Page 37 of Holly Jolly Heat
"Why?"
"Because that's what pack does. They show up."
She left before I could argue, and I sat there processing.
She was right. I had been choosing work over everything else for years. Building walls, maintaining distance, proving I didn't need anyone.
And I'd been so lonely. A fact that had been brought into sharp focus when I watched Callie find her pack.
But these past few days, chaotic and terrifying and complicated as they had been, I'd felt more alive than I had in years.
Maybe that meant something.
I closed my laptop, took a deep breath, and headed downstairs where I found that the kitchen had been transformed into a streaming set.
Ro had set up two cameras, one for wide shots, one for close-ups, with softbox lighting that made everything look warm and inviting. Dex was managing the tech setup, running cables with military precision. Lucas stood at the counter with Bill, both wearing aprons, surrounded by baking supplies.
And Josh was bouncing with barely contained excitement, asking a million questions about stream setup and chat moderation and content strategy.
"Michelle!" Lucas's face lit up when he saw me, and my stupid heart did a flip. "Perfect timing. We're about to go live. Bill's teaching me the family gingerbread recipe."
"Mom's recipe," I corrected, moving into the kitchen. "She's very protective of it."
"Which is why we're honoring it on stream," Bill said, grinning. "Your mom's already texted me three times reminding me to mention her by name."
"That sounds like Janet," Dex observed from his position by the laptop.
The casual way he said my mother's name, like they were already family, made something in my chest warm.
"Do you need me for anything?" I asked, trying to sound professional. "I can monitor chat, or?—"
"You could be on camera," Lucas suggested, his tone carefully casual. "If you want. No pressure. But viewers might enjoy seeing the family element."
"Lucas," I said warningly.
"I know, I know. Professional boundaries. But think about it, you're already in some of the footage from the other day. The gingerbread baking. Chat loved it. They're asking about you."
"They're asking about 'the mysterious woman,'" I corrected.
"Same thing."
"It's very much not the same thing."
Ro, adjusting a camera angle, said quietly, "He's not wrong about the viewer engagement though. The clips with you have significantly higher retention rates."
"You're analyzing my appearance on stream?"
"I'm analyzing everything. It's literally my job." But he was smiling slightly. "For what it's worth, you're a natural on camera. You just don't know it yet."
I wanted to argue, but Josh cut in, "Can we please start? I want to see how the stream setup works!"
Lucas laughed. "Okay, okay. Everyone ready?"
"Wait," I said. "I should—I need to?—"
"You need to sit at the dining table and pretend to work while actually watching," Maya supplied, appearing with my laptop. "We all know that's what you're going to do anyway."
She wasn't wrong.
