Page 9 of Pack Giroux

"You don't have to ask," Grady replies softly. "It's in the back corner."

Following his nod, I see the sign for it, and stand up, trying my best not to move too fast and act like the total weirdo they probably think I am now. "I'll be right back."

"Sure," he says, giving me a smile while Kinkaid peers down at his plate that's been untouched since my freak out.

I feel their gazes hot on my back all the way to the restroom. As soon as I'm inside, I let the door close then lock it behind me. Leaning back against the door, I close my eyes. I know it's only been days, but I don't think I'm ever going to be normal. Going over to the sink, I wash my hands once and then twice. If I can make it away from the compound, I can go out there and finish lunch.

When I make it back out to the table, they don't seem to have been talking about me since food has disappeared off their plates and they both smile at me as I approach.

"You guys want dessert?" Kinkaid asks with a smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes like it did before.

Before I can lie and say that I'm full or anything else completely obvious, Grady steps in again. "Are you okay?"

I lick my lips and look away. I'm tired of hiding and not being able to be...normal.Taking a deep breath, I give him as honest of an answer as I can. "I will be. Just not right now. And I don't want to talk about it."

He nods. "That's fair. New places can be lonely, so if you ever need anything, you're more than welcome to come to us."

Finally, my eyes turn back to him. "I'll be fine but thank you."

Dipping his chin in acknowledgement, he then turns to Kinkaid, "I'm going to vote yes to dessert."

His friend grins and stands from the table, going back into the kitchen. His scent is stronger than ever as he walks by, making me want to ask him to let me just hug him for a moment. My body gravitates toward his as passes me. I pretend it was intentional as I catch Grady watching me. He smiles like he knows something that I don't.

The chocolate lava cake that Kinkaid brings us has to be the worst kind of sinning there is. I might even commit bad acts for it. There might still be food left on my plate, but not the dessert one.

"I think that one's a winner," Grady tells Kinkaid.

"First time ever making lava cake," he admits. "Didn't think it was going to turn out very good there for a minute. Have to say it's one of my favorites so far, too."

"You are going to have to make Marnie the caramel thing next time," Grady says. "We'd have to invite Raine, though. He might disown us all if we have it without him."

Even after the weirdness of earlier, they're not only considering inviting me for lunch again, but introducing me to another of their pack mates. I'm not sure if that's ever going to happen, but I agree to it nonetheless. We get ready to leave, and Kinkaid brings me a small container to put my leftovers in with a bag and a plastic fork. To my surprise, he sneaks in anothersmaller container that he tells me not to open until later. I can only hope at what it might be.

He walks us out to the curb. "Thanks for having lunch with us today, Marnie."

"Thank you for cooking for us," I tell him. "And for the cake. I might need three more of those next time."

His head tilts back with his laugh. "You got it."

He opens his arms. "Would it be weird of me to ask for a hug? It only feels right since I almost ruined lunch."

I glance down, hiding my smile. "Anything you might've come close to ruining; you definitely make up five times over with that cake."

Grady laughs with us before I step into Kinkaid. My body is tense at first. Not relaxing, even with how much I wanted his touch earlier. It takes several seconds before I melt into him. He squeezes me tight before letting go. It's weird craving someone I just met, because as soon as he lets me go, I wish he wouldn't have. There's got to be some syndrome name for what I'm experiencing. If either of them knew what was good for them, they'd keep their distance until I could get my head on straight.

Stepping back with a quick wave, he says bye to Grady before stepping back inside the restaurant.

Turning back to Grady, I find him watching me. "Ready to go?"

"I think I'll be okay to walk the rest of the way," I tell him.

His brows draw down a bit. "There's nothing wrong with asking for help every now and then. Even if it's just for a five-minute ride."

I let out a quick chuckle. "I see what you did there."

Smiling, he opens the passenger side door and waits for me to make the decision on whether I want to accept his invitation. I know I probably shouldn't, because there are things inside of me that need to be fixed before I can be anything closeto a normal person. But I also want to be selfish for the second time in my life. I want to accept what he's willing to give me, even if it boils down to being nothing more than a friendship in the long run.

Stepping forward, I feel like I'm moving in the right direction. Even more so as I take the seat he's offering, and the door closes behind me.

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