Chapter 43

It didn’t take us long to pack everything up and get it into the car. Not with all five of us here. Geoffrey told us Isolde was still with her mom, and that was fine with us.

“Do you guys want to take the stuff back?” I asked. “I can wait and call one of you when she’s ready. Or one of you can bring the car back.”

Rowan nodded. “I want to make something for her. It won’t take long, but it’s better if it’s a surprise.”

“I’ll bring the car back,” Joel said.

“I want to stay,” Hawk said with a wince. “If Warren is here…”

I nodded. We knew Ellie and Warren wanted to talk to Isolde, but it might be good for Hawk to talk to him without her. “Yeah, let’s find out.”

The others left to go back to the house, and I spotted Geoffrey heading down the hall. “Geoffrey?”

He turned and smiled. “How can I help you, Mr. Barlowe?”

“Is Warren here?”

“I believe so. Miss Ellie is at her final dress fitting, but as far as I know he’ll be in their suite.”

“Thank you.” We knew where that was. It was where we’d watched movies with them, and we spent a few hours utilizing Warren’s massive television and gaming setup before the bachelor parties had gone to hell.

Hawk was with me, and he showed no signs of being nervous, but I felt it. He’d acted on raw instinct. There wasn’t an apology needed for that. But as much as we hated Beau, we also didn’t want to fuck up Isolde’s relationship with her brother-in-law. We needed to have a relationship with him too now.

I knocked on the door.

“Coming,” I heard from deeper inside.

Warren opened the door and took us in, surprise rolling over his face. “Hey.”

“Can we come in?” Hawk asked.

“Yeah.” He let us pass. “Good to see you guys are finally coming up for air.”

I laughed as I sat down. “We’re not complaining.”

“No, I don’t imagine so.”

Hawk didn’t sit down, watching Warren carefully before he spoke. “First, we live in that house up on the cliff. You and Ellie are welcome any time. I know you want to talk to Isolde about what happened. You can come up the path or drive. Either way is fine.”

“Oh. Wow.”

I hid my smile. There would be a lot of surprises for the family about us and Isolde. But she needed to be the one to share most of them.

“Would tonight be okay? I’d like to speak with her before the rehearsal dinner.”

“That’s fine,” I told him.

Warren nodded and looked at Hawk. “From the looks of Beau’s face, you got him good. But he won’t say shit about it, so I’ve let him get away with that until I could talk to you and Isolde. From what I’ve overheard, even Angela isn’t happy with him. I know what you said, because everyone else told me, but…” He spread his hands. “I’d like to hear it from your side.”

“When Isolde was going into heat, I told her I was going to find you, Ellie, and her parents to tell them what was happening.” Hawk sighed, and I knew him well enough to know even the memory was difficult. For me too. “She had an immediate panic attack and begged me not to leave. But not me, Hawk. Me, Alpha. And the way she said it there was no mistaking what she meant. She’d been left before by an Alpha in heat, and I saw red. You pretty much know what happened from there.”

“Shit,” Warren said, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Yeah, I don’t blame you for that. I’ll be honest, it’s hard for me to reconcile the Beau I know with what Ellie has said about him. But we haven’t been as close the past few years. I was working out of the country, and we grew apart. Then, a couple of years ago, when we came back and reconnected, I met Isolde, and through her, Ellie. But I’ve known him since we were kids. That’s why I want to talk to Isolde.

“Beau’s done a lot for me, but I don’t want to be blinded by misplaced loyalty.” Then he laughed nervously. “The looks you’re giving me right now don’t make me feel better.”

“It’s Isolde’s story to tell,” I said.

He stood. “We’ll be over tonight to hear it.”

“Sounds good.”

Warren reached out and shook Hawk’s hand. “No matter who it was you punched, I like Isolde. I don’t know her that well, but I’m glad she has someone to stand up for her, regardless.”

The tension in Hawk’s shoulders eased. “Thanks. We’re not going anywhere.”

I texted Joel that we were finished talking to Warren while we said goodbye and went back to the foyer. I sat on the set of stairs to the second floor. “That went better than I expected, but also worse.”

“As much as I hate to say, I understand it.” Hawk paced slowly back and forth, arms crossed. “Isolde didn’t know how badly she was being treated, and if she thought it was fine, everyone else probably did too. If you’ve known someone your whole life, it can take a lot to overcome that vision of them.”

“Let’s hope tonight is enough, then.” Because I liked Warren. And Ellie. But I wouldn’t be getting buddy buddy with someone who tolerated a man like Beau or his behavior. I wouldn’t be able to keep my disdain in check. If Beau had pulled half the shit he had at any of the clubs or classes I went to, he would have been banned a long time ago. It didn’t take much to respect someone.

The front door opened and Isolde’s stepfather Henry came in, spotting us immediately. He smiled. “Didn’t know when I would see any of you again. Is my daughter here?”

“She’s speaking with your wife,” I told him.

Henry stepped forward and shook Hawk’s hand. “Remind me to buy you a drink at the wedding. You know why.”

“I will, sir.”

He chuckled. “I know I said I enjoyed it when you first got here, but don’t call me sir. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the respect. However, I get enough of that at work and it’s exhausting.”

I stood to shake his hand.

“Are all of you back?”

“No. Just the two of us and Isolde. We’ll be staying at our home.” Then I smiled. “We’re actually neighbors.”

“Yeah,” Isolde’s voice echoed through the foyer. “They live up on the cliff and didn’t tell me.” Her voice was sour, but she was smiling. Even dressed in Rowan’s giant t-shirt and my sweats, she was fucking beautiful. More than that, there was light in her eyes that hadn’t been there when we met her.

I was so busy staring at her, I missed what they were saying. Isolde hugged her stepfather, and they had a quiet conversation.

“We’ll see you on Friday?” He finally asked.

“Yes, you will.”

Henry looked over at the two of us with serious eyes. “Take care of her.”

“We will,” Hawk answered immediately.

Kissing Isolde on the head, Henry went in the direction she’d come from, loosening his tie as he went. She looked at the two of us, and Hawk held out a hand. “Ready, baby girl?”

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

Fuck, I loved hearing those words come out of her mouth. Sweeping her off her feet and outside, I took my Omega home.