18. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Bennett

Me: They're leaving tonight. *sad face*

Seth: You knew this was coming, Benny. Why the face?

Me: Because…things got…complicated. *face palm emoji* *eggplant emoji*

Dots appeared on my screen, disappeared, reappeared, then disappeared. Gah, it was never good when Seth chose to text something that involved that many disappearing dots.

My phone ringing in my hand made me jump. Oh Goddess, he was facetiming me. He meant business if he wasn't texting me.

Holding my phone out as far as my arm would reach, just so I looked somewhat presentable and without three chins, I smiled way too brightly when I hit the accept button. "Heeeyyy, aren't you at work?"

He raised one dark brow at me, his wide light blue eyes rimmed with cobalt liner, popped on the screen. I could see he was in an empty exam room, and he firmly closed the door with a loud click. "The fuck you mean, ‘things got complicated'? They were already complicated. What did you do? Better question, do I need to come kick that alpha's ass?"

"Bennett!" Lucas called from the hall bathroom, "Do I have ta brush my teeth?"

Glancing away from my phone screen, and my bestie's disapproving face, I called. "Yes. And I'm going to check you did a good job. No one wants stinky morning breath in their face."

Seth sighed loudly. "Them's the facts."

Taking a steadying breath, I stepped out onto my back patio, sliding the glass door closed behind me. The sun was shining brightly, the sky a gorgeous blue that did not remind me of Shay's eyes. Not one bit.

"You're not kicking anyone's ass." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Pftt. As if you would even know how."

Seth in his shifted form was pretty fierce. Seth in his human form, not so much unless you counted his smart mouth. That thing could rip a person into shreds in two seconds flat, and I kinda adored it about him. "That alpha gonna fuck around and find out."

"Wow, someone woke up and chose all the violence this morning. What gives?" I teased. Seth always had a way of making the sad go away. Plus, it was nice having someone always in my corner, ready to do battle for me.

He shook his dark hair of perfectly styled chaos. "Nope, we aren't talking about me. This is about you. Talk." He glanced at something I couldn't see. "I've got ten minutes left on break, before Asher comes looking for me. Explain the ‘things got complicated'."

"You mean besides the obvious with Shay?"

"Yup, besides that. What happ–?" He dropped his head down, chin hitting his chest. "Oh fuck! Y'all did the wild thing, didn't you? Bennett!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down," I shushed him, glancing towards the glass doors to keep an eye out for Lucas. Rolling my eyes, I hissed, "Why did you think I sent an eggplant emoji? But yes, we…Shay and me…we had sex. Lots of sex."

Seth stared at me unblinking, and I stared right back. Finally, he cried, "And? How was it?"

Grinning, I fanned my face. "Soooo fucking good. Like the best sex of my entire life."

"Hmmm…you don't have that many people to compare it to, Benny. You sure it was that good?"

"Fuck off," I laughed, "and yes, it was that good."

Seth shrugged, "So, what's with the sad emo emoji?"

Sobering, I paced across the cement patio pavers. "Shay was super weird this morning. It was soooo awkward. I didn't know what to say. I kept waiting for him to say…something. I don't know exactly what. But it was like, you could feel the weirdness in the air, you know?"

He nodded, his face serious. "Vibes don't lie."

"Yeah." Nodding my head, I paced a bit. "There was this distance between us that wasn't there last night. Like this huge, invisible wall went up with him, complete with big, flashing warning signs."

Seth's face softened, and he quietly said, "Look, B, I know he's your fated mate, and you want that fairy-tale, happily-ever-after, the shoe fits and all that." He shook his head, "But the truth is, Shay has a fuck ton of shit he probably needs to deal with before any of that can happen. And let's face it, nobody asked Cinderella what happened after she got those seriously gorgeous shoes. Like did anyone ask her if Prince Charming snored? Or was a complete dickhead? I mean, I'm a whore for a good pair of shoes, but sometimes the price ain't worth it."

Blinking hard at him, my mouth opened then closed, before I finally said, "That took a turn."

Seth shrugged, completely unrepentant. "All I'm saying is sometimes there isn't a happy ending. I just want you to be prepared for that. You've known him a week, Benny. A week. I take more time to decide on my nail polish color."

Opening my mouth to protest, even though I had no good argument for the complete sense he was making, Seth held up a hand. "I get you're fated mates and that can sometimes speed things along. But this whole thing reeks of bad vibes. Just from what I've heard from Asher–and it hasn't been much, he's being super tight-lipped, the fucker–this thing between Shay and his ex could get really ugly. And I don't want you to get swept into the middle of it."

Closing my eyes, all I could do was nod. I truly hated when Seth made sense. I really did. "Can't I just be all in my feelings for a little bit, please?"

He snorted, flashing me his bright smile, "Yeah, you can have all the feels you want. When are they leaving? And, do I need to point out they are going to be literally right next door to you?"

"I'm aware," running a hand through my hair, I scowled at him on my screen. "It's just been really…nice having him and Lucas here, is all. And I didn't expect us to jump into something after last night, I just wasn't prepared for…whatever weirdness that was this morning."

Seth was silent for a minute, and I watched all his internal thoughts play across his face. We knew each other so well we could have entire conversations with nothing but facial expressions. "How about I come over tomorrow and we just hang out. Have a movie day, eat all the popcorn we want, and just chill?"

"That would be great." I told him, seeing Lucas standing at the door. Opening it for him, he joined me outside. He was dressed for the day, his bedhead tamed, and he bounced on his feet in excitement. "I need to go. We have a ton of errands to do today. Thanks for listening to my drama, Seth."

"Always, B. You know I live for drama."

Ending the call, I smiled down at Lucas. "Ready?"

He nodded, then his eyes turned back to the open area of my backyard that led directly into the woods that ran behind the houses. "How come your fence doesn't go all the way around?"

Smiling, I pointed my thumb to the left. "Your Uncle Gabe used to live in that house, the one you're moving into. And his best friend, Wade, who owns my house, lived here then. Uncle Gabe built both the fences and left the back open so they could shift in their yards and get into the woods easily. This door leads into this strip of grass between our yards." Walking over to the wooden gate in the fence, I unlatched it and pulled it open. Lucas followed, curiosity evident on his face. Pointing at an identical gate on the opposite fence, I said, "And that gate leads into your new backyard."

He was much too small to see over either privacy fence, as they were both at least eight feet tall. But he still tried to see into his new yard, pushing up on his tiptoes. "This is cool. So I can just go from my backyard to yours, anytime I want? "

"Well," ruffling his baby soft hair, I steered him back to my yard, latching the gate. "Not without asking your daddy permission first. But yeah, anytime you want to come over is okay with me."

"Cool!" Swinging our hands between us, we made our way back inside. Once I had done the teeth brushing check–minty fresh–we headed out the door. Buckling him in the backseat, I nibbled my lip wondering if he was supposed to have a car seat or something. Was there an age limit for those things?

"Do you usually have a booster seat or something in the car?" I asked.

Lucas shrugged, not worried in the least. "I have a booster seat in the car Marcus drove us in, but we couldn't get it the night we left." His blue eyes looked troubled, before clearing. "Daddy said as long as I was buckled I'd be fine for the trip. We didn't have enough money to buy a new one, but he'll get me one soon."

"I know he will." Climbing into the driver seat I quickly did a google search. Despite being on the tall side, I didn't think Lucas met either the height or weight requirement to go without a seat. So, we'd be making a quick stop to the box store before we hit the mall. Better safe than sorry. Shay could use it before he was able to buy one, and after, I'd have one for my car, if I needed it.

Bennett, you're getting way ahead of yourself , my wolf warned, and this time I chose to ignore him. Just like I was choosing to ignore all the warning bells going off around me.

You're getting too attached. This isn't going to end well.

Nope, I was not listening. For once–just once in my life–I was not going to think with my head. I was not going to be the calm, level-headed, always-great-in-a-crisis Bennett. I was going to be the go-with-what-your-heart-wants Bennett, and deal with the consequences later.

Catching Lucas's blue eyes in the rearview mirror, I smiled. He was beaming, taking in everything he could see from the car window as we drove down the street.

"What are we doing today?" he asked, kicking his legs against the car seat.

"We need to go to the store and get you a booster seat, and I want to pick up some flowers to plant out front." Even though they would probably end up dying on me, I still gave it a good try every year. Colorful flowers made me happy, even if my forgetting to water them inevitably made them wither more times than not. "And then we need to go to the mall for a couple of things."

His eyes were round saucers. "What's a mall?"

"You've never been?" I asked casually, driving down Main Street towards my favorite coffee shop. Shopping called for a double mocha cappuccino, complete with chocolate shavings and whipped cream from The Sweet Spot. "It's a big building with lots of different stores and places to eat in it. I have a friend that has a store there. She sells kids clothes, and you need some stuff you can get dirty in. You are going to help me plant the flowers, aren't you?"

It hadn't escaped my notice when I had done his and Shay's laundry that though they didn't have many clothes with them, what they had was all top quality and designer labels. Grabbing Lucas some play clothes at Walmart would be cheaper, but my friend, Ava, had opened the store with the help of a grant from The Sinclair Foundation. I had met Ava when, after fleeing her abusive ex, she had come to the battered omega shelter for help. She was building a new life for herself, and I wanted to help her by supporting her store.

Lucas giggled at my question, his voice eager. "I'll help. Playing in the dirt sounds like fun."

"It's great fun," I assured him, pulling into an empty parking spot at The Sweet Spot.

Lucas clambered out before I could even help him get his buckle undone. "What's this place?"

Taking his small hand in mine, we headed into the bakery/coffee shop. "This is one of my favorite places, and I need caffeine."

Lucas sniffed, his eyes lighting up at the wonderful smells inside the bakery. He rubbed his tummy, like he hadn't eaten his weight in French toast not long ago. "Smells sooo good!"

The owner, Quinn Rafferty-Sinclair, was filling one of the cases with his famous chocolate and toffee chip cookies. Seeing us, his emerald eyes lit up. "Hey Bennett, who's your friend?"

"This is Lucas." I introduced him.

Lucas grinned broadly, and pressed his nose against the glass case, his wide eyes taking in all the fresh baked goodies on display. Quinn nodded his head, and I had a feeling he might already know exactly who Lucas was. He and Gabe were good friends, so he likely knew all about Shay and Lucas. That and the gossip mill in Sweet Alps was pretty strong.

"What can I get you today?" Quinn smiled, as Lucas slowly made his way down the glass case. Lucas straightened, turning to me with a hopeful look.

Nodding because I could not say no to that face, I held up one finger. "One thing. You had enough sugar at breakfast."

His top teeth caught his bottom lip, as he took his time deciding what treat he was going to pick. Ah, to be that age again and the biggest life choice I had was if I should get a cookie or a brownie. Was I ever that young? It seemed like I had been making adult life choices my entire life.

Josh, Quinn's assistant manager and all-around coffee making God, ambled over. "Your usual today, Bennett?"

I nodded. "Please. The largest you have and extra whipped cream."

Lucas gave me side-eye. "You had enough sugar at breakfast, too."

Quinn barked out a laugh. "I like this kid."

Pulling Lucas to me, I tickled his sides. "I'm a grown up. Besides I don't think your daddy would appreciate me bringing you home hopped up on sugar."

Lucas squirmed and giggled, until Josh sat my coffee on the counter, and I needed to reach for it. "Have you decided what you want?"

Lucas sighed dramatically, in only the way a six-year-old with a major life choice could. "They all look so good." Finally, after another full minute of deliberation, he pointed to the cookies Quinn had been putting in the case when we arrived. "One of those, please."

"A great choice," Quinn assured him, handing Lucas the cookie in a wax paper holder. Moving us to the register so I could pay, Lucas nibbled on his cookie, oohing and aahing with each bite.

"Good?" Quinn asked.

Lucas nodded, mouth full of cookie and chin covered in crumbs. "Sooo good."

"Glad you like it. You'll need to come visit us again."

Lucas nodded his agreement, and we waved good-bye. Sipping my coffee, I sighed in happiness as the mocha and sugar hit my tastebuds. Lucas was right; sooo good .

Getting him buckled in, I wiped his crumb covered face with the napkin Josh had wrapped around my coffee cup. "They were nice," Lucas told me.

Nodding, I agreed with him. "They are."

"Where to now?" He seemed to be enjoying himself, so I drove through town pointing out things I thought he might enjoy and relaying tiny tidbits about Sweet Alps. Passing by the three-story library that sat in the middle of town, taking up an entire block, reminded me about the books I needed to return. We'd do that on the way home, after we had run all our errands.

Lucas was a good sport the entire day. We stopped at the Walmart on the edge of town and I purchased him a booster seat, and he helped me pick out a couple of flats of flowers to plant along my front walk. We managed to put together an array of different colors and types. Storing them securely in the trunk, I hoped they'd be okay until we got back home.

The mall had him once again wide-eyed and gawking at everything. It was a fairly new addition to the town, less than a year old, a passion project of the Sinclair brothers. Gabe's construction company had built the structure, and it housed a good mixture of franchised stores, as well as smaller specialty shops. It was nice having an actual mall to shop in. The closest had been the mall in Hollow Ridge, which was a couple hours' drive away. Prior to the mall opening, our shopping options had been Walmart and Sinclair's department store. Sinclair's was nice but could also be pricey for a lot of folks. There was always online shopping, but sometimes I liked to actually see and touch what I was buying.

Ava had opened a specialty clothing store for kids, and Lucas and I picked out a couple of shorts and T-shirt pairings for him, along with a few more pairs of pajamas. He tended to gravitate to anything with animals on it, I noticed, especially if they were Disney themed.

Hanging out with Lucas was an absolute joy. I wasn't na?ve enough to think that if I spent more time with him, he would always be as well behaved as he had been today, but he truly was a wonderful kid. Shay had done a fantastic job raising him. Whatever had happened to them prior to coming to Sweet Alps didn't seem to have had too much of an adverse effect on Lucas.

Our last stop was the library, the building still the original structure that had been built back in the eighteen hundreds. I loved the old library, with its gleaming floors and carved woodwork.

Dropping my books into the return slot, I led Lucas to the children's room, so he could pick some books out. Because I wasn't his parent or guardian, I couldn't obtain a library card for him, but I could check out books for him with my card.

He had brought two books with him when they had left, and he loved being read to. More than once, I had caught him flipping through the colorful pages of his well-worn books, trying to decipher what the words were. He was smart, and eager to learn, and I knew he would do well when school started this Fall.

He seemed at home in the library, this place not a new experience like so many today had been. I watched him in silence, as he ran his fingers along the spines of the colorful books, pulling out one here and there, to peruse the cover intently.

Glancing at me over his shoulder, he quietly asked, "How many can I get?"

"How about five?"

He nodded, pleased with this number, and quickly had a stack of five books he handed me. "Will you read one to me tonight, before we go to our new house? "

Running a hand over the top of his head, a habit I had somehow gotten into doing, I smiled softly at him. "I would love that."

We pulled into my drive mid-afternoon, but Shay's bright red truck was nowhere in sight. Shay had sent me a text earlier, letting me know that he had a couple of extra stops to make he hadn't planned on, and asking if I was okay watching Lucas longer, so it wasn't a complete surprise that he wasn't back yet.

"Are we going to plant the flowers now?" Lucas asked eagerly, as I set the flat of colorful petunias, pansies, and marigolds on the sidewalk.

Dusting some dirt from my hands, I nodded. "We are. Let's both get changed into something we can get dirty, and we'll get started. I'm sure your daddy will be home soon, and we can order pizza before you guys take your stuff next door."

Glancing over at the neat, sprawling ranch-style house, I blinked rapidly at the heat that flooded my eyes, a wave of sadness sweeping over me.

Why did it feel like the small distance that separated our two houses was suddenly the size of an ocean?