“What, you’re just going to rent a place up here?”
Evander laughs. “No.Daddy’sgoing to buy one.”
The nickname slides down my spine like warm syrup, pooling low and wrong in all the right ways. My eyes dart to Harlan. He’s already watching me, assessing, unreadable. Heat creeps up my neck.
“You can’t just buy a house,” I argue, but none of them flinch.
“Yes, we can,” Harlan rumbles.
I look around my little house. It's the first place I ever rented that was truly mine. I slept in my car for weeks, juggling marketing jobs on my phone until I could afford the deposit. It’s mine. And soon, it’ll be gone.
I take a steadying breath, fighting the sting in my eyes. “When are you going to move in?”
Harlan meets my gaze. “Right now.”
Wyatt
Mid-step, carrying my bag into the house, pain shoots up the side of my leg. I grit my teeth to keep from crying out.Fucking hell.It gets me every single time. I stumble, but manage to right myself before anyone notices.
Five steps later, I push my bag aside and ease down onto the couch, pretending I just need a breather.
“How’re you doing there, cowboy?”
I start, blinking up. I hadn’t realized Rose was sitting at the breakfast table nearby, watching me.
“Just need a break,” I say, keeping my voice as even as I can while pain burns up and down my thigh. “Late night.”
She shrugs, but there’s something in her eyes—sharp, knowing. She sees more than she lets on.
“Do you always wear that hat?” she asks, tipping her chin toward me. I glance up at the brim poking at the edge of my vision.
“Whenever I can. It’s my most comfortable piece of clothing. Why? You don’t like it?”
Her cheeks flush a soft pink, the color deepening against her light brown skin. Damn, she’s pretty when she blushes. Her rich brown eyes dart away, and that little flicker of shyness hits me right in the chest.
“I didn’t say that,” she mutters, voice softer now. She stands, gliding closer, and before I can move, she’s reaching for my bag.
On instinct, my hand wraps gently around her wrist. Warm skin. My pulse jumps.
“I can handle it,” I say, low.
“I know you can.” Her gaze flicks to mine, steady and calm. “But I know a good spot for this. Want me to put it away before the others claim it?”
This woman, she seestoo much.More than I want her to. More than anyone has in a long damn time. Still, my leg’s throbbing bad enough that arguing seems stupid. I nod once.
She smiles, small and satisfied, and rolls the bag down the short hall into the one and only bedroom.
We’d left for a few hours to grab our things, leaving Kai behind with her. When we came back, the house looked different. It's neater, cozier somehow. A lot of the clutter has vanished.
I’ve got a feeling there’s one very overstuffed closet somewhere in this place.
The pack bed—rush ordered—has just been delivered. As the ache in my leg finally starts to ease, I make my way to the bedroom door.
The thing takes up damn near the entire space. Harlan ordered one meant for six, even though Rose keeps insisting she’ll sleep on the couch. That chafes every part of me. I’d never let an omega sleep on a couch while I took a bed, but there’s no way five grown men are fitting in her living room. There's not even enough floor space for five alphas if we really felt chivalrous.
I shake my head. The whole situation’s a mess.
We built our restaurant empire from nothing. Sure, the first funds came from Logan’s dad selling his pizza place, but what we’ve made since far outpaces where we started. Still, that old man’s ghost manages to control us from beyond the grave.
