Page 96 of Knot The Only Onee

Mav's jaw clenched so tightly I was surprised we didn't hear the cracking of teeth. "And your point?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Mav had always been a serious man, but it seemed the last few years had hardened him even further.

Simon had much more patience than I did. Or if he didn't, he hid it very well. "Elias and I paid Fitzy a visit the other day, and we've taken care of the matter."

Silence hung heavy in the air before Heidi reacted first. "Oh my God." Her hand covered her mouth. "Does that mean he won't bother us anymore?"

"It does." Simon smiled warmly at Heidi, his expression one of brotherly affection. He dripped with British charm, which was why he did most of the talking.

The tears that had ceased a few minutes ago returned and slipped past her lashes. “Thank you,” she managed to croak out. “We were days away from losing the house. Everything has been going to keeping Momma comfortable.”

Mav remained silent, his gray eyes filled with so much pain it gave me pause.

“This shit feud is over between us, Maverick.” Noah climbed to his feet and held his hand out for Maverick to shake. “We’re family. Family is meant to be there for each other. If my omega has taught me anything in the past few weeks, it’s that life is too short to hold onto the shit from the past.”

Maverick rose to his feet, the scowl loosening up just the slightest. “Omega?”

“Reason why I’m an alpha now.” I let Noah take the lead for the handshakes, but I was still a big part of this conversation. “Her name is Bridget. You’ll have to come over for dinner and meet her.”

Maverick took Noah’s hand and gave it a hearty shake. “It seems like we have a lot of catching up to do.”

I rose and gathered Heidi into my arms for a hug. “You’ll love Bridget and Lucas.”

“Lucas?” Mav raised a brow. “Seems you guys have been busy over there.”

“He’s been with us a few years. Bratty little beta that he is, we love him. He also makes the best cornbread on the planet.” Noah clasped Mav on the back.

They awkwardly embraced. It was the first step toward overcoming the years of distance between us.

I released Heidi and held my hand out for Maverick. "Glad to have you back and not being atotaldick anymore."

Mav narrowed his eyes briefly before he grasped my hand and burst into laughter. "Have to say, glad to have you jackasses back, too."

CHAPTER46

Bridget

After showering with Lucas—and taking up most of the afternoon exploring each others’ bodies—we were finally down in the kitchen and getting things prepped for dinner.

"Have you heard from Noah and James yet?" I asked as I mixed the dough for a batch of oatmeal butterscotch cookies. They were my favorite and a recipe I'd perfected myself after help from the Rossi's. My heart ached at the memory as guilt swept through me.

“They texted a little bit ago and said they should be back home soon.” Lucas wiped his hands on a towel and tossed it over his shoulder.

I finished mixing my cookie dough and scooted up next to him. I wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled into his side. "I enjoyed our day."

He looked down at me, those bright azure eyes sparkling with love and admiration. I'm sure the same was reflected in mine. "Me too, darlin'." He kissed the top of my head.

"Mmm, I think I like this pose," James purred, and I whirled around in surprise to see him leaning against the doorway to the living room.

"Ack!" I exclaimed and placed a hand over my chest. “A little warning next time would be nice.”

James strode across the room, his long legs eating up the distance quickly. He gathered me into his arms and held me with his chin resting on my head.

“I take it the meeting went well?” Lucas asked, but I barely heard him as I savored being in James’ embrace.

"It went great," Noah answered for James. "Much better than I could have ever expected. We got the air cleared and are on our way to having good friends back in our lives."

The relief and joy in Noah's words and tone made my heart swell. With a genuine grin, I stepped away from James and embraced Noah. "I'm so glad."