I don’t care what I do, even if I have to beg, but I need Maisie Taylor to be a permanent fixture in my life and anything short of that would break my heart into a million little pieces.
“I’ve gathered you all here today—” I start and Jamie holds up a palm to stop me. The Alpha who owns the coo farm is fucking huge, and has always been a right to the point kind of guy.
We invited them all to Greer’s to have a little brainstorm to see how we can make the Taylor sisters agree to stay.
“Yes, to convince Birdie and Maisie to stay. I don’t think this will be complicated in the least,” Jamie says in a no nonsense tone.
“They have lives back in Chicago,” Callum says and the three men in front of us just shrug like it’s not a big deal.
“I’m making a PowerPoint,” Greer says, and Arran snickers at that.
“Don’t need a PowerPoint, mate,” Arran says. The Alpha has always been overly confident.
“They’re staying, I know it,” Graham says and Callum wipes a hand down his face, his irritation with his brother obvious.
“Yeah, and how can you be so sure?” Callum asks his little brother.
I feel like I’m getting whiplash following everyone’s conversation. Perhaps this council of simps wasn’t the best idea. Birdie and Maisie are very different people and the roadblocks we have aren’t the same that these guys have.
“Actually…has Birdie said she wants to stay?” I cut through the conversation.
“She doesn’t need to say what’s obvious,” Jamie says, and I rub the bridge of my nose.
“Not directly, but I know she wants to stay,” Graham says confidently.
“Yeah, seems like you guys are the ones with Omega problems,” Arran says and Greer rolls his eyes. “What, just stating the obvious?”
“We just wanted to get an idea on how you were feeling about Birdie staying. We think her staying will help Maisie make a decision,” Greer says, ever the pragmatic one.
“I know Birdie would want Maisie to stay as well,” Graham says, sipping on the dram Greer gave him. “What can we do to help?”
I give him a smirk and look over at his brother. God, I love my grumpy gigantic pack mate. I show him this by tossing an arm over his shoulder. He makes a grunting noise, but doesn’t throw me off.
“We keep each other in the loop and we do whatever we have to for these sisters to stay,” I say.
Graham looks the most antsy out of all of us, but gives a firm nod. Alright then, at least we know we’re on the same page.
Operation make Maisie stay is in full force.
32
maisie
It’sweird having a scent again after spending so much time hiding it. I feel exposed and vulnerable and I wonder if I’m over complicating all of this.
Maybe this is a bad way to go about it—like it’s some sort of surprise scent-match party.
My stomach feels like it’s twisted into knots and I’m not sure if it’s my nerves or getting off my medication. Birdie did the smart thing by only doing topicals. I’ve been pumping my body with so much medicine, trying to hide what I am for so long, it’s like my body wants revenge for it now.
I’m not sure if I’ll ever be fully comfortable with my scent out while in public, but I owe it to my scent matches to try.
So this is me, the nervous, neurotic mess of a woman who’s acted like they had their shit together for years while slowly suffering inside without anyone noticing.
The guys notice me; they see me, and isn’t that all I could ever ask for?
Mom would have been proud of me. I mean, I knew she was before she passed. She was elated when I graduated from college and got my first job. I was never searching for approval frommy mom, just from myself, and I had set impossible standards I could never obtain.
These guys don’t expect anything from me. All they’re asking of me is to stay. All they want is me as I am, and I’m ready to take that leap.
