For forever, if I can have my way.
His head lowers. “If you need to, I can always?—”
Before he can finish, Emily approaches, her arms loaded with packages of screws and a coil of galvanized wire.
“Grady.” She inclines her head in greeting. “Didn’t expect to see you in Pinecrest. Thought you’d be hiding in Kyle’s cabin, working.”
“Fresh air and perspective,” he replies with an easy shrug. “Plus, Holden threatened bodily harm if I didn’t bring back the fancy flour he needs for tomorrow’s bread experiment.”
Emily pays for her purchases, tucking them into the canvas bag slung over her shoulder. When she turns back to us, I’m surprised to find Grady still lingering, his weight shifted to his good leg, grocery bag now dangling from his fingertips.
“Mind if I walk with you a bit?” he asks, directing the question to both of us. “I’m heading toward the book stalls next.”
“Fine by me,” Emily says with a shrug that tries to suggest indifference but doesn’t quite achieve it.
We continue down the market street, Grady falling into step on Emily’s other side. The crowd parts around us, some faces curious, others hostile. I keep my eyes forward, pretending not to see the mother who pulls her child closer as we pass.
“Missed you at lunch yesterday,” Emily says, a soft lift at the corner of her mouth that she doesn’t offer many people.
“Oh, well…” Grady looks away, flustered by her attention. “As you said, I’ve been working.”
A mother with two children barrels toward us, and without missing a step, Emily cups Grady’s elbow to draw him out of their path.
I stare at her hand on him, wrestling with the surge of emotion her casual touch triggers. Instinct insists Emily belongs with me, but this Beta awakens her protective side, and I can’t start acting jealous when she hasn’t even acknowledged our bond.
Hell, I’m pretty sure she hasn’t even noticed it yet. Auren really did a number on my sweet Alpha, leaving her with so many walls I sometimes worry they’ll never come down.
But that kiss gave me hope.
Emily pauses at a booth selling carved wooden handles, running her thumb along the polished grain of a chisel grip. The vendor hovers at arespectful distance, saying nothing as she tests the balance of each piece.
“For the new set?” Grady asks, motioning toward her selections.
“The old ones are wearing thin.” She selects three handles, adding them to her growing collection. “And I’ve been meaning to try spalted maple.”
Their conversation flows with the ease of people who have shared conversations I wasn’t a part of. I know Emily carves wood from the pieces in her house, but I haven’t seen her work on anything since I moved in.
I stand apart from them, watching Emily as she animatedly discusses wood types and grain patterns, a glimpse of passion she usually keeps hidden.
The crowd thickens as we approach the center of the market, forcing us closer together. Emily’s arm brushes mine again, before she steps ahead to navigate through a dense cluster of shoppers, making space for Grady and his cane.
I trail behind, hyperaware of each point of contact.
“Over there.” Grady tilts his head toward the bookstalls that line the eastern edge of the square. “Leif is already raiding the educational section.”
Through gaps in the crowd, I spot the tall Omega at a table piled high with books, his broad shoulders unmistakable even at this distance. Quinn stands beside him, her small hand clutching the edge of his jacket as she points at a display of colorful children’s novels.
When we approach, Leif looks up, his periwinkle eyes widening when they lock onto mine. The last time we spoke was at the dock, washing the water taxi together, and the tentative friendship we formed remains fragile.
“Morning. Finding everything you need?” He directs the question at Emily, but his gaze flicks back to me before settling on Grady with visible relief.
“Just about.” Emily gestures to her bag. “New hardware for a project at home.”
Quinn bounces on her toes, breaking the tension as she waves a book with a Komodo dragon on the cover. “Mr. Leif is getting me new books for science! This one has real facts about lizards.”
“Sounds fascinating,” Grady says, leaning down despite his bad leg to examine her selection. “I bet there’s a whole chapter on how they’re related to dinosaurs.”
As they chat about prehistoric creatures, I catch Leif watching me, his face unreadable. When oureyes meet, he gives a small, cautious nod. It’s more acknowledgment than I get from most people these days.