Page 28 of Knot The Only Onee

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I whisper-yelled, not wanting to draw anyone else into my misery.

I should have known that would never happen.

James’ heavy boots made a rhythmic sound on the wooden floor as he approached me, Simon close on his heels.

“I’m fine. Just let me pace for a few minutes.” I tunnel my hands through my hair and don’t bother to look at them while I’m speaking.

“Simon told me what Bridget said,” James stated simply. Of course, Simon would tell him all about what happened. Damned traitor. Why couldn’t he just give me a few minutes?

I couldn’t stand it. The hurt and sorrow that laced Bridget’s voice when she uttered those few words. I wanted to take her into my arms, kiss the living daylights out of her, and then tell her she was beautiful and there was no way wecouldn’twant her.

“Lucas, sit down,” James snapped, and I halted my pacing. Damn it, I hated when he used that ‘almost alpha’ voice on me. He knew the things it did to me, and I was already too keyed up from how delicious last night was and how beautiful Bridget was this morning.

Her smile as I poured her coffee and gave her the fufu-flavored creamer made my heart ache and my stomach dance with butterflies.

I wasn’t as overly confident as my attitude might portray. Quite the opposite, I was insecure and would do anything for the praise I received from my pack. It was what kept me going. You know that saying, “Pat my head and tell me I’m pretty”?

Yeah, that was me in a nutshell.

I sank onto the sizeable swinging bench James had installed out here a few years back. It was one of my favorite places to be. Right off the kitchen, I could sit here forever and still be able to hear if any timers went off. I’d watched many sunsets snuggled with Noah and James, cocooned in a pile of blankets, just relaxing after a long day.

Hopefully, I would get to show Bridget one day, too.

Arg. I needed to steer my mind away from our beautiful, but shy omega.

James sat down next to me, while Simon leaned against the wooden railing of the deck. “Where’s Alena?” I asked, turning to the door to look for Simon’s mate.

“She wanted me to come talk to you.” Simon arched a brow and regarded me.

Oh great, I hated that look. It was an alpha look of ‘I know exactly what’s going on, so don’t try to lie to me.’

Noah had perfected it. Hell, so had James, and he wasn’t even an alpha.

“Okay, lay it on me. I already got in trouble for being too forward yesterday.” And now I was remembering last night again.

James sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If we’re going to get anywhere with Bridget, we need to be patient. That means no outright sexual comments. No growling and getting mad at her for saying things. Be her friend first. Do some light flirting. Yeah, I know patience isn’t your strong suit, but you need to dig deep if we want to woo her over.”

Now I was reciting the Mama Odie song from Princess and the Frog and telling myself to ‘Dig a little deeper.’

As I started humming, James let out a huff of annoyance. “How did I know you would start singing when I said dig deep.”

“‘Cause I do it every time you say that. And because I just watched the movie like two days ago.”

“Did James say dig deep again?” Noah groaned as he joined us on the deck. “You’re going to get that damn song stuck in my head.”

“Y’all are just a bunch of fuddy-duddies.” I crossed my arms over my chest with a huff.

“Enough about Disney musicals, please.” Simon tilted his head up and shook his head. “We had a unique situation with Alena, but I will tell you that patience is key, just like James said. Tread carefully. Light flirting, but most importantly?” He pointed a finger at me. “Keep making her laugh and feel comfortable here. I haven’t seen her laugh like she did this morning since we were small children.”

I nodded, realizing that I needed to find a way to pull every ounce of patience I had. It was worth it.

Bridget belonged with us. I’d do whatever I needed to make that happen.

“Bridget’s upstairs in her room listening to music.” Noah leaned against the railing next to Simon. “Let’s give her some time to decompress. What time are y’all leaving?” He asked Simon.

“The pilots are on standby, but we should leave within the next couple of hours.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and grimaced. “Xavier’s getting anxious.”

I didn’t blame him. I would be, too, if I had to be separated from my mate for multiple days.