Page 51 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

"You didn't have to," I told her, taking everything in. The kitchen smelled amazing, and my mouth watered.

"It was only fair. You've done most of the cooking, and you pay for everything. I can pay for some things." She took a seat and tilted her head. "Do you want me to pay for anything?

I smiled at her. "Riley, you're figuring your life out. It's not about being fair. You need time, and I'm letting you have that. I'm certainly not going to take your money during it."

She shrugged. "Either way, I want to pull my own weight. If you don't let me pay for things, I'll do some extra cleaning." She started to dish up two plates, and I sat beside her.

"Fine, just pay for dinner occasionally, and we can call it even."

She snorted. "That's not even, but I'll take it."

I watched as Riley started to pop an eggroll onto her plate, and I smiled. "I spoke with April. She's supposed to be getting in tomorrow."

Riley's head turned to me quickly with wide eyes. "She is? She told me she wouldn't be here for a while longer because her credit cards were frozen. When did that change?"

She hadn't told me that. Why hadn't she told me that? How was she affording the flight down?

These were all questions that I knew Riley wouldn't have an answer to, so I might as well ask my sister when she got here.

"Well, she must have figured something out. She said she is going to be here tomorrow."

"I'm glad. I've missed her. It feels so weird not seeing her like I did when I lived in town."

"Did you see her often?"

She nodded. "Yeah, we did dinner at least twice a week. Sometimes, more when Brad and I weren't getting along. "

I swallowed, and she tensed up at his name. She sighed. "Honestly, I never realized how different the town was until now. How…everyone was so toxic. I see why you left."

She glanced at me, and I thought back to that night. How my parents and I were yelling at each other about her and how I'd had enough. I couldn't take it anymore.

I remember my folks pulling me into the kitchen. My dad had his arms crossed, looking irritated.

"Have you done it yet?" he asked, his foot tapping on the ground.

"No," I said, stopping a few feet from him.

My mother paused as she stopped next to my father. She frowned. "Sweetie, what are you waiting for?"

"She's fifteen," I said, glancing between the two of them.

"And at what age are you going to quit dragging your feet? Is she old enough when she's twenty? When she's thirty?"

"She's April's age," I snapped. "Would you want April fucking around at this age?"

My mother frowned. "It's not about age. It's the fact your mates. If April knew who her mate was, then yes, she would probably be married."

I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. They couldn't be serious.

"Cayden, you need to settle down. You're old enough to be married with children, and you've done neither."

"I'm nineteen! What about college? What about having a life before being strapped down with children."

"This is about what's best for the pack!" My dad yelled back angrily. "This isn't about you!"

No, they had made that perfectly clear. For years, they have always wanted what is best for the pack. What about my needs? What about April's needs? What about Riley?

“Why don’t you take her out for dinner? Maybe go for a run? You guys just need to let your wolves take over, and before you know it, you guys will be…”

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