Page 63 of Family: Posy 4

"To be honest, she probably would have intimidated the hell out of you. She would have grilled you about everything from your cooking knowledge to your bank balance to make sure you were good enough for her boys. Ha ha ha! But I know you would have seen the love and kindness hidden under her spiky exterior."

"Spiky exterior?"

"Dad used to call her fire and ice. One minute she was angry and ignoring him over something, and the next she was dragging him off to the bedroom. One thing about Kelly Barlow, whether she was mad or happy, she let you know it. Dad used to say that, because half of her came from Alaska and the other half came from New Zealand, extremes were in her blood. At least you never had to wonder where you stood with her; she'd tell you."

"So you're saying she was grouchy like you?"

"I'mgrouchy?" He widened his eyes comically and put a hand over his heart.

"You grouch around a lot; you have to admit that."

"I guess I do," he confessed and kissed the tip of my nose.

"You know," I said slowly, "everybody warns me about your temper, but I've never seen you really lose it. I'm starting to think it's a lot like Quartz. Everybody warns me how violent he is, but I haven't seen any of that. Well, except for that incident with the king when he first met the queen, and Quartz calmed down as soon as I petted him."

Cole tilted his head back and laughed long and loud, and I didn't know why.

"Oh, baby," he chuckled finally, "we control it around you. That's the truth of it. You haven't seen either of us cut loose because we've made sure you haven't."

"Aha!" I sat up and jabbed my finger into his chest. "Youcancontrol it! You just choose not to unless you're around me!"

"Pretty much." He grabbed my finger and the rest of my hand, then pulled me down on top of his chest. "It does help that you're like a tranquilizer for us. Just your voice or your scent or your touch is enough to calm us right down."

I rolled my eyes, but folded my arms on his chest as I laid on top of him and listened as he continued talking.

"My mom was the first in the family to die of the sickness, then Willow a week later. Two weeks after that, Alpha Jay Carson died, and Luna Denise lived two days without him. Yeah, she had the sickness, but we all knew the truth. She couldn't live without her mate. That's when Ash and Jayden went to live with the Prices. The four of us clung to each other in our grief and weathered the storm as best we could as the adults around us fell apart."

"And Wyatt?" I asked in a quiet voice, already knowing part of the answer.

"He tried to help everybody. Even though he was only twelve, he took charge of Peri, who was only a year younger than him, and Archer, who wasn't quite nine. Wy was a rock for themandus and did everything he could to help. He really is kinder and more sensitive than most people give him credit for, you know."

Ididknow that about my fifth star, but it was nice to hear Cole acknowledge it. Too often, I feared people only saw the troublemaker and not the troubled heart.

"I mean, he can be selfish and an absolute douche at times—"

"Cole," I warned him with The Look.

"He kept our spirits up and held us together," he hurried to correct himself. "Then a month later—"

He took a deep, deep breath and let it out slowly, and I already knew what he was going to say. All of my boys had loved Wyatt's dad so much, and his death had scarred them deeply.

"And then a month later, Alpha Shawn Black died, and it was like the world stopped for all of us. I wish you could have met him, Posy. I love my dad. He is one of the greatest men I've ever known, but Shawn Black was in his own league of greatness. I know people often over-exaggerate the virtues of the deceased, but when it comes to Alpha Shawn, it's no exaggeration. He truly was an exceptional person."

"Wyatt told me a little when he took me to his father's grave on our date. He explained about going wolfy when his dad died."

"It was so scary, Posy. He went right off the deep end. I was afraid he would do something to hurt himself." He paused, then whispered, "Or worse. Knowing he was suicidal pulled me out of my griefrealfast. Mom was gone, but Wyatt was still alive, and he needed our help if we were going to keep him that way. Gave me a purpose. A reason to—"

"Get up and keep going," I interrupted.

"Exactly. Listen, baby, don't ask Mase about Willow. Or Wyatt about his dad. And definitely not Jay about either of his parents. If they open up on their own, that's one thing, but asking them when they're not prepared for it, well, that wouldn't be good. Mase will shut down, Jay will break down, and Wyatt will go wolfy."

"I haven't pried, and I won't," I assured him. "I just listen when they want to talk. Mason told me a little about Willow when I asked about his tattoo, and Ash told me about his parents and Jayden's the day we looked through photo albums. Ash seemed fine to talk about it."

I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head to let him know that was a question.

"Ash is, yeah. Talking actually helped him grieve. Sometimes, he would go to the cemetery and talk to their tombstones if no one else would - or could - listen to him."

"Wyatt said Mason had all their graves relocated to that little cemetery in the woods."

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