Page 55 of Laurels and Liquor

“You’ve got a pack now, babe. And with any luck, you’re going to have a gaggle of bond mates before Halloween. And we both know you weren’t meant to work retail for the rest of your life,” she goes on, trying for levity.

My throat closes up, and I close my eyes. I know she’s right. Even now, Mateo is on his way here to pick me up and take me to the building he and his packboughtme for the express purpose of giving me an event venue to run. I’ve been willfully ignoring the implications of what that would mean for my job as a florist, but it seems time’s up on that act.

“I mean, there’s still time. I don’t know how long things are going to take, and I’m sure y’all’ll need help getting this place ready—”

“It’s okay to let us go, babe. I’m so happy you finally found your people, and you deserve this opportunity to do what you’ve always dreamed of,” Gabby interjects, sitting up and twisting to face me.

I twist as well, until we’re knee to knee. She reaches for my hands, and I return her tight grip. Her lower lip quivers, but her smile is heartbreakingly beautiful. My own eyes water, and I blink back the tears threatening to overflow.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without you,” I admit, voice barely above a whisper.

Gabby laughs outright. “Nah, bitch. You are stuck with me for life, and thatisa threat.” She lets out a disbelieving noise through her teeth and rolls her eyes, and I join her laughter this time.

When we’re quiet, I look down at our hands, years of memories coming back to me in a rush. I want to say something, to thank her for everything she’s done for me over the last five years, but no words feel big enough to express what I’m feeling. She picked me up when I was at my lowest and has been in my corner for every step in my healing process. Gabby Fitzgerald is more than my friend; she’s my sister, my platonic soulmate.

“I still want to help get things set up here. I can’t lay around the house all day; I’ll go nuts,” I tease with a chuckle.

Gabby groans and gives me her Sigh of the Long Suffering, but her eyes lack any real heat. “I suppose we could let you do that. But you need to get through your fucking heat first.”

I roll my eyes and smirk, nodding a little. That’s reasonable, I suppose.

“For real, though, babe. You need to stay indoors until you’re done pushing out that insane perfume. Like, I don’t even like women, and it’s making me want to fuck you. You’re gonna get jumped if you keep going out in public,” Gabby goes on.

I let out a bark of startled laughter and blush red hot, which only makes Gabby laugh, too. We’re still a riot of giggles when Wila comes in a few minutes later, hands on her hips.

“Have you girls done anything productive?” she asks sternly.

Gabby and I look at each other, trying to smother our laughter, but the effort only makes us laugh more. Wila, the trooper, just rolls her eyes and goes off to actually look at the apartment.

Not too long after, the decision has been made. This is going to be their new home. Gabby is on the line with the leasing agency as Mateo pulls up, waving at Wila through the windshield. I turn to the woman who’s treated me as nothing less than her own flesh and blood for the last several years, smiling sadly.

“Gabby and I talked,” I say simply, and it only takes a minute for Wila to understand my meaning.

“You’ve done damn good work for me, Lydia. And you’re going to do amazing things with the St. Clairs,” Wila says, words failing for a moment as she clears her throat and takes a deep breath.

I take one of her wrinkled hands and give it a comforting squeeze. She glances down at our joined fingers for a moment before setting her shoulders and bringing her gaze back to mine, jaw set.

“I expect you and that pack of yours to show face for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, you hear me?” she says, tone matching her expression.

Smirking, I give her a teasing shrug. “We may have to negotiate our holiday schedule. I’ve been told Christmas celebrations are a bit of a production for them.”

Wila gives me a grunt, and I smirk a little wider. The image of Alexandra St. Clair and Wilhelmina Fitzgerald sitting down and haggling over who gets me on which holidays plays in my mind, and I have to admit that I don’t know who would come out the victor in that match up.

Gabby ends her call and heads back toward us, and before I can think better of it, I throw myself around Wila’s neck in a tight embrace. She doesn’t miss a beat and returns it. It only lasts for a moment, but it sets the last little bit of my nerves to rest. Wila and Gabby are family, and always will be. I’m not losing them, and they aren’t leaving me behind. We’re growing, and sometimes that means embarking on different paths. But I know that nothing will ever come between me, my best friend, and Gran. So as I give them a parting wave from the passenger seat of Mateo’s SUV, I’m not filled with the sadness of a goodbye. Instead, my heart is light with excitement for what’s going to happen next.

Chapter twenty-six

Lydia

Mateokeepsglancingatme out of the corner of his eye as we start toward our destination, ozone and citrus coating my tongue and throat with each passing block. His hand is on my thigh, fingers tracing nonsense patterns on the sensitive inside of my leg. I try not to fidget or squirm, but I’ve texted Rhett, so the game is truly on now. And it doesn’t take more than a few minutes for the vibrations to start, a low buzz so soft that I almost don’t feel it at first. But as it builds, I try to keep my breathing even, my stomach in knots as I clench uselessly against the silicone. It only lasts for a few minutes, not enough to push me to the edge, and I sigh when it stops, trying to bring my heart back under control.

“You doing okay, baby girl? You look a little flushed?” Mateo asks in a low purr.

I shiver as the words slide over my skin like ice cubes, and I nod, not trusting my voice. But as I look up at him when we stop at the next traffic light, I yelp as he leans over and grabs me by the back of the neck, kissing me hard enough to bruise. My head spins as he backs off again, settling into his seat.

“I’ll take care of you when we get somewhere more comfortable,” he says with a wink.

I nod dumbly, swallowing a groan as the bulb pressed against my G-spot starts to vibrate, sending a fresh wave of heat through me. I clench my teeth as I ride it, rising higher and higher. My orgasm builds steadily, and after being stimulated without release all morning, I know I can get there, maybe even without Rhett knowing. I try to rock my hips in little circles, getting a little more friction, a little more pressure. But suddenly, Mateo’s growl cuts through my haze, and I whip my head around to look at him with wide eyes.

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