Page 85 of Fated to the Hunters
“And as I said, you don’t have to yet.”
Scarlett closed her eyes and melted into her mates’ touches. This wasn’t how she’d wanted her evening to end at all.
Ezra was already waiting in the car but unlike before, Scarlett climbed into the backseat with Vince, resting her head back and closing her eyes for the drive home.
Back home her mind was still too riled up to sleep so she asked, “Can we watch that sequel now?”
Happily, Vince turned the TV on and tucked her blanket around her once she was settled.
Ezra hadn’t come inside with them and only entered the house halfway through the movie. Sweat dripped off his face, and his knuckles swollen and bleeding. He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher before he walked up the stairs and disappeared from sight.
Scarlett turned her attention back to the movie, debating on if she should go after him and explain herself. The situation was clearly a huge misunderstanding, and Scarlett didn’t want that. Letting the movie captivate her mind, she pushed it aside, deciding that it was best to let it rest for the moment.
But just a few minutes later, Ezra entered the room and fell to his knees before her. “I’m sorry.”
She looked down at him. It wasn’t lost on her that he self-admittedly didn’t apologise, so she was sceptical. “What are you apologising for?”
Holding her gaze, Ezra visibly struggled to form his thoughts into words. “For hurting you.”
“Which part do you think hurt me?”
He chewed his lip, his nose wrinkling as his black eyes searched her face. “How I touched you. I was too rough. And for what I said. You’ve asked me continuously not to degrade you, and my words did that.”
“They did. Are you able to listen to my side now?”
“I am.”
“My hesitation was not towards having children and definitely not because I would choose to have Mateo’s over yours. I have not thought about having children with you. Generally speaking, I know they are in my future. I just hadn’t thought about how it would differ from having them with one mate. There are three of you and all three need to be considered, even if one has chosen not to have his own.”
“I understand that now. I let my emotions take over and I’m sorry for it.”
“Come with me.” She took his hand and stood, pulling him to the sink. She reached up to grab a mug with a chipped edge. She’d wanted to get rid of it anyway, so it was perfect for her exercise. “Say something mean.”
He seemed rather confused, but then said, “Little rogue.”
Scarlett dropped the mug, the chip fracturing a little more. She picked it back up. “You can do better than that, Ezra.”
“I dislike you.”
This time Scarlett threw the mug as hard as she could, and the ceramic shattered. “Pretend the mug is me after you just told me you disliked me and now apologise.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Did that fix the mug?”
Swallowing hard, Ezra shook his head. “No.”
“We all say things when we’re angry, and we all say things that hurt the other, whether it was intentional or not. But an apology can’t fix the damages the words have caused.”
Ezra stared into the sink and picked up one of the bigger pieces. “I’ll do better.”
“No one is perfect. I’m sure we’ll all say or even do things that will hurt the other. I know my past rejections have hurt you. Now that I think about it, maybe they are part of your underlying emotions. I promise I’ll do better too.”
He held the porcelain shard for a while before he turned his head to her, his face softer than she’d ever seen. “Can I hold you now?”
“I would love that.”
Without giving her the chance to clean up, he took her hand and dragged her away from the sink. He sat on the couch and spread his legs in invitation. Once settled, his arms were around her and his nose nuzzled behind her ear.
