“And you like eating some of that delicious food yourself,” Kaley teased, diverting everyone’s attention as she poked at Eric’s belly and made him laugh.
“Yes!” Eric squealed.
Meeka sat down next to Eric and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “Eric, you’re such a good boy.”
When Eric looked up at her, his face beamed with happiness. Meeka saw their future in her son’s beautiful hazel eyes. It was hopeful. It was positive. And it was going to be filled with love.
There was a knock on their front door. Eric looked at Meeka and waited for her to say it was okay to go with her to open it. Meeka felt a stab of sadness as she realized that her little boy had been conditioned to be cautious in his very short lifetime.
“Stay with Aunt Kaley, Eric,” she said softly. “I’ll see who’s here.”
Eric nodded and leaned against Kaley’s side. “Okay, Mommy,” he said quietly.
Meeka smiled down at her son. She knew she was being paranoid, but it was hard to break old habits. She had to be careful. She had two babies to take care of and protect now. Covering her belly with her right hand, she took a calming breath. She knew she was overreacting. Everything was fine. She and Eric were safe.
“Maybe you should come with me to see who’s here,” Meeka said quietly. “We’ll just make sure who it is before we open the door.”
Eric’s smile was wide and his hazel eyes sparkled with happiness. She extended her hand and smiled as her son immediately placed his hand within hers. They walked together toward the front door, Eric stepping back while Meeka looked through the peephole to make sure that whoever was on the other side of the door meant them no harm.
Seeing that it was the woman who had quickly become a part of their family circle, Meeka unlocked the door and swung it open wide. Cammy Harris stood there with a soft smile on her face. It was nice to see the usually quiet and shy woman smiling.
“Morning, Cammy,” Meeka said brightly. “Come on in.”
Cammy walked into the apartment and turned to close the door and lock it behind her immediately. Reaching up, she nervously ran her right hand over her long blonde hair. Meeka knew right away that Cammy was experiencing a moment of panic.
“Are you okay, Cammy?” she asked quietly.
Cammy’s blue eyes were wide with fear as she looked at her. Something was very wrong. Reaching out, Meeka took Cammy’s hand in hers and pulled her toward the kitchen.
“Hi, Cammy!” Eric called out, stepping around his mother and walking close to Cammy to hug her legs.
“Hello, Eric,” Cammy said, smiling down at the little boy. “Did you already have your breakfast?”
“Yes. Do you want some eggs?” Eric offered, taking Cammy’s hand and tugging her toward kitchen and pushing her toward the seat at the table. “Sit down, Cammy. Have some breakfast.”
Cammy sat and smiled up at Kaley. “Morning, Kaley,” she said softly.
“Morning,” Kaley greeted her, looking down at the young woman and freezing as she saw the fresh bruises on her neck. “Did you have a rough morning?” Anger filled her as she saw the new proof of abuse.
Cammy nodded, her eyes darting to Eric in concern. “I’ve decided to leave Connecticut,” she said finally. “I just wanted to come by and tell you guys before I left.”
“What happened?” Kaley asked, sitting down next to her.
“My father,” Cammy whispered, shaking her head and looking at Eric briefly.
Kaley bit her tongue, determined not to say what she wanted to say in front of her nephew. “Are you okay?” she finally asked.
Cammy shrugged and did her best to smile bravely. “I am,” she said, her voice a little stronger. “I will be.”
“Do you have a place to go?” Meeka asked as she sat down next to the woman who had been such a great help to her since she and Eric had come to stay with Kaley.
“No. But I have to leave. I can’t allow this to happen anymore,” Cammy said quietly. She reached up and touched her hair nervously. “I deserve a better life.”
“Yes, you do,” Meeka agreed. She looked at Kaley for help.
Kaley nodded, knowing exactly what her sister was asking with her eyes. “Cammy, Meeka and I are going to help you get whatever stuff you want to take with you and bring it back to our apartment. You’re going to stay here with us.”
“Oh, no, Kaley. I couldn’t do that,” Cammy protested.
“Oh, yes, you can,” Kaley insisted. “You’re going to stay here. We’re a family and you’re part of it now.” When she saw that Cammy was about to protest, she rested her hand on Cammy’s shoulder lightly. “We appreciate your help looking after Eric when Meeka and I are working. It would be easier for all of us if you just stayed here with us.”
“I agree,” Meeka said, relieved that her sister had voiced exactly what she had been thinking. “If we don’t look out for each other, who will?”
“Maybe it’s time for all of us to move on,” Kaley suggested softly.
Meeka turned to her in surprise. “Why do you think that, Kales?”
Kaley shrugged and looked at Eric in concern before sighing softly. “I think it’s best if we leave before Ethan finds you,” she said finally.
Meeka’s heart thudded within her chest. “You think Ethan is looking for me?” she whispered.
“No. I don’t. But I thought I saw him on Main Street yesterday,” Kaley said gently. “He didn’t see me.”
Meeka leaned forward and kissed Eric’s head lightly before turning back to face her sister. “There’s no reason for him to be in Crystal Springs. We’re more than two hours from Hartford. Why is he here?”
Kaley shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. Maybe you should just stay home today. I’ll get someone else to take your shift.”
Meeka shook her head, standing and walking over to her sister to wrap her arms around her. “We need the money, Kales,” she said softly.
“We need you and Eric safe,” Kaley told her firmly. “And you’re exhausted. You need to take some time to take care of yourself. It’s not just you anymore, Meeks.”
Meeka sighed tiredly. “Okay. I’ll stay home today. Cammy will stay here with us.” She turned to face Cammy and smiled. “You will stay with us, right, Cammy?”
Cammy nodded, unable to hide the relief she felt that she had a safe place to be. “Until you’re tired of me,” she said, smiling up at both women.
“Then you’re here for the long haul,” Kaley said, pushing Meeka away from her gently before leaning down to embrace Cammy and hug her quickly.
“I’ll wait until my father goes to work before I go and get my things,” Cammy said quietly. “I don’t have much, but I’d like to get my clothes and my books.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Meeka offered.
“No, you stay here where you’re safe, Meeka,” Cammy said quickly. “I’ll make sure to go around dinnertime when I know he’ll be at work. I won’t have a problem.”
“Okay, Cammy. But then you come right back here and stay with us,” Kaley said firmly. “You belong here.”
She turned to face her nephew and saw the happiness on his face. “Eric, you’re the king among the queens in our home, little man.”
Meeka watched as Eric smiled up at his aunt, knowing her son couldn’t possibly understand what her sister meant. But he really was the king among the queens. And she adored him.
Chapter 25
The six men from Beckett’s wolf pack stood outside Crystal Springs Bar & Grille. It was nearly ten o’clock at night. Their flights had been endless with delay after delay because of the weather, making them worry that they wouldn’t make it to the restaurant in time. The restaurant was supposed to be closed already according to the posting of the hours above the menu that was displayed beside the entrance.
Reece and Wade knew that they made an imposing sight but neither one of them felt very imposing at that moment. Everything was about to blow up in their faces the moment Meeka rejected them�
��something he was sure was going to happen.
“Are you ready?” Wade asked his triad partner.
Reece looked at him and nodded, glad for the interruption. “What’s the worst that can happen?” he asked finally, doing his best to remain positive.
“She can tell us to get lost,” Wade said, clearing his throat nervously.
“Yeah,” Reece agreed.
“There’s nothing more important than your mate,” Nathaniel told them. “You have to try, Reece.”
Brett’s blue eyes flashed golden as he thought about the many nights he and Nathaniel had talked about their inability to find their mate. Both of them were worried that the Fates would never bless them with the woman they ached to hold and love. He looked at his triad partner and saw that Nathaniel’s normally hazel eyes were also golden, attesting to the fact that his wolf was pushing at him with the same thoughts and needs.
Reece closed his eyes and tried once again to talk to their mate through their link. Emptiness greeted him.
“I still can’t sense her.”
“I’ve been trying, too,” Wade admitted, seeing the frustration and sadness in Reece’s blue eyes as he faced him. “She doesn’t want us to talk to her.”
“Well, that’s gonna change right now,” Reece said, determination filling him as he stepped forward and gripped the large black handles of the ornate wooden double doors that led to the restaurant. He pulled and opened the doors wide, turning to face Wade.
Wade smiled as he looked at his partner. It was good to see Reece back to his old self. Wade hadn’t seen his partner this fired up and strong since before the night Randall had attacked them. Meeka may be determined to deny them, but Wade truly believed that they would persuade her to give them a chance and hear them out.
“We’ll wait for you out here,” Brett told them, reaching out to rest his hand on his older brother’s shoulder. “Good luck, Wade.”
Wade smiled briefly at his younger brother, appreciating his kindness and support. He knew that it was difficult for Brett to be here with him. Although his brother supported him in his quest for their mate, Wade knew that Brett was increasingly saddened by the fact that he and his triad partner Nathaniel Barrett still had not found the woman who would complete their triad. Brett had always been a man who had wanted a mate and a family. Nathaniel was equally saddened by their lack of a mate. Drew’s younger brother was a man whose humor was well-known within their pack community, but even his optimistic good humor had been dampened by the years of loneliness they had experienced. Wade was very concerned about both of them.
“Are you okay?” Wade asked his brother quietly.
Brett nodded and laughed softly. “You’re the one who has a mate bond that has to be repaired, big brother. Don’t worry about me. Go and make things right with your woman.”
“Nathaniel?” Wade asked, not sure what to say. He knew that both of them were incredibly down.
“We’re good, Wade,” Nathaniel spoke up firmly. “Good luck.”
Wade nodded, turning to Reece and seeing that his triad partner was just as concerned. “Ready?” he asked him softly.
“As I’ll ever be,” Reece answered, standing tall then turning to walk into the restaurant with renewed determination, knowing Wade was right there with him.
The door shut behind them, leaving the remaining four men standing outside the restaurant. Nathaniel turned and leaned against the gray bricks of the outside wall. Pulling his knitted cap down over his ears, he tucked his hands into his pockets to keep them warm. Light snow was falling and the temperature had dropped considerably. All he could think about was sitting in front of their fireplace in the home that he shared with Brett with their woman sitting between them. He wanted that to be their reality. Maybe someday it would be.
“We might be out here a while,” Brett said, zipping up his heavy coat and shoving his hands deep into his pockets. “Tell me why we couldn’t go inside and wait in the warmth of the restaurant instead of staying out here in this frigid weather, genius.”
Nathaniel laughed softly. “Oh, come on, Brett. A strong wolf like you is gonna let a little cold weather get to you?”
“You know, you’re not too old for me to execute a little beat down, Nathaniel,” Brett threatened his triad partner.
“I’m just one year older than you are, Brett,” Nathaniel answered, his canines peeking through his lips as he smiled at his partner. “I can still kick your ass.”
“Try it,” Brett challenged him.
Ryker Anthony looked from one man to the other, completely astonished by their conversation. Living his entire life within the cruel and restrictive guidelines of Alpha Randall’s pack, he and his triad partner Garrett Michaels had never seen men jokingly challenge one another. To do so within their former pack would have resulted in an immediate physical challenge where one wolf would be the victor and the other would be dead. This unusual way of challenging another wolf in jest was completely foreign to them.
He looked at Garrett and saw that his partner was having the same difficulty accepting and understanding the level of comfort each of the members of Alpha Beckett’s pack had with one another. It was something that confused them, but it was also something that they wanted to be a part of.
Garrett took careful steps to stand beside Nathaniel, his gait slow due to his twisted right leg. It was a birth defect that had caused him many problems growing up. He had been born the runt of the litter of three males. His parents had hidden him from the scrutiny of the pack to keep him from being killed at birth. Despite the severity and the cruelty of the pack, he had known relative peace for most of his childhood since his parents had sheltered him and his brothers and had established a home on the outskirts of pack land.
Finding out that Ryker was his triad partner had been a complete surprise to him. He had never thought he would ever have a partner, but Ryker had been his best friend and self-proclaimed protector of him from the time he was a young wolf. He still held deep guilt over the fact that Ryker had lost the vision in his right eye during a fight against Randall’s beta. Boyd had been brutal. He had intentionally blinded Ryker and had howled his delight with the maiming, but Garrett had clawed at the man’s groin with an accuracy that made it certain that the man would never sire any pups.
Ryker had never made Garrett feel any guilt because of his blinding. He was a good man and a strong wolf. Sometimes, oftentimes, Garrett felt unworthy of having such a loyal man as a partner. He truly believed that Ryker deserved better. If Garrett wasn’t his partner, maybe Ryker would be able to find a mate. He had never told Ryker that he felt that way, but he did.
Even now, Garrett was much smaller than most wolf shifters, standing only five feet eleven inches tall. Ryker was taller at six feet two inches, but he never made Garrett feel inadequate. Instead, he helped Garrett to train and get strong. Despite his twisted leg, Garret was a powerhouse of strength and a lethal fighter. They both were. It was something that allowed them to survive within Randall’s pack. They had become enforcers who were respected. What made Garrett and Ryker the proudest, though, was the fact that Jace Beckett and Jackson Scott had found them worthy of becoming a part of their pack and trusted them with the protection of their family.
“What do you think, Brett?” Nathaniel asked, breaking the silence of the night as they stood outside waiting in the snow.
“I think everything is going to work out,” Nathaniel said without hesitation.
“Really?”
“Yeah, I really do.”
“Why do you believe it’ll work out?” Brett asked as he looked at the empty street. The snow drifts were already about a foot high and the falling snow was supposed to add another six inches. “You’re pretty optimistic for an old man.”
“Because I believe that the Fates have gifted Reece and Wade with a woman who is just what they need,” Nathaniel answered shrugging. “Don’t question it, Brett. It’s meant to be and it’ll work out. Plus, Abbey said Mother
Fate told her it would.”
He reached out and grabbed a handful of snow off the iron railing that edged the small landing in front of the restaurant. He turned and tossed it at Brett with amazing accuracy, hitting his partner square in the face.
Both Ryker and Garrett froze in shock. They were both sure there was going to be a fight then and there. Surely, Brett wouldn’t allow that type of behavior to go unpunished.
Wiping the snow from his face, Brett looked at Nathaniel calmly. “Oh, you’re asking for it,” he said quietly.
“Go for it,” Nathaniel said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Brett with a sparkle in his hazel eyes.
Brett reached over and picked up a handful of snow from the cement window ledge behind him, patted it slowly into a fist-sized ball then faced Nathaniel and growled softly. Tossing it with a speed that spoke of his shifter talents, he quickly jumped over the railing and hid behind Ryker before Nathaniel batted the snowball away and reached for more snow to toss back at him.
For the first time in a very long time—Ryker laughed.
Reece and Wade walked into the restaurant, heading directly toward the hostess podium where a young woman with long black hair stood. As they neared her, they slowed as her scent reached their noses.
Reece, she smells like Meeka and Eric, Wade whispered within Reece’s mind.
She does. Reece’s voice was just as quiet, as if they might be overheard.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen. The kitchen is closed. We’re closing up for the evening,” she said politely, her blue eyes kind as she looked up at them.
Stepping forward, both men stood before her quietly, unsure what to do. Now that they had arrived and had found the person who had to be Meeka’s sister, they were both at a loss for what they should say or do.
She looks a lot like Meeka except for the blue eyes, Wade said softly.
Reece nodded. He couldn’t prevent the soft growl from escaping him as he scented their woman and cub on her. He was aware that Wade’s growls were joining his. Knowing that this woman had been with Meeka and Eric was driving them wild. They needed their family. Before the night was over, this woman was going to be the key in helping them find their sweet, frightened rabbit.
Meeka's Reluctant Mates [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 22
