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My jaw dropped. "Come on, we were kids!"
"Teenagers," he corrected, his vibrant, blue eyes full of laughter. "Oh, or the time you super glued my game controller to the table because I hit higher scores on my finals than you did? It never rested comfortably in my hands again."
Ignoring his tirade, I pointed to the menu. "I'll take the special, thanks." He raised an eyebrow, still not giving in.
"Sure, and I'll take an update on how things are going with you and your pack."
"Great," I said with fake enthusiasm. "Which pack do you mean? The brothers of my former ex and his best friend, who are all, by the way, out of town while they deal with saving his life? Or do you mean the Sulley Pack?"
"I'd say they both qualify as your pack," he pointed out. Although, now concern had him resting his elbows on the counter and leaning toward me. "Are they not getting along?"
"We don't even know yet. They had to leave pretty close after I kicked Amos out of my apartment." Ezra's face hardened and I gave him a quick rundown, including this morning's phone call, before he could react. The explanation seemed to relax him, though I had a feeling that Amos would have to work harder than the others to win back his trust.
"Your apartment is about to get really crowded," he joked. "We had less people in our pack and barely made it in a house until we fixed up the bigger one."
"If things keep going we're going to need a bigger place regardless. I'm not leaving Lockwood. Amos, Silas, and Jackson all seem to want a fresh start, so they'll probably be sticking around anyway. The Sulley Pack only works at the harbor during the warm months; otherwise, they head overseas."
Ezra let out a whistle at the long, convoluted story I just gave him. Finally, he took pity on me and walked away to give Gabe my order before grabbing a fresh donut from the display case behind him. Chocolate with extra sprinkles. Damn, I really did have him concerned.
"Do you feel bad for me?" I teased. "The tin man has a heart after all."
"You can blame Ellie for that one," he said as he stepped away to take another order. He was back in seconds and lowered his voice. "Just so you know, your dad's been talking about a barbecue. I don't think you'll get out of that for long."
"I'm not sure I want to," I admitted. "Isaac had this terrible call with his dad and Amos said they haven't been in contact with theirs in years, and I kind of want them to meet ours. It's not going to fix either of their families, but dammit, I want them to have a real family."
"A daddy's girl, sharing her dad? This is a big step. Who are you?" Ezra demanded.
"I barely know anymore," I admitted. "Things have shifted so quickly that I can barely keep up." I grew quiet and stared down at my donut long enough that my cousin waved his hand in front of my face.
"You're kind of freaking me out," he said. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," I said. "Sometimes it just takes some getting used to. I'll be fine, right?"
"Riiiight," he drew out the word, no less worried than he was before. Another rush of customers came in and I was saved for the time being.
He could do no more than slide my food over when it was ready and I didn't hesitate to dig in, ready to escape as soon as I could. I didn't mean for this to turn from breakfast to morning therapy. Then again, I did feel a little bit better getting it off my chest. I needed my friends more than ever, so I pulled out my phone, even if it was a little early to text the group chat.
Serenity: SOS I need a girls’ night tonight
Ellie: Bear and I have a date night, but if you need us, he’ll understand
Kat: Bring him, it can be an omegas’ night instead.
Serenity: That’s fine, as long as it still involves margaritas and me spilling my guts. I’ve got so much to unload.
Kat: Bring it on. We can go when we close tonight. Meet you there, Ellie?
Ellie: We’ll be there
Serenity: Thank fuck
After paying for my breakfast I hurried out of the diner before he could interrogate me further.
* * *
Evrin
The last several days I couldn't remember much of anything. It was a mix of voices, the beeping of the hospital monitor, and pain.
