“Okay, I think we need to play a game!” I declared loudly, clapping. “Twenty questions, anyone?”
Chapter 20
Hailey
We all sat in my tiny living room, squished on the two couches. Merrick and I on one, Wilder and Nolan on the other.
Nolan was glowering at Merrick. He clearly wasn't too happy at his intrusion, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it. I had chosen Merrick, and he had chosen me. We were bonded. So, Nolan could go suck a dick for all I cared.
“Okay, I need to ask the first question, considering you guys are being boring and not asking any,” Wilder said.
“Go for it,” Merrick said, his arms crossed, a smug look on his face.
“What’s your full name? That’s a dull one, but a good place to start.”
“Merrick Hermes Teller.”
I turned to him, my mouth dropping open. “Hermes?” I asked, temporarily forgetting about the other two.
He shrugged, turning to me. “My mother went through a Greek God phase around the time she was pregnant with me. My younger sister’s middle name is Hera. She wanted to call her Persephone, but my dads put their foot down on that one.”
“Dude, being named after a Greek God is so cool. My middle name is Jeffrey!”
“Wait, someone decided to name the child Wilder, but gave them the middle name Jeffrey?” I asked in surprise.
“I honestly don’t know how that happened.” Wilder shrugged.
“Do you at least have a normal middle name?” I questioned Nolan.
“I don't actually have one. Nolan Dale. My family just never bothered to give me one,” he admitted, his tightly crossed arms loosening somewhat.
“I personally think it's tragic,” Wilder said with a playful pout. “Okay, it's your turn to ask the question, cutie.”
I shifted in my seat for a moment, trying to think of a good question. I wanted to know more about them, but I also didn’t want to make the mood any worse than it was. “Do you guys have any siblings? Merrick mentioned a sister, and you said you had a few, am I right?”
“Four sisters,” he confirmed.
I nodded. “That explains so much. I am painfully an only child.”
“Where are your parents?” Nolan asked, cocking his head to the side.
“They decided as soon as I finished high school that they wanted to move to Florida. My mother and her three alphas are happily living the snowbird life out there. Never mind that we already live in a very hot state in California. They decided that Florida was where they wanted to go. Swamps and gators.”
Nolan frowned. “They just moved to the other side of the country, leaving their omega daughter?”
I nodded. “Yeah, they didn't even wait for my eighteenth birthday to be over. They were so excited to go. They check inevery now and again, but we mainly keep to ourselves. I always said it would be better to make my own family.”
“Okay, but we definitely are not doing that to our child,” Wilder said. “I'm going to be a clinger. There's no way in hell I'm moving across the country when a child turns eighteen.”
The ice in my chest melted slightly at those words. While I had long since accepted my parents’ behavior, I knew that I would never do that myself, and having Wilder agree was oddly validating.
“Good, neither would I. What about you guys? Siblings?”
Nolan spoke next, leaning forward, engaging with the conversation, which I took as a good sign. “I also have an older brother, but the age gap is quite large, so he was off doing his own thing while I was in high school.”
“I don't have any siblings. My parents had me and realized they had perfection and decided they were done.” Wilder smirked, taking a swig of his beer.
A snort of laughter escaped Nolan. “That's a load of bullshit. His mother couldn't have any more children after him, so instead, they fostered. His mother is the type who bakes apple pies and goes to every school event.”