AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before I could get any further, my phone rang. My first thought was of work, but they knew I was on leave. They called it a mental health vacation after we closed the horror that had been Vince’s case. So, I wasn’t sure who would be calling me.
“Huh,” was all I could say when I saw my uncle’s number.
He couldn’t have seen me earlier. I’d made sure to stay out of sight.
Addie leaned forward and peered down at the phone screen. A small smile reached her face. The way she tilted her head to look up at me made my heart clench. She was a sight to behold, so soft and so solid all at once. She would forever be my solid ground, my safe place.
Or so I thought. The woman swiped the flashing green button on the screen and answered the call that I fully planned on letting go to voicemail. I closed my eyes and groaned inwardly.
“Hi!” Addie chirped. “You’ve reached Maddox’s phone!”
“Hello there,Mrs. Greene. Is Mr. Greene there?” The sharpness of my uncle’s tone made me grimace.
“Fuck,” was all I could mutter.
My uncle heard me. “There you are! Now, I need you to be honest and straight forward with me, son. You and that pretty lady right there went ahead and did something without telling anyone else. While I get that the two of you are in love and thinking with parts of your bodies other than your brains, I need to know why you didn’t once think to invite me to your wedding.”
Despite every dismal thought that had crept through my mind in the last few hours, a smile reached my lips. I tried to hold it back, but I couldn’t. There was an unfamiliar sensation fluttering in my stomach in place of the hunger. I wasn’t too sure what it could be, but I had an idea—as unlikely as it seemed.
Across from me, Addie grinned wide. She looked up at me with bright eyes. “Can we go see him and get more pie?”
It’d been a long while since I’d paid my uncle a real visit. The last time we’d gone to see him, I’d only been concerned about food. Now, my beast was excited for the prospect of those juicy roast chickens, but the beast was also looking forward to seeing family.
Sure, I had pack. That didn’t quite compare to blood family. The pack was new to me, and many of them seemed new to each other. It didn’t have the tight knit bonds of family just yet. We would, in time. I wasn’t sure that I had the time, though.
As if she could sense my meandering thoughts, Addie touched my cheek again. Her skin against mine worked like witchcraft. It settled the rising discomfort within me. I leaned into her and growled happily.
With her, I wasn’t a beast or a monster. I was a man who’d finally found the love of his life. It amazed me that I’d done the one thing I thought never possible. After Paige, I’d been sure that I would be doomed to live alone for the rest of my life.
“Let me shower and get dressed!” Addie turned and sprinted back up the stairs.
I looked down at my phone and realized that my uncle had been listening the whole time.
“I’m proud of you, kiddo. It’s about time you found the right one. You deserve it,” my uncle’s voice said from the tinny phone speaker.
I watched the phone and noticed a small shape at my feet. Potato looked up at me with mischievous eyes. Even if the little shit bit me, I still loved her. This was my home, my family.
Hel’s offer could wait. I couldn’t take it yet. There was still time. Addie had a plan that could still work.
At least, that’s what I allowed myself to hope.
It wouldn’t hurt to hope, right?
