The past few hours have been mostly fun girl talk, they stopped with the heavy conversations after Skye’s adoption story. I’ve heard some funny stories about some of the pack members. It didn’t feel too gossipy, more like giving me a primer on who’s who. Not that I’ll likely remember any of this tomorrow. Or even be here long enough for it to matter.
Boo.
I like it here.
I like these girls. I like Mason’s mom. And Mason’s house.
And… Mason.
“I can’t take a picture though, because Doggo took my phone,” I complain.
“Doggo,” Bailey barks out a laugh. Then she sobers, “And I know; he forbade us to let you use our phones before you came downstairs.”
“He did?”
“Yu-huh.” She nods and takes another sip of her drink. Some of it dribbles down her chin. She laughs and tries to scoop it back into her mouth with her fingers.
“I’m outraged! He’s such a… A… ”
“An alpha?”
“Pff. Yeah.”
She giggles. “I’ll take a picture for you.” She pulls her phone from her back pocket and points it at the horizon. “I’ll get your number and send it to you so that you’ve got it when you get your phone back.”
“I’m gonna miss fucking him,” I state. “God, his penis. It’s the kind of penis that poets write sonnets about. You know?”
Cicely laughs from the patio chair behind us.
“Nope. I actually don’t know,” Bailey says.
“Why?” I ask. “Religious reasons?”
“No no… I just…”
“She’s carrying a torch for Jase,” Cicely says.
Bailey glares over her shoulder at Cicely but doesn’t say anything.
“Nothing wrong with saving yourself, Bail,” Cicely adds.
And Bailey says nothing.
So I speak instead. “I wasn’t gonna say it in front of his mom, you know, but I am gonna miss him.”
“You already said that,” Cicely says.
“Oh.” I laugh.
They both laugh, too.
“He’s an animal in bed. Well… duh. I guess they all are around here, aren’t they?”
The girls both laugh.
“Duh,” I repeat. I’m definitely drunk. “Well, at least I’ll have something juicy for my memoirs. I mean… I guess I can’t write memoirs though, can I? Because all this is super-secret.”
“Super-duper secret,” Bailey agrees.
“You’re not gonna have to miss fucking him, Amelia. He’s not letting you go,” Cicely says.
“I’m gonna get this magic undone. I have to.”
“Why?” Cicely asks. “What’s back in your old life that you’re so anxious to get back to? The guy you mentioned who doesn’t even want sex? The job that was stressful? Your sister is here. Your mom is moving here, too.”
That feels like a glass of cold water thrown in my face.
Nothing much is waiting for me back home. My job. Some friends.
“I like my job.”
Bailey pipes up. “Our pack has grown. It’s really too much for Cat to handle all by herself. I was already talking to her and she said she’d love to hire you. Her niece Leona is studying to become a healer, too, but she’s just started studying. And there are a whole lot of pack members at childrearing age, plus once all our council alphas pair off and start breeding like bunnies the pack will need even more medical attention, so her practice is probably about to explode, especially with how this moon phase is winding down. I predict at least two dozen new babies nine months from now.”
“Not that you need a job,” Cicely puts in. “Mase makes good money. He’s got a one year waiting list for his design services.”
“Girls!” I hear and we all look toward the shoreline.
Skye is giving us a big smile with double thumbs-up.
“Dancing!” Bailey exclaims.
“And chili fries!” I add, glad for the segue to something far less heavy.
We watch Skye head toward us while downing the rest of the drink in her hand.
“Road trip!” Bailey announces. “Let’s boogie oogie oogie until we just can’t woogie anymore.”
I laugh. “And maybe do some karaoke?”
“No. Roxy used to have a karaoke machine, but it got broken during a wrestling match.”
“A wrestling match?” I ask.
“Things can get rowdy at Roxy’s,” Cicely informs before downing the rest of her drink. “After the karaoke machine got broken, they started moving things outside in the nicer weather. Nice weather and alphas all liquored up – things can get rowdy.”
“I bet that’s fun to watch.” I wiggle my brows.
“Oh yeah,” Cicely drawls, finishing her drink.
I down the rest of my drink and then follow them inside, nabbing my purse on the way out. Skye uses the keypad on the front door to lock up and we pile into an amused Andrew’s SUV.
25
Mason
After a too-long meeting with a customer where I fail at hiding how distracted I am, I catch up with Riley and Greyson in Drowsy Hollow.
I’m anxious to get back home. To get back to Amie. I’m missing her; I don’t like not being with her. I guess it’s alpha separation anxiety kicking in and I’ve heard about it but would never expect it from myself. It’s clearly too soon after our mating for me to be off doing shit without her. Newly mated couples usually spend a week or longer alone – together, fucking, bonding, more fucking. But too much shit is happening to afford me the opportunity to do that, including taking on a big client that’s not a shifter therefore being unable to come up with a viable excuse for canceling this appointment.