Page 116 of Game Over

“I mean, yeah,” Tara chimed in unhelpfully.

“Listen, I know now I made the wrong choice. And I can’t fix that, but I can promise I won’t make that kind of decision again.”

I nodded, blowing out a breath. “I believe you. It’s just… hard. You’re…you.”

His head tilted. “What do you mean?”

“You’re a tall, handsomealpha!” I snapped irritably. “I couldn’t compete with that.”

“What are we competing over?” he asked seriously.

I went to answer before coming up short, my mouth opening and closing.

Whatwerewe competing over?Tara?

If I thought she’d have left me over an alpha, I wouldn’t have invested so much. Wouldn’t have fought so hard. I never minded being a beta either, maybe in the beginning of my streaming career when I worried about being singled out, but I made plenty of friends who proved to me that those worries were unfounded.

And it wasn’t like she’d ever said anything that made me feel like I wasn’t enough for her, or like she wanted something else.

She was just… Mine. The same as I was hers. The same way we were Charlie’s.

A small, embarrassed laugh escaped me. “I guess nothing.”

Charlie licked his lips, cutting a look at Tara. “Either way, I’m really sorry. And I promise to never lie to either of you again. Even if it's super embarrassing.”

“I forgive you,” Tara said, climbing into the alphas lap. “But damn, I think you’ll really regret that. I can think of all kinds of ways to embarrass you.”

“Oh, no… anything but that…” Charlie mocked softly, cuddling her close.

I swallowed. “I forgive you too, for the record. Just don’t do it again.”

Relief washed over our alphas face, an arm opening for me to tuck under. “Come here.”

I got up to join them in the chair, wondering if our combined weight was enough to be a danger to its stylish mid century legs. Charlie dragged me against him, and I looped an arm around Tara for good measure, burying my face in her cherry and lime scented hair for a deep inhale. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Tara and Charlie returned with soft smiles.

Gentle, amicable silence encircled our little family, the continued tension of the last few weeks dissipating as we enjoyed each other's company.

Tara giggled, breaking the silence.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“We all have fruity scents.”

“What?” Charlie asked with a little laugh.

“I smell like cherry lime, Jesse smells like lemons and you smell like blueberries, big boy.”

I smiled at that. “I guess we do. Maybe it’s fate.”

“It feels like it,” Charlie said. “Only explanation I have at least. Meeting either of you. Finding Tara again after I dropped the ball.”

“Fumbled the bag,” she corrected with a smirk.

“Major bag fumble,” I agreed. “But better now. The way it's supposed to be with all three of us together, my fated pack.”

“Damn right we are,” Tara said softly. “We couldn’t be a pack without you, Jesse.”

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