. When she stepped around the hood, there was a name printed on the side:You Knead Donuts.

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