27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Shay

Something was wrong. I could feel it. It was there, invisible, but the feeling of dread hung in the humid air, swirling around me.

Skimming across my skin, making me feel unsettled, I didn't know what it was.

Glancing around, my eyes scanned the street, looking for…anything amiss. Looking for Edward. The street was quiet, nothing out of place. No strange cars parked where they shouldn't be. The neighbor two houses down waved as he got his mail. I didn't know his name, but I waved back.

Was I being paranoid?

Things were going so well for Lucas and me, I was just waiting for the shoe to drop.

"When's he coming home?" Lucas asked for the four hundredth and twenty-second time, dancing in front of me like he had ants in his pants, breaking me out of my thoughts of impending doom. Sitting on the low step that led up to our small porch, I repeated the same thing I had told him just two seconds ago.

"When he gets home."

We were outside, waiting for Bennett to get home from work. Lucas wanted to hand deliver his birthday party invitations, and he was insistent that Bennett be invited. I hadn't tried to talk him out of it, even if it would be awkward, and I'd probably spend most of the party doing my best not to inhale Bennett's intoxicating scent. Hopefully, I would be too busy with party things, I wouldn't be able to think about sneaking off with Bennett to enjoy the taste of his lips. Or other things.

"But when?" Lucas whined, hopping along the front walk.

He had been wound up from the moment I had picked him up from the daycare. We'd been able to deliver a few of the invitations before we had departed Little Cubs for the day. Quinn's twins had been at the daycare because Lachlan had in-person meetings that day. Usually, the alpha worked from home and the twins were with him.

Since Lachlan had in-office meetings, Wade and Finn's children had been at the daycare today. Wade worked as Lachlan's PA, so he had been needed in the office also. After we dropped off Bennett's invitation, we would drive out to deliver the last ones to the remaining Sinclair quad offspring.

Lucas had made fast friends with all the children at Asher's pool party and wanted them all to attend his party. Because my son had turned into a literal social butterfly, he had also invited several other children he knew from daycare. The small party I had envisioned throwing for him in my head flew out the window as his guest list kept growing .

But I had been hard pressed to rein him in, loving the enjoyment that lit up his face as he went into complete party planning mode. I might have a future party planner on my hands, as he was very specific about things he wanted, including a theme. Tomorrow we would stop into The Sweet Spot to speak to Quinn about making the cake. Lucas was adamant he wanted Quinn's carrot cake for his party. I'd had a piece of that cake the other morning and it was damn good, so I wasn't going to try to talk him out of it.

"Daddy! Are you listening?"

"Hmm? Yes, of course," I assured him, knowing I hadn't heard a word he had said. But considering he'd been repeating some version of the same question the last twenty minutes, I guessed I was safe with telling him I had.

Planting his hands on his hips, the invitation still clutched tightly in his hand and getting a tiny bit wrinkled, Lucas demanded, "So when, then?"

Umm? What exactly was I about to agree to?

Bennett's car slowly turned down the street and pulled into his driveway, saving me from committing to something I might regret later. Standing, I brushed the ass of my shorts off, frowning when I saw Bennett wasn't the one driving.

Seth quickly exited the driver's side, pointing at Bennett to stay where he was. When I heard him say, "Just keep your fainting ass planted until I come around to help you out", my slow walk across the yard might have picked up speed. I wouldn't say I ran over to the passenger side where Seth was just helping Bennett out, but I most certainly jogged.

"What happened?" I demanded, reaching for him. Seth and I ended up in a tug-of-war with Bennett's arms, each of us determined to be the one to help him out of the car. Finally, Bennett smacked both our hands away.

"Stop it, both of you!" he snapped, untangling himself from us. "I'm fine. I can get out of the car myself."

He didn't look fine. Not one little bit. He was pale, yet slightly sweaty, which wasn't a surprise. The temperatures had been hovering close to a hundred, and the humidity was thick. Lucas and I hadn't been outside that long, but I was already sweating. At least I was wearing a pair of shorts, having changed out of my work jeans when we got home. Bennett was in black dress pants, and a long-sleeved button up that looked a tad rumpled.

"You don't look fine," I told him, as we trailed him up his walk to his door. Seth shook his head at me, his wide eyes relaying that he thought I was an idiot.

Bennett froze with his key halfway to the lock and gave me a withering look.

"I mean, you look pale, but good. Your normal self," I backtracked, trying to save the situation. "Did I hear Seth say you passed out?"

"It's rude to eavesdrop with your shifter hearing," he snapped, going into the house and leaving us standing on the walk.

"Daddy, I need to give him his invitation," Lucas urged, oblivious to the tension surrounding us.

"This might not be the best time," I whispered to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Bennett's not feeling so good."

Bennett opened the screen door, poking his head out. "Lucas, what's in your hand? Is that for me?"

Lucas rushed forward, and slipped nimbly into the house, the screen door banging shut behind him. Wincing, I turned to Seth. "Is he really alright? "

Seth ran his tongue over his teeth, giving me another of his you-hurt-my-bestie-so-I-despise-you withering looks. "He's well enough. The heat got to him. He'll be fine if he stays in the AC and gets some rest. Good as new tomorrow."

Everything inside me wanted to rush into the house, gather Bennett into my arms, and make sure he was taken care of. He took care of everyone around him, but I doubted he put the same effort into taking care of himself. But how could I do that? I had asked him for space, and he had given it to me. And while I was slowly making progress in healing from my past traumas, I wasn't ready for a romantic relationship yet.

Tessa had instructed me to date myself, and while I had snorted at her suggestion at first, once she had explained what she meant, it made a ton of sense. She told me I needed to invest my time and energy into self-care, a concept that was foreign to me, and that I had been living in survival mode for years. Instead of jumping into a new relationship, I needed to focus on treating myself with love and kindness, and find activities that brought me joy.

So while I waited for Edward to get out of rehab, and went through the painful process of breaking our bond, I tried to figure out exactly who I was and what I wanted. From myself and a partner. What I would accept from a partner and what were things I now considered deal breakers. Therapy was doing wonders for me, and I had joined a support group for abuse survivors, but I knew I might always have triggers that would never go away.

I knew I was hurting Bennett, but I had to put my needs first, even over a relationship the Goddess had deemed fated. It felt a lot selfish, but I knew it would make me a better partner in the end. Didn't mean it didn't suck though .

Because it was hard as hell seeing Bennett, even just the brief glimpses I got of him coming home or leaving for work, depending on his schedule. Seeing him out in his yard, or running into him at the store, just made me want him more. It took all of my willpower not to march across our yards and claim what was mine.

Honestly, despite all the therapy and advice, the one thing really keeping me from doing just that was the ongoing court cases with Edward. Regardless of everything, knowing I no longer loved him–and hadn't for a very long time–the fact that we hadn't been intimate in years, we were still mated. And that might not mean a rat's ass to Edward–he proved that by the many times he was unfaithful–but it still meant something to me.

It meant I shouldn't have touched Bennett. It went against all the things I thought I believed in. The values my parents had taught me. Mating wasn't a marriage vow, but it was damn close. Just because Edward hadn't honored the unspoken vows that came with that bite, didn't mean it was acceptable for me to act just like him.

Telling myself that Bennet and I were fated didn't make it any better.

Unconsciously, I reached up to run my finger over the tender raised skin of my mate bite. So far, I'd had two sessions to remove it, and would hopefully only need one more. The scar would be permanent, though with lasering, it would lessen and fade over time. They couldn't begin the lasering process to lessen the scar until the bond was completely broken, and the doctor had warned the lasering procedure would hurt like a son of a bitch. It was hard to believe it would hurt more than breaking the bond did, but any pain would be worth it in the end.

It meant I would be completely free of Edward and could move on with my life.

Lucas bounded out of the house, the screen door once again banging in his wake, and I winced at the noise. He shouted, "He says he's coming!"

Smiling down at him, I ruffled his dark, sweaty locks. "That's great."

"You can come too, Seth," Lucas informed the man, grinning at him.

"What am I coming to, little kitty?" Seth wanted to know.

"My birthday party," Lucas rocked back on his heels. "It's two Saturdays from now, and I'm going to be seven."

"A very important age," Seth told him, pulling out his phone and opening an app. "What time is this soiree taking place?"

Lucas gave him the details, and Seth told him he would be there. The man might not like me much, but he seemed to like my son and I was thankful he hadn't hurt his feelings.

"We'd better go," I told Lucas, "you need to deliver the rest of your invitations." Turning to Seth, I gave him a pleading look. "You'll look out for him? Make sure he takes it easy?"

Seth nodded, "It's what we do. Look out for each other. I got this."

Lucas was already racing across the yard, climbing into the back seat of my truck.

"Thank you." Halting, I turned back, "Tell him–"

"You should go." Seth told me, walking into the house and firmly shutting the front door.