Kole looks downright panicked. “I did not mean to—”
“Oh hush, Sugar Bear.” I wave him off. “These are tears of relief. Not tears of sadness.”
Mabel sniffs, lifting her head from my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I was just…overwhelmed. And—”
“And you haven’t been gettin’ much sleep lately?” I arch a brow as she looks at me.
I wasn’t planning on doing this at the dinner table, but it does seem like the perfect segue.
She frowns. “How—”
“I know you. We may not be blood, Mabel, but we’re twins in every way that counts.” She sighs, and I continue with a grin. “Besides, the bags under your eyes are big enough to carry both our baggage from the last fifteen years.”
She lets out a little noise of indignation before swatting my arm with a laugh. “Rude.”
I grin, before I let my expression turn serious. “What’s goin’ on, Mabel-cakes? Why aren’t you rested?”
“I’m sure it’s these damn sleepin’ pills the doctor gave me,” she huffs. “I couldn’t sleep at all before, and now I can, but the sleep is full of nightmares.”
“Have you talked to Doctor McFadden about it?”
“Well, no, because he’ll just take me off of them, and I figure that horrible sleep is better than no sleep at all. But what I don’t understand is…” she huffs again, leaning back against herchair. “I was doin’ fine for a little bit. And then one night, the nightmares just started up. It makes me wonder if they’re related to the sleepin’ pills at all.”
“Mabel…” I sigh, grabbing a piece of garlic bread for myself. “You’ve got to take better care of yourself. I’m callin’ Doctor McFadden for you first thing in the mornin’. It may take him a few days to get out here, but you’regonnatalk to him.”
She looks like she wants to protest but smartly keeps her mouth shut as she nods, taking another bite of her own bread.
“That was so weird,” Hayden stage-whispers to Kole. “It was like watching the omega whisperer.”
He lets out a laugh of surprise as I pelt my garlic bread at him.
But then he catches it before it hits his face, grinning as he takes a bite. “Aw, thanks, Fireball. How’d you know I wanted more?”
“How did you catch that?” Kole asks, tilting his head.
“I played baseball in high school.” He shrugs once, looking around the table.
I can’t help but mess with him. “Oh? Is that why you’re so good at handlin’balls?”
Sam barks out a laugh as Mabel turns bright red next to me. Oops.
Instead of getting embarrassed, my pyro just winks at me. “Exactly.”
twenty-six
Kole
Ifrown at my omega as she buttons up this ridiculous cardigan-thing. She is dressing like a librarian—and not the sexy kind. “Andwhycan I not come with you?”
“Becaaause, Sugar Bear,” she drawls, twisting her hair up in a strange updo, “if we give anythin’ away about West bein’ part of a pack, his parents might not help us. We still don’t know just how closely they work with Xavier.”
West lets out a sound of protest from his spot on the bed.
“I’m not sayin’ they’ll turn us in, Doctor,” Jo tsks, “I’m just sayin’ we don’t know damn near anythin’ about where they stand, and we need to be careful. Speakin’ of, we need tomake sure that bond mark stays covered.” She nods at West’s shoulder, where his mark sits under a button-up shirt.
“But we could take the pizza van,” I argue, grabbing her by the waist. “Hayden and I, we could stay hidden. But at least I would be nearby in case things go to shit.”
“And have another debacle like when we were meetin’ up with your father?” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Kole. I can’t risk it. Not when Adela’s life is on the line.”
