Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Immediately, people are all about greeting him excitedly.
He and Lincoln do a belly bop greeting, he messes up Jase’s hair while Jase threatens to give him a wedgie, then the three of them throw their heads back and let out howls at the same time before he turns and picks up Catrina Savage and swings her around, making her giggle before he blows a raspberry on her neck, then sets her down.
When his eyes hit Grey, who has a hint of a smile for the first time since we left his house, he approaches with a twinkle lighting in them. He and Grey hug with hearty backslaps.
“So good to see you, bro,” Grey says. “Appreciate that you came.”
“Needed to be here, brother. Serious. Woke up last night knowing I needed to head home and not knowing why. Called my folks, got their update, hit the road before dawn. Called Rye this morning to tell him I was on the way and he filled me in on the latest pack happenings. I knew I needed to come help.”
His eyes bounce to me and the warmth in his gaze vanishes as he asks, “This her?”
The way Brody looks at me makes my belly lurch. Maybe he’s holding a grudge after hearing what I did.
“This is my wife. Stacy,” Grey replies.
Brody sizes me up with an unreadable expression and then his face splits into a blinding white smile as he puts his hand to his chest. “Ah. Of course Grey would rate earning a beauty such as this. Look at you!” He grabs my hand and is about to kiss it. “You bring those cookies I hear tell of?”
“Oy!” Grey grabs him and puts him in a headlock. “Your mouth doesn’t touch my mate, and all her cookies are for me.”
Brody laughs uproariously and digs his fingers into Grey’s ribs.
“Fuck sakes,” Grey mutters, shoving him away. “How’d you hear about her cookies.”
Brody laughs harder and then they hug one another again with more back slaps.
“I have spies. Great to meet ya, Stacy,” Brody says belatedly.
“You, too,” I say. “I appreciate that you came.”
“Congrats, Grey. Truly,” Brody puts his hand to his heart.
“Thanks, bro. Okay everybody, thanks to all of you for comin’,” Grey claps his hands, pulling all the focus to the situation at hand. “Me ‘n Stace appreciate you. Now how about if we gear up?”
All faces go serious as spines straighten and I’m once again enthralled to see how this pack works together.
“So, I’m gonna walk the perimeter with all the alphas present as well as Luke, since he knows the lay of the land. Then we’ll come back and talk about a plan.”
He turns to me. “Be back in a few, Blossom. Gus, can you hang back here with the betas and keep your eyes on Stace for me?”
“Absolutely,” Gus steps up and stands directly beside me.
“Okay, babe?” Grey checks.
I moisten my lips and blow out a big exhale. He pauses and looks into my eyes. “Gonna be okay. No matter what’s on the other side of the fence, it’s gonna be okay. Yeah?”
“Shouldn’t I go, too?” I ask. “So I can put people at ease about you guys?”
“Not yet.” He gives me a severe expression. “Let us have a look first.”
I can’t look into Greyson Blackwood’s eyes without feeling things. Big things. Hope. Love. His strength. Our connection that’s growing stronger each day.
I look to the group at large. “Thank you all for coming. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re all so thoughtful and caring despite everything my brother and me have put everyone through.”
“Not your fault,” Linc clips like he’s angry. “You hear? Nobody’s blaming you. Get that outta yer head.”
“I’ll try,” I say softly, hoping he sees how much his words move me. His expression warms, so I continue. “Please, everyone… be careful. I don’t know if he set any traps. He would. He’s done it before.”
“Which is one of the reasons why you’re stayin’ here, ‘till I get a good look around. Okay?”
“Okay,” I say softly.
Grey tugs my braid and kisses me again.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“Love you, sweetheart.” His response is husky, but also loud and clear.
I love that he doesn’t care who hears it. His thumb skates across my mate mark and he goes.
Half of them get into Grey’s car, the other half into Jase’s truck.
Cat Savage comes over and rubs my arm reassuringly. “We’ll get through this together. That’s what we do.”
“I…” I burst into tears like a weakling. I’m so embarrassed.
But Cat Savage pulls me to her and hugs me, rubbing my back. And it feels so, so nice.
She pulls back and her kind eyes are too much.
“I can’t believe you’re this nice when I’m the one who shot your son right after you got him back,” I blurt.