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Satisfied with Seff’s answer, Nereida unbuckled her seat belt and slipped into her jacket.
Once Seff lifted us all from the truck, I reached out, expecting a tiny, gloved hand to grab hold of mine. I turned to see Seff captured by two bouncing females. The smiles they wore as they skipped along, trying to keep up with Seff’s long strides, were priceless. I let them pass as I fought the burn of happy tears. Seff whirled them around. Their high-pitched squeals of delight could’ve woken the entire sleepy town.
With a big smile of his own, my dad held the cafe door open as we all shuffled in out of the cold.
Though the sun had barely begun to peek over the horizon, we weren’t the first customers of the day. A flurry of “hey, how are ya’s” came at us from several directions. My parents raised their hands in greeting. I smiled and waved back in my always enthusiastic fashion while steering the twins toward our table. Seff took a seat next to me with Nereida on his right and Arteisma on my left.
Bacon, sausage, and fried potatoes, all smells I usually found delicious, made my empty stomach clench. Iwashungry, and when Seff had mentioned getting some breakfast, I’d thought I could eat. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
Dad took care of the drink orders. “Two coffees, two hot teas, and two hot chocolates.”
“Cream all around?” the server asked.
“You betcha,” he replied. The server smiled and left to retrieve our drinks. Dad propped his elbows on the table, his smile never faltering as he spoke soft and low. “Did you get a hold of anyone?”
Seff found my hand, linked our fingers, and answered, “Yes, sir. Jules, the Lake Crescent Alpha female, is making all the necessary calls.”
“Jules?”
“Juliana, my Uncle Sorin’s mate.”
Dad smoothed a hand down his mustache and beard. “I’d heard he took over the Lake Crescent pack. Wasn’t that the night...” His eyebrows lifted in question.
“Yes, sir.”
A strange crushing sadness seeped through me and settled in with the grief already weighing down my heart. It lingered there for only a moment before retreating.
“Seff?” I squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes to see that same sadness coloring his gaze.
“I feel you.”
Slowly, he closed his eyes as a sad smile touched his lips.
“I feel you, too.”
He hadn’t spoken the words, and neither had I, but I heard them like a sweet song in my heart.
Happiness sparkled inside me and spread like bright, tiny fireworks, warming every part of my body from the inside out. That same happiness showed on Seff’s face, as well. When he looked at me, I felt tingly, breathless, touched by love.
Seff leaned in and whispered, “Yes.” Then his lips were on mine, so sweetly.
In front of everyone.
In front of myparents.
And the twins.
Arteisma giggled.
Nereida gave me a blank stare before she spoke. “Tillman never kissed you.”
Tillman had kissed me. Never in front of anyone andneverthe way Seff had kissed me, soft and sweet. Till’s kisses had been brutal and sloppy and savage. Kisses that, in the beginning, made me believe he couldn’t control his passion for me until I realized his kisses were all about control.
“That’s one reason why I came back home.”
Arteisma almost growled. “Tillman is a jerkface.”
“Yes, he was,” my dad agreed with a sad smile.
