Page 109 of Knot That Difficult

“It’s making you sick, too, idiot,” River adds. “There’s no reason for you to be away from her.”

“She read your letters,” Skylar says quietly. “They had a huge impact on her, I think. The gifts are thoughtful, too. She knows you love and miss her.”

I turn to Landon, the most rational out of the four of us in the room. “What do you think?”

I’ve always liked Landon. He’s kind, smart, and has the rare talent of looking at most situations objectively.

Landon huffs and cocks his head. “You’re in an interesting situation,” he says slowly. “You’re honoring her wishes, but I think if the distance between the four of you isn’t benefiting her anymore, it’s time to make a change. Frankly, I don’t know how the three of you are surviving without her. When Skylar was missing, it was like I was being poisoned. Nothing had meaning anymore, and it was terrifying. It was something I don’t wish on anyone.”

Skylar’s eyes widen and she beams at Landon while River nods at me. “What he said. What your pack is doing is stupid. Go fix it.”

“Well, that’s one way to put it,” Landon mutters. “You were doing what’s best for your mate at the time, Ben. But now, it’s not good for anyone.”

“And you dropped my cookies everywhere,” River adds, annoyed.

“He’s literally passing out, River. Give him a break,” Skylar says, narrowing her eyes at him. “I can always bake you more.”

“But those were the special ones you make for us,” River adds, his voice low.

There’s a moment of awkwardness in the room. Landon clears his throat while Skylar blushes.

“Do I want to know?” I ask.

River smirks. “Nah.”

But I remember something being mentioned before about what Skylar does with her cookies.

Something…perverted, if I recall correctly.

“It’s not important,” Landon says evenly. “But it is disappointing that those were the ones that spilled.”

There’s another moment of awkward silence, except for River’s snickering.

“Anyway,” Skylar adds, “you need to see Devyn as soon as possible and fix all of this.”

I nod. “We have a plan,” I tell them. “But I want to run it by you guys. That’s why I came here.”

“Yeah, I was wondering why you were here on your day off,” River says. “You look like you’ve got the plague.”

Skylar gives him a look. “Be nice, or I’m not making those cookies anymore.”

River scowls at her, then looks at me. “Fine. Tell us your plan.”

I steady myself against River’s desk and tell them the idea that Connor, Ace, and I had.

Landon and River listen intently, and Skylar’s eyes fill with tears.

River nods. “That’s decent,” he says.

“That should work,” Landon adds. “The gestures are very thoughtful.”

Skylar nods enthusiastically. “I’m so happy my friend has you three. It’s such a sweet idea, Ben, I promise.”

“Hey,” River adds. “If you need anything, you just ask. Okay?”

I raise an eyebrow at him.

“Don’t make me say it again. Just…get Devyn back and make her happy. If you need anything from me, tell me.”

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