Page 10 of Room 1003

Dad lifted his glass. “To Embry,” he toasted, and I lifted my glass to clink with his, ice cubes tinkling.

“And to Pops,” I added.

He smiled sadly. “Yes, to your pops.”

I pursed my lips in thought, looking at the walls. “What do you think about green?” I asked.

He glanced at me in confusion. “Like, the color? I guess I’m a fan. Why?”

“Well, I was just thinking that this room would look nice if we painted it green. Not too dark or anything, but if we stripped down the trim to the natural wood, I think it would be warm and inviting. What do you think?”

Dad nodded. “Yeah, I could see it. We need an area rug here, but keep the hardwood floors. And maybe we could tuck an upright piano in that corner, so Kit could learn an instrument. I saw a sign down the street for a woman teaching piano lessons from her home.”

“I like that idea. Let’s ask him what he thinks tomorrow.” The house was largely unfurnished, since we’d come from a small two-bedroom apartment into a massive space. It was fun to imagine what it would look like one day, once we’d had the time to furnish it properly, paint the walls, pick out some décor.

“So… that Ben is quite the guy, huh?” Dad said with a suspicious tone to his voice.

“Dad, don’t,” I said in warning.

“Don’t what?” he asked innocently. “I’m simply pointing out that he seems like a nice guy.”

“Uh-huh, that’s where it starts, but soon you’ll be asking if I noticed how large his hands are, and that is not a conversation I want to have with you. Not now, not ever.”

“Right, sorry.” We lapsed into silence once more, until he leaned over and said, “Does that mean you noticed?”

“Dad!” I scolded. “If you think he’s so nice, why don’tyoudate him.”

“Don’t think I won’t,” he teased, but I knew he was just joking.

I didn’t want to admit that of course I had noticed Ben’s hands. How could you not? A man that size was hard to ignore. Broad shoulders, muscular arms, and yes, large hands, because that was how proportion worked. Although, that led me to wonder what other parts of him were large…

It was strange, though, that I wasn’t at all nervous around him. I hadn’t even hesitated at being alone with him today, even though he was a total stranger. Omegas were taught from a young age to be wary of alphas, larger and strong enough to overpower us, to take what they wanted. We all had our own horror stories, heard the cautionary tales. But never once today had I been uncomfortable around Ben. That didn’t guarantee that he wasn’t dangerous, but he just had this way about him, like a big, squishy teddy bear you just wanted to squeeze.

My throat felt tight just thinking about it. Embry had been gone for more than two years. It was only natural to feel lonely, so of course I noticed Ben. There was nothing wrong with that. I mean, I wasn’t going to be alone forever, that was just a fact, but I wasn’t ready to move on. It wasn’t time yet.

Dad, as usual, was a master at reading my thoughts. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently, glancing at me sidelong.

“No,” I replied firmly, and I knew he would respect my privacy.

He tipped his drink up and drained the last of it, leaning forward to set his empty glass on the table. “Well, I think I’m going to head up to bed.” He patted my knee before heaving himself off the couch with a groan. “Don’t forget to blow out the candles before you head upstairs.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not about to start a fire,” I assured him.

“Anotherfire,” he corrected, and even though his back was to me, I could hear the smirk on his face.

“There were no flames, so it didn’t count,” I called after him, and his chuckle echoed up the stairs as he headed to bed.

I knew I should get to bed too, but I could feel nightmares haunting me tonight, even before I’d closed my eyes. Dreams of a future that would never be, of a love lost too soon. I looked down at my wedding band, gleaming in the flickering light.

“What do you think, Embry? Green?” There was nothing but silence in reply.

6

Ben

It’sjustajob, I told myself not for the first time. If I repeated it often enough, maybe I could pretend I was only here for the paycheck and could ignore the ulterior motive lingering deep down inside myself. I wanted to see Shane again.

He’s married. Taken. Off-limits… And I’m a glutton for punishment.It was with that bitter reality that I found myself standing on his porch, reaching for the doorbell. It was obvious he needed me, and I couldn’t force myself to walk away. I had already decided that I would do whatever I could to help, even if I never saw him again after this job was finished.

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