Page 74 of When She Needs Them Most

“Tomorrow,” he clarifies.

My head tilts. I guess so. Maybe? I shrug. This week has been a blur.

“By the way, you should thank your mom. I’ve never seen someone fail the psych exam quite so thoroughly. There was no way I was going to hire your ass, but then I spoke to your mother, and she’s a lovely woman.” That dangerous smile comes back. “She vouched for you, so I gave you a shot. Never regretted, either. We’ll touch base later.”

She never mentioned that. It would have royally sucked if Lincoln was hired and Shadow Security passed on me, but I would have dealt. I still don’t understand how I fucked that test up so badly. I put in extra effort trying to anticipate the answers they wanted to hear after being passed over at three other companies.

Easton gives a nod and proceeds to drag the poor woman toward the stairs. “Now,Briar, let’s have a quick chat about what will happen if you try to run again. Or do anything quite as reckless as involving strangers in your escape plans.”

I whistle for Sky and shut the door.

That might be a problem, but it’s not my problem, and that’s good enough for me.

I get Mom settled in the kitchen and track down Lincoln to keep her busy while I break the news to my omega that my mom has almost as many boundary issues as I do.

God.

Am I sweating?

I’m actually sweating.

It’s the goddamn middle of winter, and my armpits are damp. Swiping a hand over my forehead as I jog up the back stairs, I realize my forehead is sweaty too.

Fuck me.

I hope Chelsea likes my mom. She’s very easy to like, and she’s been waiting for grandkids since I hit my twenties. My sister is ambivalent, at best, when it comes to children, so Mom has always known that would be on me and Linc.

Well, mostly on Lincoln, because I never felt confident I’d take the step to be physically intimate with anyone. But I also never made a point of sharing that information with her.

I do havesomeboundaries.

I’m happy I took the plunge with Chelsea. I’m even more grateful that she hasn’t made a big deal about me being an almost thirty-year-old virgin.

Although, I feel like it should be a bonus.

She’s my one and only.

That’s romantic, right?

Oh, fuck, I think I might be on the verge of having a panic attack.

I make it to the top of the stairs and head down the hallway, only the door to the pack bedroom pops open.

Chelsea comes out with Arden right behind her. She’s rocking wet hair, like they showered together and a pretty black dress with a blue bow over the crest of her stomach just below her breasts.

Her head tilts, and she smiles as she approaches. “Are you okay?”

I nod, pulling her to me with a hand on her ass.

“You’re beautiful.” My head dips, and our lips meet in a slow, thorough kiss. She finally pulls back to breathe, and I try to smile, but I know my anxiety spills into the bond. “My mom is here. She brought gifts, and she’s making breakfast as we speak.”

“Aww.” The little omega stretches up on her tiptoes to cuddle her cheek to mine. “Is that what has you all in a panic?”

“Yeah,” I admit, exhaling heavily.

“Is your mom anything like you?” She settles back on her feet, smiling up at me so deeply, she gets dimples in her cheeks.

“Yeah, but I’m sorry I didn’t warn you. I told her last night that we bonded, but I wasn’t expecting her to pop in with no warning.”

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