I turned my neck to look at him. What did he mean by that? Was my house not good enough?
“We already have a house.” I gestured vaguely in front of me to the house we were sitting in.
Preston shook his head with a smile. “I know, and it's an awesome house, but, man, you paid for this all by yourself. If we are a pack, we need to do this as a pack. How that looks, I'm not sure, but we need to contribute somehow. I love this place, and if we all want to live here, then let us give you some money toward the property.”
“You want to give memoneytoward my house?” I asked in a dumbstruck voice.
Preston nodded. “We’re a pack. We’re meant to shoulder burdens equally. Do you have a monthly payment on this place?”
“I do, but it's not much. This place was pretty much ripped down to the studs when I got it.”
It’d taken nearly three years just to get the property habitable. I had spent all my time off working on it. Thankfully, I hadn't been alone.
Several guys from the firehouse had construction experience, and they’d helped me in their free time. I’d paid them in beer and pizza, and they had appreciated it greatly.
Preston let out a low whistle. “That, I can imagine. You clearly put thousands of dollars into this place, not to mention the sweat equity. Let us help you shoulder any burden. We’ll pay the mortgage for a while.”
“It feels weird letting you pay my mortgage.”
“It shouldn't because we’re a pack,” Preston pointed out before taking another sip of beer. “When I first heard about you, I kind of hated you, I have to admit, but after getting to know you… You're a good man, Merrick, and you deserve support and thanks from us three idiots.”
For some reason, his offer of help made my chest feel tight. Not in a bad way, just in an unfamiliar way. I’d been so used to doing everything by myself for so long that the idea of this level of help was baffling.
“I'll think about it,” I admitted. “For all we know, Hailey may not like this house.”
Preston snorted. “Haileylovesthis house. The fact that you gave her a sewing room means she's in heaven. But maybe, as a pack, we should discuss if we want somewhere bigger one day. I haven't brought it up with Hailey, or anything, but does she want more kids?”
“I’ve actually been thinking about that. We have a lot of land and can add on to the house.”
“That's good to know. I know a little bit about construction, but probably nowhere near as much as you.”
“It can be a pack bonding project.” I laughed.
“My one request is that we don't let Wilder near any nail guns. He won't hurt anyone, but he takes great joy in causing mischief, like nailing random items to walls.”
I got the distinct impression that there was a story behind that, but I was kind of scared to ask.
“Noted. No nail guns for Wilder.”
“I don't want to diminish all the amazing work you put into this place, either. It's fantastic, and you've done awesome, but you shouldn't have to shoulder the burden alone anymore.”
“Thank you. It’s going to take a bit to wrap my head around it…” I looked toward the middle distance. “But I appreciate it.”
I took a swig of my beer. Preston wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, if I had met him under different circumstances, I think we would have become close friends pretty damn quick.
After that, we sat, watching TV for a while. It wasn’t awkward, either. In fact, it was comfortable.
It wasn’t until soft footfalls reached our ears, and Hailey appeared behind us, that we moved. Wearing a tiny pair of sleep shorts and a T-shirt belonging to one of us, she looked adorably rumpled, her hair sticking up at all angles despite the braid she had put it in.
The T-shirt was straining over her bump now. We should have insisted on buying her more maternity clothes. Whenever we brought it up, she put it off, insisting she could make do with the T-shirts.
Though part of me wanted to insist that she got some items for herself, the possessive alpha side of me loved that she was wearing things that belonged to us.
Deep down, I really was a caveman.
“Hey, Hails, everything okay?” I asked softly.
She nodded, rubbing her eyes as she mumbled, “I want ice cream.”