Page 44 of Finding the Forward: Part Two
“Chet harassed you, too? Though it makes sense, given they were friends.” I took a drink of water as I stood barefoot in the dark kitchen. Fuck, he was such an asshole.
“Everyone harassed me. Now it’s happening again. The texts don’t stop. Now, the friends of the girl who wrecked my greenhouse are all over the internet accusing me of ruining her life. It’s going to happen to Grif, too. Chet’s rich, so nothing will happen to him. I hate that people get away with awful things because of their money and power.” Her voice grew angry.
“Me, too. I get it now. I’m sorry I haven’t done more about your phone haters. We’ll protect Grif, okay? None of this is your fault. I wish I were there to hold you.” Regret shot through me. I hadn’t even thought about all that. How this might be for her.
I should have fucking done something sooner. She’d been getting these texts for weeks and all I did was have her document and block them.
“We’ll win against Chet. We’ll protect everyone. It won’t be like it was. Promise.We’re stronger together. Three alphas can protect better than two, right?” I tried appealing to her alpha instincts as I leaned against the counter and had another sip of water.
“Yes.”
“That’s my girl,” I praised. If she were here, I’d fuck her good. Though I’d probably need to put her over my knee first to get her out of her head so she could relax. “We’re stronger together.”
“Yes. We’re stronger together, Alpha Jonas,” she assured. “And we don’t let the assholes win.”
I couldn’t help but smile.Alpha Jonas.She was feeling better.
“I’m proud of you.” We talked a while longer, and she seemed to relax with every word. “Do you need me to stay on the phone while you fall asleep?” I suppressed a yawn.
“I’m supposed to be getting ready to go dancing. Mercy and Kaiko became friends with one of the Hawai’i rookies at all-rookie camp over the summer. He’s been taking them to all the best spots today. I think he likes Kaiko. They want me to go out with them,” she told me.
“That sounds good. Put on a cute dress, have a drink, dance. Everything will be okay,” I assured her as I finished my water.
“I hope so. But I won’t drink at the club since I need to keep an eye on them. Maybe Rusty or some others will still be awake when we get back,” she replied.
“That sounds like a good plan. Rusty’s safe to drink with.”
“Thank you. I feel better now. I… I miss you.” Her voice went soft.
“I miss you, too. Only a few more days until you come back.” Once again, I wished she was here so I could hold her.
“Can’t wait. I… I love you.”
She did? Those three words hit me in the heart.
“Sweet Girl, I love you, too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I put my glass in the sink. Really, I should put it in the dishwasher, but it needed to be emptied, and I didn’t want to do that right now. Instead, I filled it back up and brought it into my room.
“Talk to you tomorrow.” She ended the call.
I returned to bed. Putting the glass of water on the nightstand, I snuggled into Dean, who didn’t even move–and took up most of the bed.
Fuck. I needed to take care of my little alpha better. Because while I knew Grif and Dean wanted to bond with her, I think I did, too.
Chapter Fifteen
Grif
“Hey, Sleepy-Boo, going to stay in bed all day?” A playful voice teased me into wakefulness.
“Mmmm, come back to bed, Pepperjack.” Eyes still closed, my hand tapped the empty and cold spot beside me.
“I have coffee.” The bed shifted as AJ sat down next to me, his vetiver scent teasing my nose.
Eyes opening, I focused on the steaming mug in his hands. My gaze lingered on his bare, muscular chest and how low he wore his cotton shorts. “Thanks for the coffee, but I’ll take some of that.”
AJ grinned, joy and lust coming through our bond. He set the mug on the nightstand. Right, we were in my room.
“Later. I’m making you food.” His look smoldered in promise.
