Page 104 of Talk About… Dramay

He stirred the creamer in before pressing the steaming mug into my hands.

“I wasn’t in a good place before everything went down. My best friend Tucker took me to this alpha camp, the one I met Tate at, actually. It was an attempt to get me away from booze and to listen. They told me you were coming that night, in fact, and sent me to get my shit together so I didn’t fuck it up again.”

“There’s no promises that one of us won’t fuck up again. But we aren’t teenagers anymore,” I said as gently as possible. We had both made plenty of mistakes. I was past the hurt enough to realize my own faults in all of this. “We talk it out and work through it. You’ve shown me that I never stopped being important and that’s a big deal to me. It means I know I can trust the man you are now. Sometimes it’s hard when we do things we used to do together. It gets in my head a bit, but I don’t want it to hold me back. Just be gentle with me today?”

He took my coffee and put it on the counter before pulling me closer. His cypress and bayberry was sweeter than ever as his purr rumbled between us. Just like that I felt settled and whole.

“Always, Baby, whatever you need.”

It was a promise that held so much hope that I couldn’t help but squeeze him back and repeat it in my head like a mantra.

My alpha had my back, just like Hudson did on our last date. Just like Roman did every day when he made me feel loved. And how Lane ensured I smiled and laughed, and Tate worked hard to make sure that the entire pack was well balanced.

I saw more and more glimpses every day that we truly were a pack now. My future had found me and was fighting hard for me to fully embrace it.

My mind flickered yet again to my unfinished nest. The closed door where I’d dropped my bags from our date yesterday and continued to ignore.

It was haunting me, taunting, every time I walked into my room. I knew I’d have to face it soon but that wasn’t going to be as easy.

One step at a time.

“So, when are we going?” I asked, even though he was oblivious to my inner deflection.

“Breakfast on the road?” he asked, grabbing a travel mug and transferring my coffee.

“Perfect, I’m going to go change,” I said, letting the anticipation build again as I took the mug and hurried upstairs. I was wide awake now and the more I thought about the Creekwood Flea market, the more excited I was.

There was a bit of everything there, along with fresh food, live music, and hidden treasures. I never once have left empty handed.

I just hoped the guys wouldn’t be too bored. Cameron always seemed to enjoy it, but getting all five of my men to not be miserable might take some work.

My phone went off as I pulled my sweater on. I grabbed it, wincing at the sight of my dad’s name on the screen. I was covered enough for a video call now, but I knew we had a lot to catch up on and I was excited to get on the road.

Knowing Brandon, he’d call back more than once if I ignored him again. I’d been awful about ignoring everyone while I figured out this whole pack thing.

“Hey, Dad,” I said in a bright tone. He glared back, seeing right through my attempts.

“Funny, I talked to you more when you were hours away, Little Bird. What the heck?”

“Sorry,” I said with a small laugh. “Life and finding a pack have been more than a little insane.”

“And how are things with Cameron? Do we still hate him?” His eyes were playful but there was a bit of that protectiveness shining through.

“I don’t think I ever hated him,” I admitted. The truth was, I loved him even when it hurt. We were mates and I didn’t think I’d ever get over him.

Now I couldn’t help but wonder if that was our bond, holding out when we didn’t think we were ever going to find our way back together.

I shuddered to think how things would have been if he’d let me go and hadn’t tried to fix things. Would I have always felt incomplete?

“Well, the jury is still out for us. But, if you’re happy and cared for, we’ll give your entire pack a chance. Just bring them around more? I miss you.”

“Miss you, too, Dad. I promise I’ll be better about calling. After this heat hits, at least. I can feel it coming but I’m in that weird limbo stage. It’s being stubborn.”

He nodded. “Yeah, it can be like that after finding a pack. Especially if you bond some but not all. It’ll even out, Little Bird. Let us know if we can do anything.”

“We will. Thank you,” I said.

He chatted about some town gossip before we said a quick goodbye. The moment I hung up, I was off in search of my pup. He’d been absent from my room and downstairs when I went down for coffee.