Page 13 of Stuck with my Pack
But Brodie’s gaze doesn’t waver, his presence wrapping around me like a warm, steady tide. It’s grounding, intoxicating, and utterly dangerous.
“Um, anyway,” I say quickly, gesturing toward the inn. “How can I help you?”
New plan: I’m just going to pretend I wasn’t pressed up against six and a half feet of Alpha.
“Brodie Callahan,” he introduces himself, extending a hand. His grip is firm, his palm warm against mine as we shake. “Old friend of Lily’s, here for a visit. She said you may need some help, so I headed over,” he says, pointing to his truck in the drive. The side of the truck reads, ‘Callahan Restoration LLC’.
Lily, of course. Just thinking of her name is like a warm cup of tea. I’ve missed her. She was always one step ahead. Lily and I used to be really close before I left.
“Sophie,” I reply, putting my hand into his and pulling it back a little too quickly. “I—uh—I own the inn now. I’m just trying to keep it from falling apart. You know how it is. Old houses and everything.” I shut my mouth, realizing that I’m rambling. I do that when I’m nervous.
Brodie tilts his head, studying me, and then tips his head back the other way and laughs wholeheartedly. It’s the most alluring sound I’ve ever heard. “The new owner, huh? That explains why you nearly knocked me off the porch. Big shoes to fill.”
There’s something in his tone—warm, teasing—that makes me feel seen and a little more at ease. “Big shoes, broken floors, and a leaky roof,” I say with a small laugh, gesturing toward the inn. “It’s a lot to take on.”
His gaze shifts to the house, his expression turning thoughtful. “It’s got good bones, though. A little faded, sure, but it’s got potential. Kind of like a diamond in the rough.”
His words catch me off guard, and before I know it, we’re sitting next to each other on the old porch.
I’m telling him more than I intended—about my Aunt, the summers I spent here, and how much this place means to me. The words tumble out, and Brodie listens with an intensity that feels almost tangible, nodding along as if every detail matters.
“I can see why you’d want to save it,” he says when I finish. His voice is low, steady, and carries a weight that makes me believe he means it. “A place like this deserves a second chance.”
I smile, my chest feeling lighter for the first time in days. “Thanks. I just…it’s overwhelming sometimes. There’s so much to fix, and I’m not exactly an expert.”
Brodie’s grin turns slightly mischievous as he steps closer. “Well, lucky for you, I am. Restoration’s kind of my thing.”
“I can see that,” I say, gesturing to his truck and to the obvious signs of paint on his clothes.
“Really?” he says, his grin widening. Chuckling he says, “I’m curious to see if this place is as much trouble as you seem like you will be.”
My cheeks heat instantly, and I bite back a laugh. “Trouble? I’m not trouble.”
“Jury is definitely still out on that one,” he teases, his amber eyes sparkling with mischief. “But I’ll help anyway. Consider it my good deed for the week.”
Before I can respond, the sound of boots on the gravel draws our attention. I turn to see Tyler walking up from the direction of the little cabin I saw driving in. His grin is as bright as ever, and his eyes sparkle with amusement.
“Hey!” Tyler drawls, hands in his pockets as he surveys the scene. There’s a haunted look in his eyes that is gone so fast that I think I might have been wrong about seeing it. He says, ”It looks like reinforcements have arrived.”
“You guys know each other,” I say. A feeling of home and rightness sweeps over me, almost unbidden. All of us, skin flushed, wrapped up in each other.
My Omega struts and preens at the idea of bringing these two into my nest. But there’s something missing. It takes me a moment to push away the thought.
“We do.” Tyler’s grin is easy, his handshake firm as he pulls Brodie into a hug. “Good to see you again, man.”
“You too,” Brodie says, his voice carrying that same effortless confidence, his smirk relaxed. “Thought I’d drop by and see what all the fuss is about.”
Tyler chuckles. “Lily mentioned she had someone in mind to help out, but she didn’t say it was you,” he says, throwing a glance my way before shifting his attention back to Brodie.
Brodie shrugs, slipping his hands into his pockets. “She always did like keeping things interesting.”
Their exchange is smooth, almost casual—almost. But there’s something underneath it, something quiet and unreadable, a thread of tension too subtle to name.
They know each other, that much is obvious, but the moment stretches just a second too long before Brodie shifts his weight, breaking the beat of silence between them.
I glance between them, my Omega instincts telling me smooth things over, do something to break the underlying awkwardness. There’s history here, something unspoken.
“So,” I say, injecting a lightness into my voice as I gesture toward the table. “Are you two going to stand there exchanging secret looks, or are we going to talk about how to make this place less of a disaster?”
