Page 88 of Rejected Beta

I reach up to cover one of his hands with one of mine. “I’m so glad you found me. No one has ever been able to make me feel better and calm the voices in my head as well as you."

"You are everything I've ever wanted. I will always find you."

He's only been back in my life for a handful of days, but we're falling right back into the way things used to be, picking up right where we left off. There will be growing pains as we get reacquainted, but he's right. I can't imagine screwing this up after finally getting a second chance.

I reach for his face and tug it down to press a kiss to his lips, my throat tight with emotion. His chest rumbles and he nips at my mouth as we pull away, a mischievous light in his eyes as we grin at each other like fools.

Which is how Lexie finds us when she's done with her bath. "Are you two about to kiss?"

I grin at the repeated question from my nosy child. “We already did, darling."

Jareth pulls out of my grasp and takes a seat next to me.

"Awww. The cookies smell delicious."

"They do. You two did a great job."

"They should be ready any minute." Jareth glances over his shoulder into the kitchen.

"Can we watch a movie and eat cookies?" Lexie asks.

I shake my head. “You have school tomorrow, so you can't stay up long enough for a movie. Maybe tomorrow."

"Can we invite Couch Hendrix and Mr. Bouchard?"

"Sure. Why don't you go peek at the cookies and see if they're burning. Look through the glass though, don't open the oven."

She races over to the kitchen, squatting in front of the oven. "They look okay to me. The timer says six minutes left."

"Okay good."

Jareth strokes a hand down the center of my back. “She's really attached to them, isn't she?"

"She is."

"They're great guys,” he says. “I know I haven't known them long, but I can see how much they care about you both. I know you're worried about everything moving so fast, especially with everything else going on, but you know how things work once you find scent matches. It's a lot harder to keep things slow, even for betas."

"It's not like scent matches are some magical element that remove all other issues. You still have to build a relationship and see if personalities mix. Brad and I were a decent scent match. Nothing like the three of you, but enough."

Enough of a match, it now makes me skittish.

"They aren't, but they do make things more intense. I know things went bad with Nicole and Brad, but don't let that hold you back from enjoying Hendrix and Ryder."

I know he's right, but it's not that simple. And maybe I've been using Lexie as an excuse, telling myself I'm being cautious for her sake, when really, it's been for my own. And because of that fear, my daughter has grown up lonely, with only me for company.

At least she's attached herself to good people, showing excellent taste, instead of latching onto the first people she meets.

I change the subject to something lighter, a teasing smile on my lips. “Speaking of Ryder and scent matches, I noticed you two sparked a bit too. How'd things go when he went with you to get your stuff?"

Jareth flushes. “He's an interesting one. Very growly and stern, not usually something I like, but I think he's actually a softie."

I nod. “He is. We had a terrible first impression, but he worked hard to rectify it as soon as he could."

"We'll see where things go. Maybe it's just scent and sexual chemistry that will burn out soon or maybe it'll be something more, but my focus is on you. You're who I've been searching for the last ten years."

Our moment is broken up by the screech of the timer and the squeals of my kid, but there's a world of promise in his eyes.

A promise that makes me shiver.

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