Page 32 of Knot Their Girl
“We, uh, should talk,” I start, inching toward him. “About Raeka, specifically.”
His brows furrow.What about her?
“What do you think of her?”
Colter purses his lips and then shrugs before he signs,She’s fine. Why do you care what I think about her? She’s your omega. Your pack. Not mine.
“About that… what if she wasn’t? What would you say?”
What if she wasn’t what? Your pack or your omega?
“Listen, please. Listen to what I have to say before you try to shut me down. You’re twenty-one. You’re no child anymore. I’ve done everything I can for you, tried to give you a reason to—” I can’t finish that sentence, so I avoid its ending altogether. “Youcould have your whole life ahead of you. I didn’t go to the Omega Garden for myself. I didn’t write Raeka an offer for me.”
The more I say, the more confused Colter’s face becomes… until I say these next few words: “I did it for you.”
He blinks and shakes his head somewhat.Me?He signs,What do you mean you did it for me? What are you talking about?
“Raeka’s not my omega. She’s not here for me. The outside world might think it, and we might need to put in some appearances here and there, but the truth is,” I pause, feeling the weight of what I’m about to tell him pushing down on my shoulders, “she’s here for you. Whether you want to be friends or more than that—it’s up to you. You and Raeka.”
He moves faster than I’ve seen him move in a long, long time. He practically flies off the stool and comes storming over at me as he signs,What the hell are you talking about? You’re not trying to set me up with an omega, are you? I’m a beta, and even if I wasn’t, what gives you the right to do something like this?
“You have every right to be upset. I’ll never take that away from you, but you know I worry about you. You lock yourself up here and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist—”
And how’s that any different from what you do? You lock yourself in your office all day, every day, and work, work, work!
“You’re right,” I relent. “I do. It doesn’t make it right.” I take a teeny step towards him, lowering my voice to a gentle whisper, “Listen to me. I’m old. Set in my ways. No omega would take a look at me want me when they could have someone who… who looks like Pax. I’m nothing special, but you—you’re a beta, sure, but you are amazing. Raeka is…”
How can I describe her to him without sounding crazy?
“She doesn’t want alphas. She made that very clear. She already knows she’s here for you, and she’s willing to try.” I study my nephew. He looks as though he’s calmed down, but he doesn’t appear eager, either. “The question is: are you?”
Colter closes his eyes and glances away for a bit, but then he looks at me and signs,And what if I’m not? What if this thing, whatever it is, ends badly?
“Maybe Raeka can be a bit much, but she’s outgoing, and I think she’s nice when it counts. I don’t want you to put any pressure on yourself or on her, but I do want you to try your hardest.” I set a hand on his shoulder and squeeze. “I want you to be happy again.”
I hate how sad my nephew looks when he signs,And what if I can’t?
It’s a question he’s asked multiple times, something we’ve struggled with together. My hope is that, in bringing in new blood, in bringing in a beautiful omega into the house, that he’ll be forced to come out of his shell, that he can find himself again. This person he’s become… he’s not whole, and it kills me inside.
“Just keep an open mind when it comes to her, okay? Do itfor me.” I only take my hand off his shoulder when he gives me a single nod. “Thank you.”
The look Colter gives me right then makes me wonder if all of this will be for nothing. After all, I can’t forget how badly he’s wanted to give up before. I’m the only reason he’s here, it’s true.
This house and the two people living in it—Colter and I—we aren’t in great shape, I’ll be the first to admit. We’re scarred, literally and figuratively. We’re broken, both of us, though in different ways. It’s too late for me, but my nephew has his whole life ahead of him; he still has plenty of time left to turn things around. I’m forty. I technically have a lot of time left too, but I’ve long since given up on myself.
But my nephew? I refuse to give up on him. I won’t do it. No, even if it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to make sure my nephew has a future full of love and acceptance. If that future happens to be with Raeka, then I’ll consider it a job well-done.
Colter returns to his painting, and I leave him be, but instead of returning to my office, I head outside, on the back patio. I collapse onto a wicker chair and stare out at the yard, the sun hot above my head. With not a single cloud in the sky, it’s almost sweltering. Sweat soon pools on my hairline, but I ignore it as I gaze out at the woods that surround the backyard.
Am I doing the right thing? I suppose it’s a moot point now, seeing as how Raeka is already here, moved in, an official offer accepted. Whether or not it works out between my nephew and her is up to them. I hope it does.
If I’m completely honest, Colter isn’t the only one in this house who’s given up on life at times. I have, too. I simply did it in a different way. Phoning in my designs. Not caring when profits for last season’s releases weren’t as equitable as the board had hoped. I’m the last Chase who’s still a part of things; it’s the only reason they didn’t officially get rid of me. Once I’m gone, they’ll be Chase in name only.
But isn’t that how most companies are run nowadays? Family-owned businesses, especially of the Chase size, aren’t really a thing anymore. It’s all boards and CEOs and other people who only care about the money.
I lean forward as I sigh and run a hand along my face. For some reason, never before in my life have I felt this conflicted. It’s not a feeling I’m used to, and I can frankly say I don’t enjoy it. This, whatever it is, will hopefully fade as the days go on and we all get used to each other’s presence here.
Will it happen, or is that simply a pipe dream? Only time will tell.
