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“Bullshit,” Cole said. “You’ll stay with me. At the alpha house.”

Dallas glanced apprehensively at me and Ashton. “I’m not sure that would be a good idea. I’m probably not welcome there. Which is totally understandable,” he added quickly.

“Dallas,” I said. “It’s fine. You saved us. You kept Ashton safe and helped us get out of that house. Things didn’t start the way they should have between us, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be different from now on.”

He gazed at me in disbelief and licked his lips.

“Yeah, Uncle Dallas, you gotta come stay with us,” Ashton said. “I know Aunt Farrah wants to play nursemaid.”

When Ashton said the words “Uncle Dallas,” the man’s eyes nearly popped out of his head like a cartoon character’s.

He turned to look at my son and opened his mouth to say something, but flattened his lips into a tight line instead.

A shimmery glaze formed in his eyes, and I thought he might be close to tears.

Dallas blinked rapidly to stop whatever surge of emotion was trying to come through.

“He’s right, Dallas,” Cole said. “Farrah was worried you’d want to go it alone.

She’s already got one of the bedrooms at the house ready for you.

” Cole stood, walked over next to the bed, and gripped his brother’s hand.

“Our father was an asshole. I think he changed, or was changing at the end, but that doesn’t erase everything that he did to you and your mother when we were younger.

You deserve a family. A real family. Come home with us.

We’ll be your family. We can help you build a better life.

Hell, I’ve got a job for you at the water company as soon as you’re well enough.

I’m here. It’s like I told the pack earlier, I’m not running.

Not now, and not ever again. I’m especially not running from my family.

So? What do you say, little brother? You gonna run, or are you gonna stay and see how your life could turn out? ”

When Dallas gazed up at Cole, I could picture them as young children.

Dallas, a broken, angry, lonely boy who only wanted what his half-siblings had, agonizing over what his father had refused him.

In a few quick seconds, the years melted away, and the bitterness fled Dallas’s eyes.

He looked up at Cole with an adoration that only a little brother could have for a big brother.

This time, Dallas was unsuccessful in holding back his emotions. He couldn’t even speak. His face crumpled into tears, and all he could do was nod. Cole hugged his brother.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” Dallas began repeating the words over and over, his voice muffled in Cole’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, Dallas,” Cole whispered. “We forgive you. It’s all right. You’re home now.”

We left thirty minutes later, all of us emotionally drained but happy to have Dallas come live with us until he was back on his feet. We’d hoped to head home and relax a bit before having dinner, but Langston was waiting for us on the front porch.

“Hey there,” he called as we climbed out of Cole’s truck. “How’s the happy family doing?”

After the events at the mansion, Langston and his father had stuck around for a couple days to sort everything out before he and Zayde went home with Porter’s body to give him a proper funeral.

Langston had made it seem like he wouldn’t see us for a long time, but I knew differently.

Stormy was his fated mate. There was no way he’d stay away long, though I hadn’t thought he’d be back this soon.

“We’re good,” Cole answered. “To what do we owe this visit?”

“I actually came to ask Avery for a favor,” Langston said.

“You flew all this way to ask a favor?” Cole asked with a laugh.

“Figured it was better to do in person.”

“I guess you better spit it out, then,” I said.

Langston smiled at me sadly, a strange look on his face. “How’s Stormy doing?”

Grinning knowingly at him, I said, “She’s fine. Happy that Ashton and I are home safe, and that all this craziness is over.”

“That’s good. She’s my mate, and I think she sort of got that idea, too, but…” He trailed off, and I could already sense what he was thinking.

Marcus had been gone less than a year. I wanted Stormy to have someone, especially someone as amazing as Langston, but it would be tough with that grief so fresh.

“I think it’s a little soon for us,” Langston went on. “I want her heart to be healed— more healed—before I pursue her. Something like that will never fully go away, but I’d like her to have some time. This is really hard for me, Avery.”

“I can imagine,” I said. “It’s okay.”

“I’m not giving up on her,” he added. “There’s no force on earth that could keep me from her forever, but she needs time.”

“That’s an incredibly selfless way to look at things, Langston,” I said. “I’m proud of you for that. Seriously.”

“So, about that favor?”

“Sure,” I said. “After everything you did to save me and my son, it’s the least I could do.”

Langston glanced up nervously. Suddenly, he was no longer the big, bad alpha wolf but a nervous boy. It only lasted a moment before that confident gleam returned to his eyes, but it endeared him to me even more. I couldn’t wait for him and Stormy to be together.

“Could you and Cole scare off any guys who might try to get close to her?”

I burst out laughing. “Consider it done.”

“Why was I ever jealous of you?” Cole asked Langston, chuckling along with me.

The other man looked at Cole and shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m pretty hot, Cole. You had every right to be jealous.”

“And so fucking modest, too,” Cole said.

The two men stepped forward and shared a hug. Cole patted Langston on the back. “Thank you for everything. And I’m sorry about Porter. I truly am. He was a great guy.”

Langston nodded and released Cole. “He was.” He clapped a hand on Cole’s shoulder. “No hard feelings. I couldn’t have kept him away if I tried. He died the way he lived—taking care of the people he loved. I can only hope I go out the same way.”

He walked toward his rental car and waved at us as he opened the door. “I’ll see you all soon.” He pointed at Ashton. “Next time I’m out here, it’s you and me on the basketball court. One on one.”

Ashton scoffed. “Sure. If you wanna lose, old man.”

Langston grinned. “Smartass.”

Without another word, he pulled out and drove away. I’d be counting the days until he returned. I’d also be gauging Stormy’s emotional state as the weeks and months went by. The moment I thought she might be ready for romance, I’d have Langston on the phone in a heartbeat.

That night, I realized I still hadn’t peed on a stick. It had been nearly a month since my last period, so I knew what was going on, but I still wanted to be sure. Officially .

The next morning, after telling Ash and Cole what I was doing, I headed to the guest bathroom and peed on the little plastic stick. After setting it on the counter, I opened the bathroom door to find them hanging around in the hall.

“What the hell?” I said. “Were you guys listening to me pee?”

“Not really,” Cole said.

“Sorta,” Ashton said.

“God.” I rolled my eyes. “It still needs a couple minutes.”

“Okay,” they both said in unison.

“For God’s sake. Fine.”

The three of us stood like idiots in the small half-bathroom, our shoulders touching, staring at the little test, waiting to see if it was positive or negative, even though I was already a hundred percent sure what the result was.

“Who the heck has a baby fifteen years after their first?” Ashton asked.

“Cut the crap,” Cole said, and nudged Ash with his elbow. “You know you’re excited.”

Ashton scratched the side of his head. “It might be cool to have a little brother or sister, I guess.”

The timer on my phone went off, and we leaned forward to see the result. Sure enough, a second pink line stood next to the first. We were, most definitely, expecting.

“What does the line mean?” Cole asked, his breath low, almost a whisper.

I poked him in the side. “It means that someone has about eight months to build a nursery.”

Cole looked at me, happy tears shimmering in his eyes.

Instead of crying, he let out a loud whoop of excitement and wrapped his arms around me and Ash.

The three of us did a goofy little dance in the bathroom.

I’d never felt more love in my whole life.

My everything was here—in my arms, and in my womb.

There were a few tears shed, but they were happy. Gloriously happy.

That evening, despite my initial worries, Cole allowed Ashton to spend the night at Brayden’s house. He hadn’t been away from me since our escape from the mansion. I’d been hesitant at first, but Cole had been persuasive.

“The kid is gonna have to go out on his own at some point, Avery,” he said. “Let him go have some fun. You won’t be able to hover around him forever.”

“I guess you’re right,” I said.

“Plus,” Cole added with a mischievous grin, “I don’t think you want him to hear the things I’d gonna do to you tonight.”

I smiled slyly. “Well, when you put it like that, how can I say no?”

A couple hours later, we barely even made it through a dinner of grilled chicken and salad before we ended up in the bedroom, tearing each other’s clothes off.

The stress, fear, and sadness of the last several weeks melted out of us as our garments fell in piles of cotton and polyester on the floor.

Cole slipped his hands under my ass and lay me gently on the bed.

Our lips met in a kiss so deep and filled with longing that I lost myself to it.

Something about the night felt surreal, dreamlike.

Even as Cole pulled away and trailed kisses down my chin and neck, my mind had a hazy quality to it, like this wasn’t actually happening.

Part of me was sure that I was still in Kyle’s mansion, locked away in that room, dreaming of what I wanted to happen.