Page 31 of Eddie

Matthias wasn’t going to miss anything when it came to that. He wasn’t sure he’d miss his family at all, although he supposed that only time would tell. He loved them, even though they were messed up, and it hurt to know that he wouldn’t see them for a long time, but he hoped it meant they would grow up. All of them had to change their behavior, not only Jenna and Noah. Matthias was pretty sure that until their mother stopped behaving the way she did with those two, they wouldn’t change. Why would they? They were always protected. There was always someone who would try to fix their mistakes so that they wouldn’t have to.

That someone wouldn’t be Matthias anymore. It was strange to know that he didn’t have that kind of responsibility after having it for so long, but it would give him time to focus on Eddie.

Which was why he was standing at the diner’s door, watching his mate. Eddie was watching him back, his eyes wide, his mouth slightly open. He wasn’t moving, which made Matthias wonder what was going on. Maybe Eddie wasn’t happy to see him, after all. Maybe he was going to yell at Matthias. Matthias hoped he wouldn’t do it in front of all these people, but he supposed it was what he deserved. If it meant that Eddie could forgive him after that, Matthias was all for it. Still, that didn’t mean he was looking forward to it. He shuffled his feet, waiting. When Eddie finally moved, it was toward Matthias. Matthias didn’t think his mate would hit him, but Eddie didn’t need to do that to hurt him. Matthias braced himself, not knowing what was about to happen. He couldn’t deny he was a little worried.

Eddie stopped in front of him. For a moment, they continued staring at each other. Matthias wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure what. Was there anything he could say to get Eddie to forgive him? He knew that wouldn’t come easy, and he didn’t blame Eddie. Matthias should have made his mate his priority, but instead, his family had been until now. It had only been a few weeks, but it hadn’t been easy for Matthias, and he imagined it hadn’t been easy for Eddie, either.

“You’re here,” Eddie finally said.

Matthias swallowed heavily and nodded. “I am.”

Eddie looked behind Matthias, making Matthias frown and turn. There was no one there. It was good because they were kind of blocking the entrance.

“Is your sister here? Your brother?” Eddie asked.

“Why would they be here?” Matthias was confused, but maybe Eddie was seeing something he wasn’t. He wouldn’t put it past Jenna and Noah to follow him—more Jenna because Noah thought he could survive without Matthias. He’d never done it, but he was arrogant enough to believe it. Matthias hoped, for Noah’s sake, that he was right, but he wouldn’t hold his breath.

“Why would Jenna be here?” he asked his mate.

“I don’t know. Maybe she decided to get back with Tommy.”

“God, I hope she won’t, although I wouldn’t put it past her. As far as I know, though, she’s home.”

“As far as you know?”

Matthias looked around the diner. People were watching them, which made his skin crawl. It wasn’t only Eddie’s friends, either. It was everyone, and he felt like he was being judged. People here knew Eddie, and while they might not know that he was Matthias’s mate, they expected Matthias to treat him well, something he hadn’t done.

“Do you think we could step outside to talk?” he suggested.

Eddie blinked and looked around. He rolled his eyes, then grabbed Matthias’s hand and pulled him outside. Someone clapped as the door closed, and Eddie quickly flipped them the bird. Matthias was pretty sure it had been aimed at his friends, so no one would be offended.

Eddie made a beeline for Matthias’s truck. He stopped next to it, leaning back against it and looking at Matthias. Unfortunately, he’d let go of Matthias’s hand, and Matthias was feeling the loss. Eddie deserved an explanation before anything else happened, though. It was one of the reasons Matthias was here.

“So, your sister isn’t here as far as you know,” Eddie said.

“No, I said that as far as I know, she’s home. She doesn’t have a reason to be here. I really don’t think she’s going to get back with Tommy, if anything, because Tommy didn’t want anything to do with her.” Matthias wouldn’t, either, considering he was pretty sure that his sister had stolen several things from Tommy. He didn’t know Tommy well enough to be sure of what things, and he wasn’t going to stick his nose into that, but it would be enough for anyone not to want anything to do with Jenna.

“Your family’s always calling you,” Eddie said. “You know where they are. When you don’t, it usually means they’re in jail.”

“I don’t think Jenna’s in jail.”

“But you’re not entirely sure where she is.”

“Because I went no-contact with them.”

Eddie stared. Matthias wished he knew what was going through his mate’s mind. He desperately needed to know.

“You went no-contact with your family,” Eddie repeated slowly.

“Yeah. I knew they would never allow me to focus on you. Even if I told them you were my mate, they would still have wanted to be the center of my life, and I just can’t do that. They wouldn’t have liked that, and I wasn’t about to put them before you any longer than I already have. I sat them down and told them what I expected from them, that I wouldn’t come running for any of them anymore, and my mother told me that if I ever needed anything, I shouldn’t come to them because they wouldn’t help.”

Eddie snorted. “As if they ever have.”

Matthias had told Eddie enough about his family that Eddie knew them even though he hadn’t met them. He liked that. He also liked the fact that Eddie wouldn’t need to meet them now. The more space he kept between his mate and his family, the better. He could only imagine what they’d say to each other if they were ever in the same room. It wasn’t something anyone would want to find out.

“They haven’t, and I don’t expect them to anytime soon. I already knew they would argue, and they did. I didn’t back down, though. I’m prioritizing you and our bond.”

“And yourself.”