“Maybe you fucked up before realizing who she is to you, and I don’t give a shit about that compared to what’s ahead. I know you’ll treat her right, Jase. Gonna level with you here, though, it’ll ease my mind to hear those words, too.”
“Despite that I’m a little fucked up from what we just went through, not to mention pissed that she took off and made it so I couldn’t protect her, that won’t color how this goes for very long. I’m here to take her home and work it out. And I will absolutely treat her right, Graydon.”
Graydon slaps my shoulder and gestures toward the house. “Welcome to the family, Jase. Though you know you’ve already been part of ours since you were a kid. Go on in.”
That feels good.
The front door opens and here she is, looking angry, smelling incredible, and she’s trembling, which doesn’t feel good.
Her mother stands behind her, looking like… not like Carrie Blackwood, really, which is concerning, but my eyes focus on Bailey.
She’s wearing a denim skirt and a frilly white blouse. Her hair is loose, falling down her back. Her legs are bare and so are her feet.
She holds her hand up. “If you’re here to talk to me, no.”
“If I’m here to talk to you? If?” I pull in a breath and exhale before adding, “Hello, Mrs. Blackwood.”
“Hi Jase,” Carrie says softly. “You know you don’t have to call me that. Um, why don’t you come on in, and we’ll have something to eat. Talk, maybe?”
“Please don’t take offense to this, Carrie, I’ve got nothing but respect for you and your home. But I can’t stay. I’m here to pick up Bailey. I’m sure you heard by now that Bailey is mine.”
“Yes, I’ve heard,” Carrie Blackwood says softly, but her eyes look troubled.
“And it’s been days since I knew this and yet I haven’t even been able to as much as hold her hand, let alone keep her safe in some very dodgy circumstances. We need our time together. And then after that, I’d be more than happy to have a place at your dinner table as often as you want to invite me over.”
For some levity, I throw in, “We both know the food will be better at your house than ours, right, Bay?”
I’ve always teased her about her inability to cook anything edible. Usually, she looks embarrassed when I do, but right now, she looks at me like I’ve just called her actual character into question instead of teasing about her cooking skills like I’ve done for the past decade.
Carrie opens her mouth to respond but before she gets a word out, Bailey says, “I’m not going home with you, Jason.”
“Babe,” I reply simply.
Her eyes narrow. “I amnotyour babe.”
“Let’s give them space,” Graydon suggests, walking inside, past me.
Carrie looks worried, but follows him.
“Actually, you are,” I advise, taking a step forward, but Bailey lifts her hand to try to halt me.
I speak quickly. “I’m sorry, Bailey. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn’t…” I rake my hand through my hair, looking for the words. They’re not easy to find because she’s here, in front of me, smelling delicious, looking angry. And pale. And not smelling like me. Not wearing my mark.
I sigh. “I didn’t know it’d be you. I didn’t want you being sad when it wasn’t you, so I made sure I never sent any mixed signals.”
“No, no mixed signals. Your feelings about me were crystal clear.”
“I didn’t know who it’d be. I just knew you wanted it to be you.”
“Yet you had no problem flirting with Dani repeatedly, knowing your time was coming, didn’t you? Even after Grey and Stacy mated, meaning your own mating was imminent.”
Shit.
Yeah, I was thinking with my dick that night, thinking one last fling before mating sounded victimless, suspecting some female from outside the pack would be who I identified, like with the other guys. But I’m not about to say that right now. Fate really threw a monkey wrench at me, didn’t it?
“Let’s go to the house. I need to shower, I’ll make us some food, and–”
“Absolutely not.”