Page 49 of Perfectly Naïve
The large alpha grins as he hugs me. “Welcome home, little Wellington.”
Then I’m passed to William, Nathaniel, and Aiden, who all repeat the process. If not for the guys and their constant touches and affection, I’d likely feel overwhelmed by the amount of hugs I’m getting tonight. It’s been so long since someone hugged me. That’s kind of sad if I think about it for too long.
Instead, I get lost in the warm chaos of the moment as the pack works together to finish dinner and get it on the table. They move around each other with practiced, comfortable ease, and I find my mind wandering to Sawyer, Liam, and the twins. Could we ever look like this to outsiders? Harmonious, happy, and settled?
I hope so.
Guilt quickly chases my dreams, skittering across my skin.What would Henry think?
“Okay,” my brother says, clapping his hands as he surveys the chaos. “Let’s sit down and eat.”
I settle in between Henry and Verity, and everyone passes dishes around. Plates are filled, wine is poured, and I sip it between bites as I observe this family Henry has created for himself. I don’t know any of them as well as I knew Sawyer before leaving for London, but I spent enough time around them in the months leading up to my year abroad that I don’t feel the customary awkwardness that always accompanies large social gatherings with people I don’t know.
They met Verity about a month before I left.
“They can be overwhelming,” the omega says conspiratorially as she leans toward me. “But you get used to the chaos.”
Humming, I smile. “Chaos can be fun.”
“Really? Because I seem to remember you favoring order and predictability.”
I had. Ido, usually. But Sawyer, Liam, Wilder, and Hayes have shown me that unpredictability and spontaneity have their advantages. “Sometimes evolution is inevitable.”
Verity’s eyes sparkle. “And is there a catalyst for this evolution?”
I shove a bite of steak into my mouth and shrug. Verity’s laughter is warm and knowing, and it has Henry glancing up from a text on his phone.
“What’s so funny, you two?”
“Nothing,” I squeak out. That only makes Verity laugh harder. Can Henry see the way my pulse thrums in my neck, how I’m having trouble sitting still? I hate keeping secrets, and this is a big one. But it’s not only mine to tell.
“So, Liv, I want to hear all about London,” Aiden says, saving me from having to change the subject myself.
Sawyer and I haven’t discussed telling Henry about us. It’s not that we’re keeping things between us a secret, but Henry is Sawyer’s oldest friend, and I don’t always pick up on thefiner nuances of social cues. The last thing I want is to blurt out that my brother’s best friend has had his fingers inside me. I doubt that would go over well.
Relieved to change the direction of the conversation, I tell Henry’s pack all about London as dinner winds down and everyone finishes their plates. They ask about my flat, my research, and question whether the food is as bad as people say. In my opinion? It is. Outside of pub food. London excels at pub food.
“So what you’re saying is that I shouldn’t order pizza in London,” William says with a little shudder.
I giggle and nod. “Yes.”
“And you actually enjoyed black pudding?” Nathaniel’s nose scrunches at the thought of a food where blood is one of the defining ingredients.
“I wouldn’t eat it every day.” I shrug. “But it wasn’t bad. And, really, why is eating something with blood more taboo than eating muscles that have blood in them?”
Henry and his pack chuckle at that.
“Very logical, Liv,” Henry says, reaching up and ruffling my hair.
I squint at him and swat his hand away, setting off another round of laughter around the table.
“Hen?” A deep voice carries through the house, making my brother turn toward the front door. It’s a familiar voice. One that makes my heart skip. Which is very inconvenient, seeing as I’m sitting next to my brother, and my scent is no longer suppressed. Luckily, Henry doesn’t seem to notice the way my scent sweetens. But Verity does.
“In here,” Henry calls, oblivious to my growing panic.
“Hey, man. Sorry to interrupt. You don’t have to get up. I can just grab the saw out of the garage, I know where it...” Sawyer’s eyes widen when he finally notices me. “Liv.”
Verity looks between Sawyer and me, and I amvery grateful that she seems like a girl’s girl, because she clearly sees far more than the rest of her pack.
