Page 86 of Where There's Smoke
We finished our goodbyes, and I realized I was standing in the middle of the room in just a towel. I really did need to hop in the shower, but the effort that entailed sounded a lot harder now. Still, it would give me a few moments to decompress. And hell, maybe I’d have an epiphany while I was in there. They were notoriously good for that.
All the guys were on the deck, watching Dotty as she ran around, exploring everything she could. I was fresh and clean, dried off from the shower, and buzzing like a time bomb ready to explode. My heart was thrumming so much I could taste it, and my stomach twisted on itself.
“Hey, good shower?” Samson asked as he saw me, turning with a smile. “You were in there so long, I thought you got swept down the drain!”
I nodded, padding over to them as I trembled slightly. “Actually, I was on the phone with Sunny for a bit.”
Samson’s brows rose. “What did she think about our situation? I know she dealt with some stuff of her own. Maybe we should grab dinner with Pack Landry soon. It’s been a while, and we can all talk about things. Eight heads are better than one.”
“Ha,” I chuckled, a little less brightly than usual, “that’d be nice. She actually had a really simple solution for what's going on, but…I don't know if it would work for us.”
All of them paused to look at me. Fitz was holding the excited puppy, who was wriggling around, ready to keep moving instead of being held in what we lovingly called “air jail.”
“We’re all ears,” Elliot said, meeting my eyes with his classic no-nonsense expression. I never would have thought I’d appreciate it as much as I did now. I needed his steady grounding, an anchor in the storm.
“Sunny said if we were serious, you know, about all this”—my heart hammered harder, and I was pretty sure I was shaking—“which I'm not sure we really are, at this point. Because it’s so new and all, and I get that you guys have the firehouse andeverything, so it might not even be plausible. It’s probably better to just think of?—”
“Melody.” Elliot stepped forward, raising his hands in an attempt to calm me. “It’s okay. Just say it.”
I hesitated, my nerves getting the best of me. Was I really going to say this? But the truth was, we didn’t have a lot of choices, and this was a sure thing. I’d looked it up after the shower, and a bonded pack couldn’t be split up.
The bigger thing that’d really convinced me to do this, though, was the thought of leaving them. Like a knife carved through my chest, the notion of being without my alphas—yes,myalphas—made me want to cry until I dried up like a husk. I adored them, adored the way they made me feel and cared for me. I really believed that I lo?—
“Firecracker?” Fitz’s concerned voice cut through the chaos in my brain.
Oh god, what are they going to say? Just do it, Melody. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
“Well, we could, umm, bond, and then my parents couldn't do anything. I’d be with you guys. You know…forever.”
No one said anything, and my heart was getting ready to throw itself out of my chest and make a break for it. The world swirled as I looked at their dumbfounded expressions. Immediately, I waved my hands through the air, shaking my head. Oh, no. Had I made a mistake? Did they…not feel the same?
Mortification swirled, and I was ready to crawl into a hole. I’d never felt so stupid and heartbroken, faced with their lack of a response. It was like being dumped via text.
“Okay, I’m sorry, it was just a thought.” My voice cracked, tears burning as I fought them back. “A stupid,stupidthought. I’ll just?—”
Samson approached me, taking my shoulders as he met my stare. “Hey, calm down. It’s okay. Is that, well, is that all it would take?” he asked.
I nodded, still feeling like an idiot as I tried to keep myself from falling apart. “Yeah, apparently, once I'm bonded, my pack is my primary family, and my parents can't say anything.”
It was impossible to keep the emotion from my voice now, and I hated the tears that slid down my cheeks.
“I told Sunny it was a silly idea because we've only just started dating, and I don't know if you guys evenwantto be bonded in the future. I mean, I totally get it if you have reservations. God, I totally misjudged this, didn’t I? Crap. This isn’t…I…”
But the words drifted away as I looked over Pack Wilder, curling into myself, my chest aching. All the guys shared a look. I couldn't quite distinguish what it was. But it couldn’t be good, right? I mean, it was me.No onehad wanted me forever before. Why would my luck change now?
“You think wedon'twant to bond with you?” Fitz asked. He took a slow step forward, his brows knitted together on his handsome face.
“Well, I think this is all still pretty new, and you guys probably want to spend longer with me before you even consider that. Like how people date before marriage, you've got to date before bonding—I assume, anyway. And we haven’t even talked about this being long-term. I’d…It makes sense that you don’t see me that way. I mean, I’m just some dumb omega who washed up on your doorstep. You probably don’t…”
Now, Fitz was up in my face, putting the puppy down and striding over to me. Dotty followed him, nipping at his laces. He took my chin, forcing me to meet his bright eyes.
“Melody,” he crooned, a heavy exhale leaving him as he said my name, “don’t ever think that about yourself. And us? Are youserious? Uhh, we aresodown to bond, firecracker. What made you think otherwise?”
“W-well.” I struggled to find the words. “I just thought…I’ve never had…umm…”
All the guys surrounded me, wrapping me in a huddle-style hug that made me feel grounded and safe. I could smell them all, those swirling scents delectable, and the furious pounding of my heart settled down.
“Look, the only reason we’re taking things slow is because of you,” Samson said. “You’re new to this whole omega thing. The last thing we wanted to do was rush you. You needed time to figure things out. We wanted to give you that time. But not want you? That’s ridiculous. You might not have had someone in your corner before, but you do now.”
