Page 65 of Knot Their Girl
Speaking of…
Heaving a sigh, I follow Pax out of my office. I don’t know where he disappeared to in the house, but he is not my destination. Up to the third floor I go, where I find my nephew in his studio with a paintbrush in hand.
He seems to have regained his spark since Raeka moved in. I don’t think I’ve seen him paint new portraits in such quick succession before.
He must’ve heard me come in, because he sets down his brush and turns around on the stool. The sleeves of his hoodie have paint on them, as does his left cheek, like he had an itch and forgot he had a paintbrush in his hand or something.
“You have time to talk?” I ask him, folding my arms over my chest.
He nods, and based on the look he gives me, I can tell he already suspects what this will be about.
“Raeka,” I say. “You two seem to have… gotten closer recently. Do you like her?”
He nods and signs,I do. A moment later, he adds,I’m not the only one who got closer to her.
“No,” I admit. “You’re not.”
It’s okay, Uncle.
I ignore that comment and instead ask something else: “And Pax? What do you think about him?”
Colter gives me a gentle grin.What do you think about him?
I don’t know if the question is innocent on his end or if he knows what Pax, Raeka, and I got up to the other day. I’d be embarrassed, but there isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. “Things are… complicated.”
He’s a good alpha. He’d be a good pack leader.
“Pack leader? I didn’t say anything about—”
Alphas don’t share unless they’re in a pack. That’s what’s happening, isn’t it? You came up here to ask me if I’d be okay with him staying… permanently.
I ask my nephew a question that’s been nagging at me for a while, “You wouldn’t think less of me if he stays here and becomes a permanent member of this household?”
Again, he shoots back his own question instead of giving me an answer:Do you think less of me because of what I did?The weight of his question hits differently, and for a while, we stare at each other, already knowing the answer.
And yet, even though we both know, I find myself closing the distance between us and pulling him in for a hug. I hold onto him tightly and sigh. “No,” I whisper. “Of course not. Nothing you did, nothing you could ever do, would make me think less of you.”
Becoming a caretaker to your traumatized, mute nephew is a bit less of a challenge than becoming a caretaker to your traumatized, mute, suicidal nephew, but I think, for the first time, we’re past that. At least, I hope we are.
Colter lets me hug him for a while, and only after I let him go does he sign,You know it’s the same for me.
“So,” I pause, “you do like Pax, then?”
He nods.Maybe not as much as you like him, but yes.
I chuckle. “Pax was right. You are a little punk.”
Colter flashes me a toothy grin, and just like that I know we’re going to be all right. It’s just been him and I for so long, it’ll be a change to have another alpha in the house, to invite Pax to live here permanently, but I’ve no doubt we can handle it. We’ll come out the other side stronger than we ever were—and we’ll have Raeka by our side.
Providing she doesn’t change her mind, that is. Ironically, I think the omega herself is the most resistant to the idea of becoming part of a pack.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Raeka
Walking down the stairs, wearing the beautiful bubblegum pink gown Gideon bought for me, I expected something out of a cheesy young adult movie. You know, where the girl walks down in her prom dress and her date is waiting at the bottom, where he watches her the entire time, his eyes lit up like stars.
I mean, it sort of was like that. When I came down, Gideon was wearing a tailored black suit, his dark brown hair slicked back, ready to go—but he wasn’t alone. No, Pax and Colter were with him, waiting for me, and the moment they laid eyes on me, they watched me descend, all right.
Only, instead of their eyes lighting up like stars, you know, that hopeful, innocent expression love interests often wear in young adult movies, their gazes were full of fire and lust and any kind of passion you could think of. The three of them looked like they wanted to drag me right back upstairs, tear off my gown, and take turns ravishing me all night and well into the morning.
