Chapter 4

I wished I had another cocktail napkin to rip into pieces. The signs for Clarity Coast had my heart pounding, even though it would be fine. It was going to be fine.

If I kept telling myself it would be fine, I hoped my brain and body would believe it instead of feeling like I was walking into a firing squad.

And not because of my family or friends. But because seeing Beau made me feel out of control. I should be able to walk in there with my head held high because I didn’t do anything wrong. Instead, the thought of seeing him made me want to curl in on myself and hide.

At the same time, the first glimpse of the ocean made me breathe out a sigh of relief. The airport was near the ocean too, but it was hard to see it until you were here. At least from the highway.

It sparkled in the afternoon sun, stretching out into infinite blue. I could just barely see the cliffs that edged our estate in the distance, and my entire being settled. If there was anything I missed moving away from here, it was the sea. It wasn’t the same anywhere else.

I woke up every day of my childhood with the song of waves in my ears. I rarely went a day without sand in between my toes. The beach was one of my favorite places, sitting on the sand and just gazing out at something so much bigger than yourself.

Of course, that was as far as it went. No swimming for me, but I was still comforted being near the water.

After I told the guys about everything we were doing—which was frankly too much—we lapsed into a comfortable silence with music on quietly in the background. I was so much more relaxed. I didn’t know if it was because they put me at ease or because I liked being home, but I felt better than I had when I got in the car, and that was the important thing.

Rowan pulled off the highway where the GPS told him to, following the roads through the strange combination of the glitzy and the artsy to where the big houses were. The kind you saw on television and thought ‘no one could ever live there.’

I glanced up at the cliffs and did a double take. A house stood on the top now. It wasn’t there before. I think I might have known someone bought the property, but I pushed it from my mind because it made me sad. The view from those cliffs had always been my favorite, so not getting to climb the switchback path and sit there for sunset hurt my heart.

It was okay. I could still do that on the beach.

I changed while I was gone. Couldn’t expect everything to freeze in time when you were the one who ran away.

The long drive up to our gates unfolded in front of us.

Vaughn let out a low whistle. “Been around here, but never been up close to this one.”

“It’s nice,” I admitted.

Who was I kidding? It was way, way more than nice. My stepfather was one of the most sought-after entertainment lawyers in the country, and my mother was an interior designer whose work graced the cover of magazines. The only reason she didn’t have her own TV show was that she didn’t want one. I knew for a fact she had producers banging down her door and begging on a regular basis.

The security guard at the gate leaned into the window, looking at Rowan skeptically. “Name?”

“It’s me, George. Isolde.”

His eyes skipped into the backseat and onto my face. Then he smiled. “It’s nice to see you, Miss Allen. I know your family is looking forward to having you home.”

“Thank you. Can you put this car on the open access list? I’ll make sure to get you everyone’s names.”

“Of course.”

Stepping back, he waved us through. There were already cars along the road, and several pulled up on the gravel driveway in front of the house. All the guests wouldn’t be here for a couple of hours, but I swallowed anyway. Showtime.

As soon as the car stopped, I went for the door, and a hand fell on my shoulder. “No.” Cade’s hand stayed there, gently holding me in place as Joel exited the car and opened the door for me.

“I can open my own doors.”

“Yes, you can,” Joel said. “But you won’t. Not with us around.” He helped me down from the taller height of the SUV.

“Why?”

With a hand on my hip, Joel pulled me to the side, guiding my back against the warm metal of the SUV’s side. “Why what?”

“Why can’t I open my own doors?”

His laugh rasped over my skin, voice impossibly deep. Those slate-blue eyes focused on mine. “You might not want the entire package offered to you, Isolde. But we’re here to do more than just put on a show in front of your family.”

All I could do was blink. If they weren’t here to do that, what were they here to do?

He leaned closer. Close enough to overwhelm me with the rich, sharp scent of bourbon and that depth of spice. So close I could feel his breath on my neck. It was hard to remember that I didn’t want the entire package when he was this close.

“We’re here to take care of you, Isolde. As many… needs as you’ll allow us to take care of. Whether that’s standing with you in front of your family and offering support, no matter the reason, or opening your car door for you.”

I let out a shuddering breath and swallowed, trying desperately to find words when my mouth was suddenly dry. “Still, I’ve been opening my own doors for a while now. It’s okay if I do it.”

Joel’s eyes crinkled with a smile again. “Sorry, beautiful. Comes with the deal. No opening your own doors. Not while we’re around. If it makes you feel better to think it’s all a part of the ruse, go ahead.” He leaned closer, my breath going still in my chest when his lips brushed over mine in a non-kiss. Nothing more than contact.

Contact that made me feel more than I had in years.

“But it’s going to happen anyway,” he said.

“What is?” I couldn’t even think with him so close, his scent in my nose.

His laugh vibrated against me. “Us taking care of you. Better get used to it.”

I looked up at him when he pulled back, unsure of the look in his eyes. Or the rest of them, now congregated behind Joel, blocking us from anyone’s sight.

“Is that my baby?” A voice called, followed by crunching on gravel.

My mother’s words pulled me back to my senses. “Yeah, Mom,” I said.

Joel took a step back, creating physical distance, but his eyes never left my face. Not even as my mother barreled through the five of them and pulled me into a hug. It didn’t matter that she was wearing a pale blue pantsuit and heels that could kill her on the gravel, she was here anyway.

“Hey, Mom. Happy Anniversary.”

“If I knew a wedding and a silly party would make you come back, I would have made Warren propose to Ellie earlier. Then maybe you would have come home.”

I hugged her back. “Planes exist,” I whispered lightly. “You could have come to see me.”

Pulling back, she waved a hand. “You know I’m not built for the cold.”

There were many times I informed her that the northeastern coast wasn’t only cold, but it didn’t really matter. This was her home, and she was comfortable. I couldn’t imagine my mother in the tiny apartment I rented above a laundromat and a takeout Chinese place. It was better she didn’t know about that particular detail.

I might have oversold my living situation, knowing she would never see it firsthand.

“And this must be your lovely pack,” she said, looking around at the men surrounding me. “I have to admit, I was a little surprised when Isolde told us she was bringing a pack home. We had no idea she was even seeing anyone.”

Rowan stepped forward and shook my mother’s hand, towering over her even in her heels. “It’s incredibly nice to meet you, Mrs. Caruso. We’ve been looking forward to it. I’m Rowan.”

I watched as they all introduced themselves and were perfectly charming. Not like me, stuck to the side of the SUV like I was a bug that got smashed there on the highway.

Cade took my hands and wove our fingers together like it was the most natural thing in the world. And it most definitely did not send warmth shooting straight through me.

My mother led the way into the house. “Well, come inside. Geoffrey will take your bags to the suite, so don’t worry about that. I’m sure Henry will want to meet you as well.”

“The suite?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, I’m putting all of you in the guest suite on the south side. It has a pack bedroom. I thought it might be more convenient.”

My mouth dropped open, my entire body freezing. “But you⁠—”

“I what?” She raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t let unmarried or unbonded people stay in the same room. Suite. Whatever.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “You make me sound like I’m an uptight prude or something.”

I looked at her hair, curled into an updo so tight it looked like it was slicked to her head, and gave her a face that said really? Whenever Beau came here, he had to stay in a separate room.

“Well, that may have been the case before,” she said. “But not anymore. You’ll have the suite. Ellie and Warren are staying together too. I’m not such a bore that I’m going to keep my daughter away from a pack. Especially not one like this.”

Hawk choked back a laugh, and the others glared at him. But I was still figuring out how this was going to work. Part of this plan was the fact that I wasn’t going to be sleeping in the same place as them. AKA, no temptation.

When I had no idea who they were and what they looked like, I wasn’t concerned. Now? I was going to need several walls between myself and them if I expected my body not to betray me.

“There she is.” Henry strode out into the foyer from the direction of his office.

I smiled. “Hi, Dad.”

He was my stepdad, but it never felt that way. I didn’t know my real father well enough to even remember him. The only thing I still had of my biological father was his last name.

Henry was Ellie’s biological father, but he never treated us differently.

“How are you doing?” He asked quietly, pulling me in for a hug.

“Surviving. Really looking forward to tonight.”

Dad laughed. I’d never been a big party person to begin with—at least not this type of party—and he’d never been Beau’s biggest fan. So he knew I was thinking about pulling the fire alarm and heading to the beach just to get out of it.

“Henry, stop monopolizing her and meet her men.”

We did the rounds of introductions again, but this time, Hawk pulled me against him and wrapped his arms around me. Possessively, around my shoulders and across my chest, so his body lined up with mine, his cheek pressed against my temple. I got lost in the sweetness of his frosting scent.

“You guys must be tired from the trip,” Dad said. “We’ll let you get settled and ready before I thoroughly interrogate you.”

They all laughed and Joel smiled. “Looking forward to it, sir.”

“Sir?” Dad looked at me. “I like them.”

I smiled and hoped it looked real. “Me too.”

Rowan took a step forward. “Lead the way.”

This was happening. We were all staying in one suite. A suite I knew only had one giant bed.

I was so, so, so fucked.