Page 16 of Back to You (Legendary Shifters #14)

Vincent was already shaking his head. “I’m not worried or surprised. Why are you bringing this up again? I already told you I was fine with it.”

Ronan was relieved, even though Vincent sounded annoyed. “I know. I just wanted to remind you and to tell you that it’s happening.”

“The only doubt I have about it is that I’m not sure what my father did exactly. I wouldn’t be surprised if he put accounts in my name or things like that.”

“I already warned Cam about that, and he knew your father. I’m not worried.”

Vincent smiled. “Good. If you’re not worried, then I’m not, either.”

Vincent had always been a worrier, but Ronan didn’t point that out. There was no need for him to, especially when, for once, it looked like Vincent wasn’t worried.

Maybe to him, it was worth it. Accepting the background check meant that he and Ronan could be together without having to fear anyone coming between them.

Besides, if Vincent hadn’t had anything to do with his father or Fulton’s business, he had no reason to worry, no matter what Fulton had been up to.

“Is that all?” Vincent asked.

“That’s it, yes.”

“Great. What did you have in mind for this date?”

They hadn’t done much on the few dates they’d had.

They’d both been happy to just spend time together and talk, and Ronan wanted to continue doing that.

At the same time, he wanted to move things forward.

“I thought that maybe you could go back to pack territory with me. I’d like to show you my house. ”

It was a risk. He and Vincent wanted to be together, but Ronan had no idea where they stood.

They’d been on dates, had gotten coffee, had made out a few times, but they still needed to talk about the future.

They knew they wanted to be together, but he hadn’t talked about how they would make it work and what that would look like.

Ronan didn’t want to give up the pack, but would Vincent be willing to move in with them?

He couldn’t right now, not until Braden finished his background check, but it was something to think about, and Ronan couldn’t help but wonder if Vincent had.

Would he be willing to do that, or would he expect Ronan to move in with him?

Ronan leaving the pack would mean that he’d have to find a new job.

He’d have to start again from the beginning, and he didn’t know if he had the strength to do that.

But if that was what his mate wanted, he’d do it.

He’d do pretty much anything for Vincent.

He was sure that Vincent knew it, but thankfully, he wasn’t the kind of person to take advantage of him.

Ronan didn’t expect Vincent to make the decision for both of them.

They’d talk about it, see what both of them were comfortable with, and decide.

They just had to start talking about it.

Vincent looked delighted. “You want to show me your house?”

“I’d love to.” Ronan hesitated. “After all, it might become your home one day, too.” It was a risk, but since Vincent was still smiling, Ronan felt comfortable having taken it.

Vincent would tell him straight away if he had a problem with it, and he didn’t seem to.

They still had to talk, but it felt like a good first step, and it was in the right direction.

“As long as everyone’s okay having me around, I’d love to see where you live,” Vincent said.

Ronan opened his mouth to tell Vincent that, at the very least, Cam was okay with having him in pack territory, but he was interrupted by Vincent’s phone ringing. Vincent frowned and pulled it out of his pocket to check the screen. His frown deepened, and Ronan held his breath as his mate answered.

“Peter?”

Ronan moved closer. He didn’t want to intrude, but it was clear something was up, and if there was anything he could do to help, he wanted to do it.

“Calm down. I don’t understand anything you’re telling me,” Vincent said in a voice that should have been soothing, but Ronan could hear Peter yelling.

“I walked in on him with someone else! In my bed, Vincent! My bed!”

Ronan winced. He couldn’t say he was surprised, considering what Vincent had told him about the boyfriend.

“Oh, Peter,” Vincent said. “I’m really sorry.”

“He had the gall to tell me it was my fault,” Ronan heard Peter say. “Please. I know you’re on a date, but I need you.”

Vincent glanced at Ronan. It was clear he didn’t know what to do, and Ronan never wanted his mate to have to choose between him and his best friend.

They had different relationships, obviously, but neither of them was more important.

After everything Peter had done for Vincent while Ronan was gone, it was the least Ronan could do.

“We can go,” he told Vincent.

Vincent’s smile was relieved. “We’ll be right there,” he promised Peter.

This wasn’t how Ronan had expected their date to go, but it didn’t matter. Someone Vincent cared about—someone Ronan cared about—was in trouble.

* * * *

VINCENT HATED LOU. He hated that the asshole had interrupted his date with Ronan, but even more so, he hated that Lou was hurting Peter.

Of course he was cheating. That was a very Lou thing to do, and Vincent couldn’t say he was surprised.

He was glad that Peter had found out now rather than later down the road, even though he’d hoped to convince Peter to dump the asshole.

There was no way Peter was going back to Lou, which was a good thing, but Vincent wished things had gone differently.

“What can you tell me about Lou?” Ronan asked as Vincent drove.

They’d taken Vincent’s car since he knew where he was going, but Ronan hadn’t hesitated to climb into the passenger seat.

Vincent hadn’t even attempted to tell him he’d deal with it on his own and that he didn’t have to come.

He wanted his mate with him, and not only because he always wanted Ronan with him.

As far as he knew, Lou had never been violent, but Vincent wouldn’t put it past him if it meant keeping Peter.

The dickhead was convinced he was a gift from the gods and that Peter should want to be with him no matter what, and he wouldn’t take it well when Peter dumped him.

He’d been trying to keep him, and so far, he’d succeeded.

Not anymore. Lou was out of Peter’s life today, and Vincent would make sure he stayed there.

“Not a lot,” he told Vincent. “Peter has always been secretive about him.”

“That doesn’t sound like Peter.”

“Which is one of the reasons I thought that Lou wasn’t right for him, and that’s even before I found out how much of an asshole he is. He spends all of his time putting Peter down, you know? He never wants Peter to do anything fun or spend time with me because, apparently, I’m not a good influence.

“Influence? We’re not talking about high school kids here.”

“Yeah, I know. I think it’s because I was trying to convince Peter to dump him. Lou never liked me because I was someone Peter could rely on other than him. When Peter had a problem with Lou, he came to me. When Lou realized that, he tried to get between the two of us.”

“Did he manage?”

“He’d have had to try much harder. You know me and Peter.

We were close before everything happened, and we’re even closer now.

I don’t think I would’ve survived losing you if I hadn’t had him.

” Which was probably one of the reasons Ronan wanted to help.

He’d always liked Peter, and while they’d never been as close as Vincent and Peter were, they’d been friendly.

Ronan nodded. “I’m glad you had him. I never want you to lose him, and I’m willing to do what I can to help.”

“Even though Peter can be an asshole sometimes?”

“He’s an asshole because he cares about you.

He never hesitated to tell me when he thought I was being a dick.

He never gave me the shovel talk, but he made clear that if anything ever happened, he’d stand with you, and I respect him for that.

I never had a close friend like that, but I know how much the two of you mean to each other. ”

“Thank you.” Vincent hadn’t expected anything different from his mate, but it was good to know that deep inside, Ronan was still the person he’d been years ago. What Fulton had done to him hadn’t touched that.

“What do you think Lou is going to do when we get there?” Ronan asked.

“That’s anyone’s guess. He’s going to try to stop Peter from leaving, but I don’t know what he’ll do to make sure he doesn’t.”

“Well, I’m willing to shift if I have to.”

Vincent grimaced. “I really hope you won’t. I wouldn’t put it past Lou to use that against you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.” It couldn’t be worse than what Vincent’s father had done, but still.

“I don’t think Lou auctions rare shifters,” Ronan pointed out.

“God, I hope not. Honestly, he’s not smart enough to do something like that. He’s just an asshole.”

“Then I can deal with him with no problem.”

Vincent nodded. He knew that Ronan could deal with Lou. That didn’t mean he wanted him to have to do it.

Vincent was afraid of losing Ronan again. He especially didn’t want to lose Ronan to fucking Lou, who was nothing more than a bully.

They fell silent as Vincent drove them to Peter’s apartment.

Vincent had told his friend that he could stay at his place for as long as he wanted and needed to, yet Peter had gone home, where he knew Lou was waiting because the asshole had basically moved himself in without asking Peter if he could.

Why had Peter gone back? Vincent was happy because it meant that he’d finally reached his breaking point, but at the same time, it felt like Peter had been hurting himself willingly.

They’d have to have a conversation about that.

It would be hard for Vincent not to say I told you so, but he wouldn’t.

He was pretty sure that Peter had known this was how things would end with Lou, anyway, and there had to be a reason he’d still been willing to try.

What that reason was, was anyone’s guess, but it didn’t matter.

Lou was in the past, or rather, he would be as soon as Vincent took care of him.

He parked in front of the apartment building and rushed inside without checking that Ronan was following him.

He knew his mate was. He didn’t have to ask.

He heard screaming before he even reached the right floor.

He was ready to fight by the time he did, and he kind of hoped that Lou would give him a reason to hit him.

Vincent wasn’t normally a violent person, but some people really brought it out in him.

Peter was nowhere to be seen when they reached his apartment door, but the door was open, and a shoe came sailing out of it. Ronan pulled Vincent back so he wouldn’t get hit, and they peeked in together.

Lou had his back to them. He was holding up his hands, while Peter, who was in front of him, was throwing things at him. The t-shirt he threw next didn’t go far, but the book after it hit Lou on the thigh.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Lou said.

“Oh? Please tell me how it was my fault that you cheated on me.”

“You suck in bed, babe. I had to get what I needed somewhere else, but you’re the only one I love.”

Peter threw another shoe at Lou’s head. This time, it landed, and Vincent would have laughed if Lou hadn’t taken the opportunity to launch himself forward.

Vincent moved without thinking, but he didn’t get there first. No, Ronan did.

He grabbed Lou’s arm and pulled him back. Lou yelped, but Ronan ignored him and dragged him out of the apartment, slamming him against the wall in the hallway.

Vincent turned to Peter, who was staring at Lou and Ronan as if he’d seen a ghost. In a way, he had. He hadn’t seen Ronan since he’d vanished four years ago.

“What the fuck is happening?” Lou bellowed. “Who the fuck is this guy?”

Vincent grinned. “This is my mate, Ronan. Ronan, this is Peter’s ex.”

“I’m not his ex,” Lou argued.

“You are,” Peter said as he stepped forward.

“Baby, please.”

“Don’t baby me. I never should have let things go as long as I did, but I’m done now. If I ever see you again, I’ll call Ronan and make sure he makes it hurt.”

Lou attempted to fight Ronan’s hold, but Ronan was stronger than a human. He slammed Lou against the wall again, then leaned closer to murmur something into his ear. That seemed to be enough because when Ronan let go, Lou scrambled to get as far away from him as possible.

Vincent knew that Ronan had things in hand, so he turned to Peter and opened his arms. Peter dove between them, and Vincent felt his friend’s tears dampen his skin.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your date,” Peter murmured.

“You never have to be sorry about that. Both Ronan and I wanted to be here for you.” And that was another sign that Ronan might have changed, but not that much. It was time for Vincent to let go of his fears and give Ronan and their relationship a real chance.

He felt he was finally ready for it.