Can't Be Love

by Julie Trettel

  “The main roads are all clear, and those from here to there should be soon, too,” Gino informed us.

  “Great,” I said, turning to Lily. “Do you want to leave tonight, or wait till morning?”

  She blushed and I knew that meant her deliciously dirty mind was going to places that would make me very happy later.

  “Tomorrow it is then,” I said, without waiting for an answer. She elbowed me in the side, but didn’t retract my statement.

  I paid for one final night, and we thanked Bunny and Gino. I informed them we’d be heading out early in the morning, and they wished us both well. Bunny winked at me as she hugged Lily goodbye.

  “I have full belief that our paths will cross again,” she told my mate, knowing full well I had already booked us for exactly one year from the date we arrived.

  “I hope so,” Lily said.

  I would surprise her with the news much later.

  The night passed quickly and when I awoke the next morning, I smiled as I moved to wake my girl. Afterwards we shared a quick shower that took a little longer than I’d planned, and packed up to head out. We were both sad to say goodbye to the cottage, but I knew a year would pass quickly and we’d be back for another amazing stay.

  The remainder of the day was spent driving. We were back in the States by nightfall, stopping to catch a few hours of sleep before hitting the road again. Late the next day we pulled up to Chase and Jenna’s house.

  Lily

  Chapter 25

  I didn’t bother calling ahead. Maybe I should have, since they were still basically newly mated. I just thought it would be more fun to surprise them. It was later than I expected, long after dark, but they were in college. I was sure it would be fine. Plus, I really didn’t want to explain Thomas over the phone to my younger, but still way too protective, brother.

  I jumped from the car when Thomas stopped. I really did have to pee, but I also needed to give at least a five second notice before Chase said something we’d all regret. I glanced back to watch Thomas wave me on as he got our bags from the back of the SUV.

  I pounded on the door. I could hear Chase grumbling before it even opened.

  “Surprise!” I said, quickly hugging him and noticing I’d woken him. “You were sleeping? You’re in college.”

  “Lily? What the hell are you doing here? And we have early morning classes. What time is it?”

  “I don’t know, eleven maybe? I really have to pee. Be nice to Thomas, he’s my mate,” I said quickly before pushing past him. Jenna was in the living room wrapped in a robe, looking equally sleepy-headed. “Hey Jenna, please point me to the bathroom!”

  “Lily?” she questioned in surprise as she led the way.

  “She didn’t tell you we were coming, did she?” I heard Thomas ask Chase as I peed.

  “It’s fine, really,” Jenna said. “We’re always happy to have you. I’m Jenna,” she added as I rejoined them. I gave her a quick side squeeze.

  “Jenna, this is Thomas Collier, my mate,” I said proudly, surprised to find I was officially introducing him to the family and I wasn’t embarrassed in the least bit.

  Chase nearly choked, and Jenna had to run and grab a glass of water for him.

  “Your what?” he finally gasped out.

  “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone, and I knew you’d question it if I called and asked if you had room for two. So, I thought I’d just surprise you instead. Surprise.”

  “Thomas Collier, as in heir to Collier Pack? Maddie’s brother?” Chase spit out.

  “Yes, and yes,” Thomas confirmed. “It’s okay, go ahead and say it. I kind of miss hearing it.”

  I rolled my eyes, but Chase looked exasperated.

  “The biggest douchebag on the planet? You hate this guy,” he reminded me.

  “Correction, I hated this guy. That was in the past, and to be fair, I didn’t really know him or give him a chance.” I saw Thomas cringe at my words and hated that I was hurting him. “I will spend the rest of my life apologizing for it, I’m sure,” I told him, rising on my tippy toes to kiss him. “I love you. That was in the past.”

  He calmed, and I loved that I had that kind of power over him.

  “Aw, you two are adorable together.” Jenna sighed.

  Chase shook his head. “I don’t even know where to start with this. I guess welcome to the family,” he told Thomas, offering his hand, which he accepted. “Guest rooms are upstairs. Pick whichever you want. We’ll talk in the morning, okay?’

  “We have an eight o’clock class tomorrow, but we should be back around ten. Just make yourselves at home. The kitchen’s stocked. I went shopping this afternoon. I’m so excited you’re here,” Jenna said, hugging me.

  Chase and Jenna had come home for the summer. They both were working at Westin Foundation, and Jenna had started making a name for herself taking portraits—families, couples, and especially children. She was so passionate about her photography that I often envied her.

  She and I spoke on the phone several times a week, which was way more than I called Chase, and I was happy to add her to my list of sisters. I knew she would be confused, and maybe even a little hurt that I hadn’t mentioned Thomas to her, but I was also certain she would be happy for me, for us.

  It seemed weird to think we were in Chase’s home. My baby brother shouldn’t be old enough to have settled down and bought a house, yet here we were. It was totally surreal.

  As I busied myself, unpacking and us settled into the room, I knew Thomas was watching me.

  “What?” I finally asked.

  “You really didn’t tell them?”

  “I wanted to surprise them,” I defended.

  “Oh, you certainly did that. Poor guy didn’t know what to do when I walked in.”

  I laughed. “He’s family. He’ll be fine.”

  I did put my foot down and refuse to have sex in my baby brother’s house when Thomas tried to make a move my way. I just couldn’t. Instead, I snuggled up next to him. I liked using his chest as my personal pillow. He sighed contentedly and was soon snoring. I let the sounds of his breathing lull me off to sleep.

  The next thing I remembered was the glorious feel of Thomas’s tongue. That man had a magical tongue and I was the lucky girl who got to wake to it every morning. I moaned and stretched as my body convulsed in shock waves of ecstasy. Every night I went to sleep wondering if he’d wake me again the next morning and so far, he hadn’t disappointed. I had never been a morning person, but it was by far my favorite time of day now.

  “How long you think you’ll be able to keep this up?” I asked.

  He leaned down and kissed me. “How about for the rest of your life?”

  “You are too good to be true,” I said, running my hands through his hair. A conscious thought began to upload to my brain and I remembered where we were. I shot up and looked around the room. “Oh my God, are they home?” I mouthed.

  He looked at the time on the clock next to the bed and shook his head. “It’s nine, so they should be at school still. Want me to hunt up some breakfast?”

  “I have a better idea,” I said, waggling my eyebrows at him and pulling him closer to me.

  My breathing was still erratic as we lay naked in bed after a morning quickie when I heard Chase’s Jeep coming up the driveway.

  “Shit, they’re back,” Thomas said.

  “My thoughts exactly,” I confessed. “I thought we’d get at least one more round in.”

  “Dammit, Lily. I swear you’re going to be the death of me.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, at least you’ll die happy,” I said as I got out of bed and started to dress, tossing him clothes and loving the simple things in life, like just seeing our clothes in the same drawer.

  Our lives had intertwined so quickly, yet in some ways they’d always been that way. We just hadn’t known it yet.

  Jenna and Chase were just walking in when we descended the stairs, hand-in-hand.

  Chase stared u
p at us, still looking confused. “You know, Jenna had to convince me this morning that I hadn’t dreamed this up,” he said, pointing to my hand linked with my mate’s. “I just don’t know how this could have happened, and you never even bothered to tell me.”

  I sighed, and Thomas threw his hands up in surrender. “This is a sibling issue, slugger. He’s your brother, talk to him.”

  “Have you two eaten yet?” Jenna asked as we both shook our heads.

  “Um, okay, I’m going to make breakfast then.”

  “I’ll help,” Thomas offered, letting me go and following Jenna into the kitchen.

  “He’s your brother now too, traitor,” I mumbled under my breath, but all it did was earn me a wink before Thomas disappeared from sight.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. It’s kind of a long whirlwind story, and it’s not like you ever called and told me about Jenna. I had to learn about her from Liam.”

  “So this is payback? I was confused. She has an identical twin and I didn’t know it. I couldn’t tell which was which, but I didn’t know there were two to tell apart. It was making me crazy. I didn’t know how to talk about it,” he said.

  “And I discover my best friend’s brother, whom I’ve labeled my sworn enemy and the biggest douchebag alive, is my true mate. Don’t you think that kind of freaked me out a bit? I didn’t want it to be true at first. I got scared and ran home with my tail between my legs. He came after me and I had to face the facts.”

  “You said last night that you loved him. The bond doesn’t make you love him.”

  “I know, but it does help. Once I stopped fighting it, I don’t know. He’s not at all the guy I had painted him to be. Like not even close. He’s a really great man, and he’s going to be an amazing Alpha someday. I’m terrified I’m not good enough to live up to Pack Mother next to him, but we’re worth trying. And I did fall in love with him somewhere along the way. I don’t even know when it happened, but I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. Don’t listen to what I’ve said in the past, Chase. Give him a chance. Get to know him, and decide for yourself.”

  Chase shrugged. “I can do that. And wow, you’re going to be a Pack Mother.”

  I hugged him. “I know. It’s crazy. And thanks. Now catch me up on what’s going on around here.”

  Breakfast was soon ready and Chase filled me in on life with Jenna at the ARC. He was in his final year, and she still had one more to go, but was taking a few online classes to try and speed up her graduation. They were excited to start the next stage of their life together. And they loved the cabin so much that they had an identical one built back home, awaiting them.

  They skipped the rest of their classes to hang out with us. Chase and Thomas were becoming fast friends. When bedtime came I was sad to see the day end, knowing we would be leaving early the next morning and heading for San Marco. I was excited to get home, but sorry to see our time with them was over. They promised to come see us over the winter holiday and I promised to do a better job of keeping in touch. It had been a great visit.

  In comparison to how far we had already traveled, the drive from the ARC to San Marco was a breeze. Excitement built as we headed up the mountain for the final leg of our trip. I knew my wolf would calm and peace would find me as soon as we entered Westin territory, but as we pulled up to my family home I still didn’t find that sensation I had been bracing for.

  Exiting the vehicle, I stretched, tense from another day of driving. Thomas walked around the SUV, giving me an appreciative look. He wrapped his arms around my waist and my arms naturally fell to his neck. He leaned down and kissed me.

  I sighed happily, then took his hand and led him into the house. I could smell food cooking, which made my stomach rumble.

  “What day is it?” I asked Thomas, feeling stupid for not even knowing.

  “Tuesday, I think.”

  “Really?”

  He counted up the days in his head. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s Tuesday.”

  “Hello?” My mother’s voice called out from further in the house. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s me, Mom,” I hollered back as I dragged Thomas towards the back of the house heading for the kitchen which I knew was the only place my mom would be on a Tuesday afternoon. “She’s going to be so excited,” I told Thomas. “We made it for Tuesday night family dinner.”

  He stopped, and I jerked to a halt. I looked up to find a condemning stare. “You didn’t tell her we were coming, did you?”

  I gave him an apologetic look just as Mom came out of the kitchen. “Lily!” she exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise.” She hugged me and glanced up at Thomas, then pulled back and looked back and forth between the two of us. “All the craziness is finally sorted, I see.”

  “Mom,” I started, but she cut me off.

  “I’ve been around a long time, and I know what a bonded couple looks like versus a mating one. When? And why didn’t you call and tell me?” she chastised.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” I said sweetly as Thomas groaned and dramatically rolled his eyes.

  “Well, I’ll take a surprise visit from the two of you anytime. Come on back to the kitchen and I’ll put you to work.”

  “We’ve been on the road so long, I honestly didn’t realize it was Tuesday,” I confessed.

  “On the road? Vacation or business?” she inquired.

  I shared a look with Thomas. Certainly my mother knew where I’d been and what had happened to me.

  “We’ve been to visit the Alaskan’s. Tulok was having an issue he needed my help with. Lily and I decided to make it a road trip home. We stopped by Chase and Jenna’s to surprise them, too,” Thomas filled her in for me.

  “Well, it’s a great surprise, and I’m happy you’re both here. I’ve missed my girl,” Mom said with a tear in her eye. “I’m blessed to have four of my babies stay in Westin, but I’m gonna miss my Lily girl so much.” She stopped what she was doing and came over to hug me.

  “Oh, Mom. I love you so much. That’s never going to change, and I promise I’ll visit as often as I can.”

  “I know you will, sweet girl, but I’ll still miss you every day you’re away. I’m so proud of you though, and I know you will make an amazing Pack Mother someday.”

  I grinned proudly as I hugged her tighter. “I did learn from the best.”

  We spent more time catching up and she got to know Thomas better as we helped finish the meal. I felt like I should have been nervous, officially introducing him to the family, but I wasn’t. It just felt natural having him there.

  “Mary?” Kelsey yelled when the front door opened.

  “Kitchen,” she replied. It was a normal scene in the Westin home.

  “Grandma, look!” Z squealed as he ran into the kitchen, coming to a complete stop when he saw me. “Aunt Weewee!”

  “Hey Z-man. How’s my favorite youngest nephew?” I said, picking him up and snuggling him close.

  “He’s your only youngest nephew, silly,” Kelsey said

  “For now,” I said, noticing her enormous belly protruding. “Still no baby I see.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, setting down the bag she was carrying to hug me.

  “Apparently, we’re on a road trip of surprises,” Thomas said sarcastically.

  Kelsey looked him over. “Well, I see you made the cut. Good luck keeping this one in line.”

  He laughed. “Oh, I’m finding my ways.”

  “Maddie and Liam just got home about an hour ago. I stopped and grabbed some extra food, just in case they decided to show tonight,” Kelsey said, passing the bag to Mom.

  “That’s about as close to having all my babies under one roof as I can ask for right now. I’ll give Maddie a call,” Mom said as she set the groceries on the counter, and then left the room to no doubt harass MC into coming for dinner.

  My phone dinged a few minutes later.

  MC: You’re here and didn’t even tell me?

 
LILY: I thought you were still in Collier.

  MC: Why aren’t u in Collier. U didn’t leave Thomas already, did u?

  I snorted as Thomas looked over my shoulder to read my text.

  He pulled out his phone.

  THOMAS: It’s not going to work. Lily left me. Need to talk.

  MC: Seriously?? Want me to kick her ass for you?

  Thomas laughed and showed me his phone.

  THOMAS: Whatever it takes.

  I grabbed my phone and furiously started typing.

  LILY: You’re brother’s a douchebag. I’m sorry. I tried.

  MC: But he’s your true mate!!!

  LILY: So? You actually liked Liam and tried to call it off. I thought you’d understand.

  MC: He’s texting me. He sounds devastated. U sure bout this?

  LILY: Absolutely.

  MC: Sara’s waking up, I’m on my way.

  Thomas’s phone rang not thirty seconds later. I tried to tell him not to answer it, but he did anyway.

  “Hello?” he answered, sounding pathetic.

  Kelsey was trying not to laugh out loud. “That’s so pitiful,” she mouthed.

  “He’s good,” I mouthed back.

  “I don’t know what happened, Mad. One minute everything was great, the next she’s flying off the rails like a rabid wolf. Is she bipolar?”

  Kelsey held her stomach with one hand and her mouth with the other and started dancing around as she ran out of the room.

  “Hey, sis, can I call you back? Something just came up . . . Yeah sure . . . Love you, too.”

  He hung up the phone quickly and I burst out laughing.

  “What was that all about?” he asked.

  “Kelsey’s bladder is like the size of a dime when she’s pregnant. I think you made her pee herself a little. MC’s going to murder you for this.”