Page 34 of Talk About… Dramay
Hudson seemed to disagree but Lane didn’t let the moment get heavy, tugging me down the aisle further.
“Come on, we need road snacks and I need coffee,” he urged. We loaded up our arms with a variety of chips and sweets before grabbing a few cans of iced coffee from the cooler.
Things felt a little tense again after that and I moved to the front seat to drive, Roman taking the passenger seat again.
“You okay?” I asked Roman as Lane and Hudson talked about checking in on Tate. The mysterious pack member I’d be meeting in a week. I don’t know why I was so nervous about meeting him, but I’d need time like this to get used to him, too.
“I’m trying to be,” he said, taking the hand I offered him as I merged back on the highway. “It’s strange sharing you, and I know they aren’t really pack, so it’s getting to me. I’ll get used to it. If you’re comfortable, I’ll try to be.”
“You’re mine, Ro,” I said, my voice even and strong. He took a breath before letting it out.
“And you’re mine,” he agreed, kissing my knuckles and looking out the window.
The car was quieter now but it wasn’t as awkward as before. My words seemed to have calmed Roman a bit more.
Soon, the scenery was more familiar and the nerves started to kick into full gear. I honestly felt like I was going to throw up.
“Stormy. Pull over,” Roman said as I took the exit. I didn’t argue for once, pulling over to the side of the country road. My mind went numb as I realized the enormity of what I was doing.
“Hey, breathe, Princess,” Lane urged, his hand hitting my shoulder.
“We’ve got you,” Hudson reminded me as Roman opened the door and pulled me into his arms.
Insecurities swam in my head for a moment. I had learned to be strong and independent, but right then I felt so fucking small.
I hated it.
“You’re not small, you’re still strong,” Roman said. Apparently, I’d lost the ability to keep my thoughts to myself, too.
Cameron is going to laugh in your face and reject you again.
He never loved you.
“What if this blows up in my face and I have to start over again?” I whispered as my mind conjured worst case scenarios.
“Then we kill him,” Hudson said. I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or not but Roman snorted and held me tighter.
“You won’t be alone, no matter the outcome. You are allowed to take up space in this world. Don’t let any alpha keep you from your dreams, Stormy. If you want to be by your family and live here, then you can.”
I forced my eyes to meet his silver blues and breathed in his scent of tea and honey like it was a drug. The effect it had on me was immediate. My body relaxed and I let him carry me over to the passenger side, buckling me in like I was fragile and kissing me again. This time, I clung to him, soaking in his scent and presence until I was well and truly grounded.
When he pulled away he rested his forehead against mine. “We’ve got this, Stormy. You and me will always be fine.”
“We will,” I agreed.
He finally pulled away and closed the door before walking around to climb in the driver’s seat again.
“Sorry, guys, I don’t mean to be a hot mess,” I said, refusing to look back at them, afraid of what I might see.
“No apologies. You’re allowed to have human moments. This is a big deal and will be hard, but Roman is right. You’ve got us all to keep you sane.”
“For now,” I said, voice quiet. The three week deadline was suddenly looming over me, making me realize that we’d have to part ways in such a short time.
I shouldn’t care. They were strangers this morning. Yet for some reason my omega hated that plan.
“Wait, I just realized we have like, nothing in this SUV. Where is all your stuff?” Hudson asked. “A few bags can’t be it.”
“Oh, my dads are adorably protective and sent one of those shipping containers they drop off to collect our stuff. We both loaded it and they shipped it home already,” I explained.