Sully looked at me with a mix of mistrust and hope. “Um…”
I hated that I’d caused so much damage in one afternoon. “Just to talk, okay? I feel awful about yesterday.”
“Alright,” he said with a little hesitation. He climbed into the truck with a nervous smile. “Were you looking for me?”
“I was.”
His face lit up with joy. The smile he sent my way was blinding. To be on the end of smiles like that would be worth anything the town put us through, right?
“There’s something I wanted to show you,” Sully said after a moment. The truck took the turn into his wide driveway easily. I parked behind his scooter, leaving room for other vehicles.
“Mom and Dad are going straight from the hotel spa to a party. They’ll be out all night,” he explained at my wary expression.
“Good. I can’t stay too long, but I’d like to spend some time with you, if that’s okay?”
“You’re kinda giving me mixed signals.” He gave a tiny laugh, though he was obviously nervous to be alone with me.
I sighed. “I know. This bond has got me all mixed up, and Rowan is on my case about you.”
“Is that the only reason you tracked me down?”
His eyes met mine. I didn’t want to crush the hope there. “No. I can’t stop thinking about you, Sully.”
“Do I get to know your name yet, Pete?”
We shared a grin. “Not yet.”
“That’s not a no, Jim.”
“Exactly. I’m getting there, Sully. Just… give me a little more time, alright?”
“I can do that. How about I show you what I’ve been working on?”
We left the truck, and I followed him into the house. There was no need to lock doors when wards were keyed to inhabitants.
Following Sully up to his room, I explored while he dropped his bag on a chair and closed the door. I picked up a framed photograph.
“This your family?” I hadn’t seen either of his parents. Didn’t know if he had any siblings. I barely knew a thing about him aside from his age, what he sounded like when he came andthat he graduated college. His certificates from his degrees were also on the wall.
“Yeah, my mom, dad, sister, Vanessa, she’s an alpha. My brother, Todd, is a beta. I’m the youngest by ten years and they never let me forget it.”
“I’m the baby, too,” I said with a smile. “My older sister is also an alpha. Amira is following my mama into construction. She’s mated with two kids.”
“Vanessa has two kids, too! She’ll take over the running of the hotel. Todd is a chef. He’s got a mate and they have one boy.”
“Our families are so similar! My brother, Nasir, is also a beta. He’s got a baby with his wife and will look after Mom’s café when she comes to visit. They felt bad they didn’t have anything for me, so when Uncle Malik asked if he could leave me the house and his money…”
“I’m sorry about your uncle. After you told me about the sickness, I did some research into it—“
“Don’t worry, it’s not contagious, or hereditary,” I said, automatically. More than once over the years, I had to explain about my uncle. I’d lost a few friends thinking I’d get sick too.
“Oh! I know.” Sully looked embarrassed. “I just felt bad for misunderstanding what happened that night. He was probably scared and trapped in his dingo form. I hope he wasn’t punished because of me.”
Seeing him looking so guilty, I had to do something to make him feel better. I went to him and wrapped him in my arms, holding him tightly. I leaned my head against his.
“He’d been alive a lot longer than anyone would have guessed. He had another three years in the hospice where he got the best of care.”
“Did… Did the town make him leave his home?”
