Honestly, it was fate’s little joke that my scent-matches turned out to be firefighters. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
Yesterday could have turned out very differently if not for them. It wasn’t just my pack behind me, but all of my chosen family as well.
It was still hard to believe how many people in Willow Lake I considered family now. Somehow I’d gone from being a stranger here, to them warming up to me so fast it almost gave me whiplash.
At the moment, everyone was pinning pink and blue buttons to their shirt to show off their guesses. I was sporting a pink one already. My vote hadn’t changed and I was anxious to see if I was right.
Taryn and Dani had forced me into this cute pink-and-blue maternity dress. It was tie-dyed and so comfortable, so I couldn’t even complain.
I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling for a single moment, either. It was genuine. The relief of having Cameron behind bars was like I’d been living under a weight for years and it had just been lifted.
I was free.
My poor pack was looking at me and waiting to see if I was going to fall apart at any moment.
That time had passed, I’d fallen apart for years. My extra session with my therapist this morning was where I truly processed everything.
A part of me needed her to reassure me that it wasn’t awful that I was fine. I was riding the high of this win, knowing that he couldn’t touch me anymore.
He couldn’t get to me. Couldn’t burn me.
The police refused to tell me much outside of the fact there were several charges being filed against him, and that any judge in their right mind was going to put him away for a long time. They’d uncovered some evidence that led right back to him. In his desperation, he got sloppy, and the case was air tight.
Thatwas the closure I needed.
I had already worked through so much over the past few months. My therapist was honestly a godsend. I hadn’t realized just how many bad habits I’d created from being with him.
Downplaying my success and talking myself out of things I truly wanted were some of the worst. I spent years letting him change my mind for me, always gauging his interest before my own, but not anymore.
This pack would never allow that to happen, anyway. They truly put me and my girls first. They were the kind of pack that dreams were made of.
And they were mine.
Right now, I was surrounded by friends and family, standing in my rental that I had half a mind to see if they would sell to me. This house meant so much to me, and I wanted to keep it.
It had the room that we needed to grow, and honestly, after this baby, I wasn’t willing to have more. I wanted to keep my family small. It would give us time to focus on our two girls, to give them the life they deserved.
“So… this is a lot of people, huh?” Phoenix said as she walked up and stood next to me, crossing her arms and leaning against the railing of the deck, mimicking my pose.
She tried to look unaffected, but I could see how pleased she was with the turnout. She had been talking to our guests like a pro. I loved watching her open up. She’d found her personality and sass again.
This was the way it should have always been.
“It is. I guess we’ve kind of created a family here, haven’t we?” I said, nudging my shoulder into hers. “How are you holding up, kid? I know it’s been a lot.”
She gave me a teenage side eye. “Honestly, I’m just glad that you’re not apologizing anymore like any of this was your fault.”
“I’m working on that whole apologizing thing,” I admitted. “I do hate that you were put in harm’s way, though.”
“That’s fair,” she conceded, “but we don’t have to worry about that anymore, right?”
“It’s over,” I reassured her.
“I’m really glad you found them,” she said, her eyes trailing over the guys.
“You and me both, kid,” I agreed.
“So, I see you’re on team girl,” I said, looking over at her.
