Page 65 of Players and Pages
“I hate this.”
“It won’t last long,” I said. “Henry is only brave when it’s just them. Notice he didn’t try that shit in front of us. Between us and her friends, she’ll be safe.”
DANI
The guys’ warning stayed with me long after the conversation I had with Taryn and Bea. They were fine with extra security and once Taryn called her guys, they agreed to help keep an eye on the shop when they could as well.
Taryn even went as far as talking to the neighboring businesses to keep an eye out. Another perk to working and living in a small town. We weren’t alone. Even strangers looked out for each other here.
The door chimed as the pizza delivery driver came in carrying our usual big order. I don’t think I’ve ever been this grateful for a distraction in my life.
"The usual spot?" he called out as he peered around the stack of boxes.
"Yes, thank you," I said as I pulled out the cash I had in my pocket to pay him.
He laid them out on the table and even arranged them by type for us. It was a well practiced routine at this point.
"You're all set. See you next month?" he asked with a grin as I handed him the bills.
"You bet. I'll call once we have the date locked in," I promised. At this point we always asked for him by name.
"Thank you," he said before I walked him to the door.
Even for a teenager, I appreciated that he had manners. The first delivery driver we had was on his phone the whole time and even dropped one of our pizzas. It was a nightmare but we pushed on and bookclub was a hit.
When the door closed behind him, I thought I saw someone peeking around the corner. On my double take, there was no one. I swear, my mind was making me jumpy.
I shook off the creepy feeling and returned to finish getting our little gifts set up and arranged. To add to talking about the book, we decided to give away little prizes for the most active for the night, answering the most questions and so on. It made everyone participate more and even got them to tell more of their friends to come.
Who doesn’t love freebies?
"Are you ready?" Taryn asked as she moved around me to deposit a few more snacks and drinks on the table.
"I am. Are the twins joining us tonight?" I questioned.
"Nah, the guys are keeping them and I just finished pumping so they’re good to go," she told me.
"Good, you need some time away. Even if I miss them," I teased.
"Yeah, I'll see if I can make it through. A break is nice but I'm with you on that one. Though, I sure don't miss them at three am," she snorted. “It makes me feel more human to have time like this, though.”
"I hear you on that one. I love my sleep, but having kids is worth it, right?" I asked. It was something I’d been contemplating since finding a pack. Maybe this solitary independent life wasn’t all I’d talked it up to be.
I wanted that comfort of a pack, someone waiting for me after work, texts and morning kisses… and yes, maybe even kids.
Eventually.
Taryn saw right through the question, giving me a reassuring smile. "Even with the sleepless nights and the crying," she promised.
"What are you two talking about?" Bea asked as she walked in, dropping into one of the comfy chairs we had pushed together. The way she sipped her drink was like she was waiting for the tea.
"You and when you'll meet your mates," Taryn answered, somehow keeping her face serious.
Bea rolled her eyes.
"At this point, I’m fine. We don’t need a repeat of my last relationship,” she said with a scowl. She’d only given me small bits of what truly happened, but from what I pieced together, the alpha was abusive. “Let's get Dani settled with hers and maybe mine will show themselves.”
"Fine, but we’re all getting our happily ever after," I said, narrowing my eyes and earning another roll of hers. "Did you get the drinks ready?"
