Chapter 256: Chapter 259

Chapter 259 Audrey I woke to the feeling of warm sunlight washing across my check. My body ached pleasantly, and with it came my memories from last night–Edwin’s hands on my skin, the soft murmur of his voice as he whispered my name, the warmth of his breath against my neck.

We had made love practically all night; we hadn’t even gone to sleep until the first rays of dawn broke across the horizon.

Even now, I could still feel the lingering heat of him in the sheets beside me, even though his spot was already empty.

The scent of coffee and bacon wafted in from the kitchen, making my stomach growl. I stretched languidly for a moment before tossing the blankets aside and swinging my legs over the side of the bed, climbing to my feet with a yawn.

I found one of Edwin’s t–shirts discarded next to the bed, and pulled it on. It still smelled like his cologne mixed with the scent of the lakewater, and I paused for a moment to inhale it before I slipped out of the bedroom.

When I rounded the corner to the kitchen, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Edwin was standing at the stove, his back to me, wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants slung low on his hips.

The muscles in his broad shoulders and strong back were flexing slightly as he flipped pancakes, reminding me all too well of last night. I smirked as I watched him for a moment, just allowing myself to drink him in.

He must have felt me staring, because a moment later, a tug came through our bond, drawing me closer.

“Morning,” I said, hopping up onto the counter beside him. “Making breakfast already?”

He glanced up at me, a lazy smile spreading across his lips as he leaned in to press a kiss to my temple. “I got hungry. Sleep well?”

“Better than I have in ages,” I admitted. And it was true. For the first time in weeks, I hadn’t had strange dreams, nor had I tossed and turned all night. My mind felt quiet, at least for a little while. “Maybe you were right.”

Edwin raised an eyebrow, turning his attention back to the stove as he slid a pancake onto a plate. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “I guess I needed some time away after all. To clear my head.”

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“You always have a habit of throwing yourself into your problems,” he said as he picked up a pair of tongs, using them to scoop some greasy bacon from a nearby pan. I grabbed a plate and held it out to him, my mouth already watering at the sight of the glistening strips. “Sometimes, we need to take a step away in order to see things clearly. Even people like us.”

I nodded, realizing that he was right. “I guess I had myself convinced for a minute that Alphas and Lunas and Silver Stars don’t deserve a day off.”

My mate chuckled. “Maybe we don’t get them as often as some people, but we still deserve them,” he said. “And besides, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You can’t go saving the world properly if you’re rushing yourself and beating yourself up constantly. It’ll just lead to burnout.”

Yet again, as always, he was right. I’d been so caught up in the orphanage business that I was overwhelming myself, making it difficult to see the full picture. But now that I had a chance to clear my head, fresh ideas as to how to tackle the whole situation were slowly beginning to spring to life.

We ate a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon on the deck after that, watching as the morning mist slowly rose off the lake and dissolved into the warmth of the sun.

The air was still pleasantly warm despite the early hour, and it was forecast to be even hotter today. I could already picture myself spending the day in the lake yet again.

“When did you buy this place?” I found myself asking as we ate.

“A few years back,” Edwin replied. “I needed a place just to get away from work. This place was cheap as it needed renovations.* He paused, a piece of bacon halfway to his mouth, and shot me a smirk from across the table. “You missed it, but I actually spent an entire summer shirtless in here, renovating the place myself.”

Chapter 259 I couldn’t help but flush a little at the thought of my mate hammering nails and cutting wood with no shirt on, muscles glistening with sweat in the heat. But after last night, I had little energy left to fling myself at him across the table, even though I wanted to.

“Well, you did a good job. We should consider staying here for an extended period sometime,” I mused, sipping my coffee.

Edwin nodded and grinned. “I would like nothing more than to spend a summer here with you. Maybe throw a few barbecue parties while we’re at it.” He paused, then added, “Once we’re not so fucking busy, of course.”

I sighed softly, leaning back in my chair. A lot of things would have to wait until we weren’t so busy, I supposed. But, just like having kids, we had plenty of time to figure that out.

And then, suddenly, an idea struck me.

As we cleaned up our dishes a little while later, I turned to Edwin, my idea having taken shape in my mind.

“Hey,” I said, “what would you say to throwing a party this afternoon?”

Edwin’s hands stilled beneath the water coming out of the kitchen faucet. He glanced at me, quirking one dark eyebrow. “A party? So soon?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “I was thinking that we could invite everyone: Eliza and Joseph, Peter, Betty, Tina, Gavin and Avis...”

As I spoke, my mind flicked back to the night that I had spent with my friends posting flyers for Avis’s business. Then it went to Peter and Betty’s tentative feelings, Tina’s unresolved issues with her family, and finally...

Eliza and Joseph–back to the day I had accidentally upset the little boy. I hadn’t seen him yet since then, and honestly, I was afraid to. The thought of making him cry after everything he had been through felt like a knife in my gut.

But that little boy, as of right now, was our only link to finding out what was going on with those kids in Coldclaw.

If we could just help him open up a little, show him that we were one big family, that he would be safe in telling us about his experience... then maybe we would be one step closer to saving those kids.

Edwin, sensing this little idea of mine through our Mindlink, shot me a wary look.

“Always scheming, aren’t you?” he asked, half exasperatedly and half amusedly.

“Can you blame me?” I asked. “Besides, it’ll be good for him. The kid probably spent his entire summer in hell, and it’s the last warm weekend of the year. A swim in the lake would be nice for everyone.”

Edwin blinked at me for a moment, processing, before he nodded and reached for his phone. “Alright, alright. We’ll have a barbecue. I’ll send the group text out now.”

I grinned, already turning on my heel and heading for the bedroom to get dressed.

C “We’ll need to run to the store,” I called over my shoulder, making a mental list of what we’d need. “Let’s head out soon.”

My mate chuckled and saluted me. “Whatever you say, boss.”

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