Page 14 of Holly Jolly Heat
My reflection looked unconvinced.
By nine AM, I was camped at my desk, laptop open, desperately trying to focus on work. I had emails to answer, contracts to review, a crisis with one of my other clients who'd gotten into a social media argument with a competitor.
But all I could think about was that somewhere, three alphas were in a car, driving toward me.
My phone buzzed. Dex.
Dex:ETA 11 AM. Lucas is driving. Send help.
Despite everything, I smiled.
Michelle:Is he that bad a driver?
Dex:He's fine. But he's been talking nonstop for two hours about what he wants to show you. Ro is about to gag him.
Ro:I can see these texts, Dex.
Lucas:I'm EXCITED. Is that a crime?
Dex:It is when you've been describing your favorite Cedar Falls content ideas for 45 minutes straight.
Lucas:Michelle needs to know my creative vision!
Michelle:I definitely need to know your creative vision. It's literally my job.
Lucas:See? SEE? Michelle gets it.
Ro:We're going to arrive either with Lucas bouncing off the walls with excitement or unconscious from Dex's restraint. Flip a coin.
I found myself genuinely laughing, and some of the tension in my chest eased.
They were nervous too. They were trying too hard and overthinking and probably just as terrified as I was.
That helped, somehow.
At ten-thirty, Maya appeared in my doorway. "Mom says to tell you they're half an hour out."
"How does she know?"
"She's tracking their car." At my expression, Maya added quickly, "Not in a creepy way! Dex texted her the route so she'd know when to expect them. She's just... monitoring."
"She's texting with Dex?"
"She's texted all three of them. She has opinions about their arrival strategy." Maya grinned. "You should see the family group chat. Mom's giving them a complete breakdown of everyone's personalities and dietary restrictions."
"Oh my god."
"It's very helpful! Now they know Josh is going to fanboy hard, I'm going to ask inappropriate questions, and Bill's going to try to feed them until they burst."
"Maya—"
"Michelle, relax. They're your pack. They're going to love us." She paused. "Well, they're going to tolerate us. Because of you."
"They're not my—" I started, but gave up. "Never mind."
By eleven, I was downstairs, ostensibly helping Mom set out refreshments (coffee, tea, Bill's famous cookies) but really just pacing nervously.
"Mija, you're going to wear a hole in my floor," Mom said.
