“I just want sleep. I won’t get it out there with Jim or if I’m further away from you than the next room.”
I recalled what he said about having a hard time sleeping away from me and sighed as I nodded my acceptance of the situation.
Quirking a smile, I quoted Jim. “Hog the covers and I’ll push your furry butt to the floor.”
He grinned in return.
“Now, go away so I can change.” He obliged, and I quickly changed into the pajamas he’d packed for me then slid under the covers. “Okay. I’m decent.”
I rolled onto my side, facing away from the door so he could change if he wanted to. Listening, I heard him enter, the rasp of the zipper, and the rustle of clothes. I closed my eyes while wondering if he felt as self-conscious as I did.
He stepped to my side, surprising me enough that I opened my eyes. I saw his loose shorts as he reached up and closed the curtains, and I mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He moved to his side and slid into bed beside me but didn’t reach for me.
We lay quietly, side-by-side, and I wondered if he could still smell my fear or if all my other emotions where flooding it out.
“I’m sorry about in the truck before. You’re right. I don’t need to be afraid right now. I need to be strong and face whatever happens. I just don’t want to drag anyone else down into my problems. I wish there was a way I could face Blake and still keep my brothers safe.”
Emmitt rolled to his side so he faced me. “We will find a way.”
He moved his hand, lightly resting it on my side. I didn’t mind. The warmth of his palm soothed me to sleep.
Chapter 16
A few hours later, the boys burst into the bedroom, and I heard them pause when they saw two lumps under the covers. Either Emmitt had been sleeping deeply or Jim had set us up. I lifted myself up on my elbow, trying to play it cool.
“Good morning, you two. Is Jim awake?” They both nodded. “Good, tell him we’ll be up in just a little bit.” They didn’t move.
“Who is that?” Liam asked pointing to the lump that was Emmitt.
I glanced down at Emmitt. He was watching me, letting me deal with the situation however I saw fit.
“It’s Emmitt. Jim had the couch. You two had the other bed. So, I let him sleep here after he promised not to steal the covers.”
Liam quietly gazed at the floor before he took a deep breath and lifted his head.
“If you married Emmitt, we could live with Nana and Jim forever.”
My eyes widen in surprise as I scrambled for something to say, but Liam saved me from a serious answer.
“If you don’t want to marry Emmitt, we would be okay with Jim, too.”
My face flushed, and the bed started shaking due to Emmitt’s silent laughter.
“We’ll talk about who I marry some other time, but I’ll keep what you said in mind. Now, go get dressed and wait with Jim.”
Both boys scampered out of the room, and I got out of the bed without looking at Emmitt. I’d never given marriage a thought. Had Emmitt? He might have because he’d called me his repeatedly. I wasn’t sure how I felt about a permanent relationship, though, and couldn’t afford to dwell on it. There were bigger issues in my life.
I grabbed some clean clothes and left the room, pretending I didn’t notice Emmitt’s scrutiny. Shutting myself in the bathroom, I started to get ready. I didn’t take too long. The boys were probably hungry and trying to talk Jim into leaving without us. I pulled back my wet hair and opened the door.
Emmitt leaned against the wall, waiting. His sleepy smile and slow appraisal had my stomach doing acrobatics. He winked, and I realized he knew what he did to me. With an embarrassed smile, I indicated the bathroom was all his and fled to the bedroom where I ditched my dirty laundry.
I went to join Liam and Aden in the living room where I could hear Jim entertaining them with stories from Emmitt’s youth.
“Morning,” I said, walking into the room. “Did you two sleep well?”
“Yep, until Aden woke me up,” Liam complained.
“I’m hungry,” Aden said to explain his purpose for waking his older brother.
Jim reached forward and plucked Aden from the floor. “Me, too. Let’s hope Emmitt hurries or we’ll have to leave without him.” He used his big hand to cover Aden’s stomach and flexed his fingers. Aden squealed and giggled, the childish laugh making me smile.
Freshly showered and dressed, Emmitt strode into the room. He spared me a quick wink then focused on Aden.
“I’m starving, too. Let’s go eat. If I get there first, I’m eating all the food.”
Aden flipped off Jim’s lap and made a dash for the door, but Emmitt reached it first. Jim and Liam shared a brief look. Jim smiled mischievously, and Liam took off running after Aden and Emmitt.
Jim laughed. “Come on, little sister, or you’ll be left crumbs.”
* * * *
As we finished eating, Paul and Henry came and asked to take Liam and Aden on a tour. Jim immediately offered to go with. I watched my brothers leave the common room, both excitedly following the younger pair of werewolves, then helped Emmitt carry our plates to the adjoining kitchen.
He deposited the dishes into a large tub of soapy water and turned toward me.
“Are you ready?”
I looked at him blankly.
“The pack meeting.” His gaze flicked to the doorway behind us.
I looked over my shoulder. In those few moments since leaving the room, a growing number of people had entered it. I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. He smiled, gave me a tender look, and took my hand to lead me back. As I suspected, ready or not, I would be attending the meeting.
People gathered along the outskirts of the room. Those that didn’t have a place to sit stood near the picnic tables or the open patio doors. They looked like normal people, but I knew better. This was the pack.
As we headed toward Charlene, Thomas, Mary, and Gregory at the front of the room, I scanned the faces in the crowd. Thankfully, I didn’t see anyone I recognized. Most just looked curious about me. However, the intense stares of a few made me nervous. I tightened my hold on Emmitt’s hand.
The hush that fell as we delved deeper into the crowd drew Mary’s attention. She smiled reassuringly, and I tentatively smiled back.
Emmitt stopped next to his parents, and we turned to face the pack. My anxiety reached new heights as I stared into the sea of bodies that watched us. Thomas stepped forward, drawing their attention.
“There was a challenge last night, which Elder Winifred declined. Michelle has acknowledged Emmitt in front of Elder Winifred.”
Challenge? I’d acknowledged Emmitt? What were they talking about?
The collective eye of the pack focused on me. Emmitt’s hand lightly squeezed mine as I struggled not to squirm under the sudden attention.
“All challenges will end now,” Thomas said. “Not only is this a command from me—”
“It’s from me as well,” Nana Wini said from the back of the room.
There was a minute shuffling in the crowd then everything stilled.
“Just as we count Charlene as one of our own, we now count Michelle.” Thomas glanced at me and gave me a warm smile. “Michelle has brought two cubs with her.”
Cubs?
“They are under pack protection, but I am looking for a Mated pair to protect them as their own, to put the safety of the cubs above the safety of the pack.” There was a slight murmur at this.
“I’ll keep them as my own,” Mary said from beside me.
“We will,” Gregory agreed.
Thomas nodded to Gregory. As if it were a sign, people started to leave. Many of them looked back to study me before they quit the room, and I wondered what they were thinking. I wasn’t even sure what I was thinking. The six of us stayed where we were.