“Get off of me,” Elliot complains and Wells just tries to give him another hug.
“Where do you want to eat, princess?” Forrest says; the large Alpha finds it hard to deny me anything, as it should be.
“Oh, that place on Main with the lobster rolls.”
“I think that place is perfect,” Forrest agrees with what I swear is a glint in his eye. I don’t question him about it, high off our pack portraits. Those pictures are totally going to be on our Christmas card, too. They just don’t know it yet.
It’s fall in New Hampshire and it’s beautiful. Now and then I get the itch to go into the city. More often than not, Wells or Elliot is the one to take me on a trip back home, but I’ve found living here and visiting the city is the perfect balance. My parents come to visit and I do the same. Shiloh and I also trade off on visiting one another too, with the added bonus of seeing my brother.
Axel has been aloof lately, even though he did visit me once. Though it definitely felt like he only visited to hang out with Elliot, not to see me. I know that Wells will be able to lure himback into town once winter hits. He can’t turn down good skiing no matter what foul mood he’s in.
The hostess’ name is Gretchen. She leads us to the back of the restaurant and when I see a wild head of red curls, my lips part and I nearly squeal when I see that Andie and her pack are here.
My Omega friend is up out of her seat and we’re embracing each other in a long hug before she pulls away.
“What in the fuck are you wearing?” she asks, looking at my pack.
“We had family portraits done,” I tell her excitedly.
“Oh, we are so copying that idea,” Andie muses and I swear one of her Alphas groans.
“What are you all doing here?”
“Wells invited us, he said besides winter that fall was the best time to visit. Apparently there’s a mountain coaster and a ropes course we have to try out,” Andie says.
“We’re not going back to the ropes course,” Elliot corrects.
“The ropes course is still a bit of a sore spot. But there’s plenty else we can do. I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me.”
“There’s another secret too,” she says, pulling out a small square piece of paper from her pocket.
It’s identifiable immediately and my eyes well with joyous tears as I see the grainy black-and-white image on the screen.
“You’re pregnant?” I rasp out and she nods.
“Only a few weeks. That’s another reason we’re here. Trying to get as much traveling in before the little guy comes.”
“You know it’s a boy?” I say in awe.
“No, but we just have a feeling,” her Beta mate, Moses, says and I look back down at the paper.
“I’m going to need to go back to New York soon. I need to do baby shopping. Congratulations to all of you,” I say, giving Andie another tight hug.
I still can’t believe we both found what we were looking for on that ship, or that we found each other. I was someone who felt I didn’t have true friends often, or that people who loved me did because I was family, but my friendships with Shiloh and Andie have brought me endless joy.
As if my thoughts manifested her, my gorgeous best-friend walks through the door, my brother at her back. I’m out of my chair and squeezing her tight in an instant.
“I swear she forgets we’re related,” Jonah complains and I pull away from Shiloh to hug my brother and greet her other two pack mates. “You look very cute, Elliot,” Jonah says and I poke him in the ribs. It doesn’t do much, but it earns me amusement from Elliot down the bond.
“What are you doing here?” I say excitedly.
“You said you wanted Andie and I to meet and Elliot mentioned it to Jonah and here we are. I missed you,” she says, giving me another hug.
I introduce my two best-friends to one another. Shiloh and I both gush over the fact that Andie is pregnant, and it’s seamless the way they get along. I knew they would. We basically ignore our packs all dinner, but they don’t seem to mind.
Not wanting the night to end and wanting Andie to see our home, we head back to our place.
I set up snacks on the dining room table Forrest built. It’s huge and perfect in every way. When I look down at the shiny wood I always think about the first time we said I love you to one another and how he knew he was ready to be pack lead.