Page 86 of Begrudgingly Yours
Some of his anger visibly dissipates in response. Both surprise and hope circle his deep blue irises. “Did you just—” His mouth gapes open, and his hands move to cradle my own face. “You love me?”
“So,somuch,” I say, barely above a whisper, but he hears me clear as day.
His palms on my cheeks ground me as he gives a wet laugh. His chest erupts in a sudden purr, the vibrations visibly pulsing around us. “I love you, too.”
When our lips meet, it’s soft but also greedy, like we can’t get as close as we want to. Our scents morph together and almost act as a barrier to the disgusting array of smells around us, leaving us in our own perfect bubble.
It’s that reminder of the dirty place we’re in that makes me pull back a little, scrunching my nose with frustration. “I would gladly return the favor from your birthday party if we weren’t in a literal cesspit.”
Dax barks out a laugh. “We have all the time in the world. We can revisit that later.”
He pulls me into his side and I fall into it with ease. We fit together so perfectly that I give a euphoric sigh.
“I actually have something to ask you,” he adds, his voice softer than I’ve ever heard it.
“Oh?” I raise a curious brow. “You’re not going to ask me if you did the wrong thing out there, are you? Because if I’m honest, I don’t think you hit him hard enough.”
“No.” He rolls his eyes jovially. “My family is havingEverett and Jett over for Thanksgiving. Everett’s mom will also be there. I was wondering if you wanted to come, too.”
I can already tell that the grin on my face is going to hurt my cheek muscles but I can’t stop it. “You’re inviting me to meet your family? Oh, wemustbe official. This is exciting,” I tease.
“We’re in love,” Dax reiterates the scene from a few moments ago. “I want my family to meet my pack. The people who make me happiest.”
“My dad would have loved you three,” I say without thinking, and I realize that it’s true. Each of them would have had an amazing relationship with him. And even though they can’t, that’s okay. Just knowing without any doubt that he would be proud of me is enough.
“I know, baby,” he replies, wiping the tear that I didn’t even know was there. “We would have loved him, too.”
FORTY
I wish I could be truthful when I say I’m not nervous to meet Dax and Everett’s families, but there’s a pit in my stomach the size of a baseball.
I feel like a human avocado, one that’s not ripe enough yet for this venture.
I’ve barely had time to enjoy being in New York City between the nervous hiccups and my alphas rushing us through the chaos. Dax adopts a very frantic and stern demeanor as we navigate our way out of the airport and through the city. It’s vastly different from his usually relaxed nature.
But I can’t lie and say his more demanding qualities don’t turn me on.
When we get to the building where his family lives, a part of me thinks it’s a mistake. It’s so tall that I can’t even see the top of it and the doorman stops us to say hello with his posh English accent.
“Are we sure we’re in the right place?” I whisper to Jett as we enter the elevator that literally looks gold-plated.
My demure alpha gives a gruntled laugh. “I see he hasn’t told you about his family.”
“What do you mean?” I ask but then I see Dax hit a button that’s separate from the others. “What are those? I’m so confused.”
Everett tries to hide his amusement but Dax just beams brightly. “We’re going to the penthouse.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “The penthouse?”
I don’t even have time for a proper freakout because this elevator might be the fastest one in the world.
The elevator pings as we reach the top and the doors open before I can catch my breath. What I see immediately makes my jaw drop back open.
Insanely high ceilings, wall-to-wall windows overlooking the entirety of New York City. Lush white furniture that looks so fluffy they could all be literal clouds. And a shiny chandelier that brings the room together and sparkles with every movement of my feet.
“Holy cow,” I blurt out, which causes my alphas to laugh.
“May I take your bag, Miss?” someone says beside me and I look over to see a real, honest-to-god butler.
