Page 52 of Two For the Show
My Alpha looks up at me with a serene smile stretched across his blue lips. “You’re worried about me,” he sings teasingly. “You like me.”
“Of course I’m worried about you!” I say, shaking my head. “It’s like forty degrees outside, and you soaked in a tub of ice water. You’re going to chatter your teeth out of your head!”
He chuckles and pulls the blanket tighter around his body. “You’re mollycoddling me.”
I stop my fussing and stare at the Alpha. “Mollycoddling? What does that even mean?”
“It’s like indulging and being overprotective. It’s from the nineteenth century. Maybe we should call it Alphacoddling.”
“Dario Reynolds, are you a wordsmith?”
“I don’t think that’s what wordsmith means, Doc. But my mom loved to tell us about the origins of words. Shakespeare invented over a thousand words that we still use today. Including courtship.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me before reaching out for me. When I place my hand in his,he tugs me down onto the couch, wrapping me up in the blanket with him.
“Tell me something else about your mom,” I say softly. “What was she like?”
Dario plays with the ends of my hair as his eyes take on this dreamy, far-off quality. “She was beautiful. I was so young when she died that the memories are sporadic, but that’s something that has always stuck in my brain. She was a typical Alpha in a lot of ways. Tall, with a big personality. But she didn’t outshine Dad. It was as if she had a way of enhancing everyone around her. Her hair was thick and long, probably to the middle of her back, and I remember thinking it was made out of gold when I was little. And I felt so safe in her arms, you know? But maybe that’s how all kids feel about their moms.”
My heart aches for my own mother. I pushed both her and my father away when Rich came into the picture. I’m still too ashamed to admit that they were right. It’s another thing on the long list of reasons why I’m an idiot, honestly. I’m afraid to face their judgment.
No matter how old I get, I don’t want to disappoint them. And staying with Rich as long as I did is the ultimate disappointment.
I should call them. If only to let them know I’m okay. It feels selfish to hold them at arm’s length when Dario has no choice but to miss his mom.
“She was a terrible singer. And she didn’t limit herself to the shower. She’d dance around the kitchen while cooking, slide on her socks while cleaning, and belt songs out at the top of her lungs. Riding in a car with her was almost torture, because we had no way to escape it.” He leans his head back and looks up at the ceiling. “I’ve forgotten exactly what she sounded like, though. I’m sure there is some science behind how and whycertain memories stick around while others are lost to time. It doesn’t really matter, though. Won’t bring her back.”
I stroke my hand down his arm, trying to pump soothing feelings through our new bond. There is so much pain in his voice, so much loss, that I can hardly stand not to pull him into my arms and rock him.
“She would’ve loved you,” he whispers, gathering me up and curling his body around me. “I may not remember everything about her, but I’m sure of it.”
I bury my face into his neck, enjoying the way his candied apple scent is already starting to take on a chocolate-dipped profile. We stay like that, wrapped in each other’s arms, wordlessly supporting each other through the new bond that purrs in our chests.
“Gloating doesn’t lookgood on you,” Quinton says dryly, crossing his arms over his chest.
Dario leans forward and ruffles the other Alpha’s hair. “Aw, Q, don’t be jealous. Your time is coming.”
“Dario!” I hiss, bumping him with my shoulder. “Be nice. Bonding order has no bearing on our relationships.”
He blows me a sarcastic kiss. “So you say. See ya later, Doc. I’ve got a brother to torment.” He skips away, leaving me standing with my hands on my hips in the dress tent.
“You know that, right, Quinton?” I ask hesitantly. “It’s not that I care about Dario or Jude more.”
He takes a few steps across the grass and wraps his hand around the back of my neck. “I’m jealous as fuck, Alex, but I’m not worried that you don’t care about me. Iam, however, worried that Dario is going to distract you through the bond when I try to take you on our date.”
“Oh, you have our date planned?” I ask, placing my hands on his chest. “What do you have up your sleeve?”
“Not a card. Magic tricks are more your thing,” he teases. My face heats at the memory of my awful card tricks from when we played truth or dare after a performance. “But we’d better hurry, or we’re going to be late.”
“Now?” I yelp as he grabs my hand and begins dragging me toward his trailer. “Don’t I get a little warning so I can get cleaned up?”
“Nah,” he says dismissively. “You showered and brushed your teeth today. That’s clean enough for me.”
We climb the stairs to his trailer, and I realize that I’ve never been here before. I’ve always gone to Matteo’s. “Do you ever sleep here?” I ask as he pulls me through the door. “I feel like you’re always at Matteo’s place.”
“That’s because he is.” The Beta’s voice greets me as I cross the threshold. “But I often kick him out so I can have some time to myself.”
Quinton gives Matteo a peck on the cheek. “It will shock you to know that sometimes I can be a lot for our poor Beta.”
Matteo swats him on the ass with a kitchen towel. I am sure I am staring at them both with hearts in my eyes. I love watching them interact, and the affection that Matteo is pouring into our bond as he teases Quinton is so sweet it almost makes my teeth ache.
