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She didn't pull away from me, but she did fall quiet as we pulled into the drive.
I knew I wasn't always the easiest alpha. More than once, the guys had teased me over how protective I got, but my Dad understood. When you find something you love, you protect it with your last breath.
You give anything to see it flourish and do whatever it takes for it to remain safe. I applied that same philosophy to my friends, family, and above all else, my pack. That same courtesy now extended to Summer.
I let go of her hand, going around to open her and Theo's doors for them, before I popped the trunk on my SUV and began grabbing their things. She had a few full sized suitcases and a couple of boxes, but that was pretty much it.
I didn't know if she'd already shipped some of her stuff here, or if this was all they had, but I didn't want to offend her by asking. I'd just have to make sure to find out myself to ensure she'd have everything she needed.
"You can just set them in the foyer," Summer said, as soon as she'd let me into the massive Victorian home.
"No point in making you carry these elsewhere when you already have your hands full with little man," I said. "Just tell me which room you'd like them in, and I can have them there in a jiffy."
"Third door on the left," she said, nodding up the stairs. "I'll sort Theo's stuff out from there. I'm not sure yet if he's rooming with me or if he'll be taking one of the others."
It only took me two trips to have everything upstairs, and damn did I want an excuse to make a third trip. The air in the room smelt old and stale, but beneath that was a whisper of scent I was desperate to get more of. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was, or even get a full inhale. Had this been Summer's room back in high school?
I took a quick note of everything in the room, making a mental list for Miles to research, before heading back downstairs to where Theo was now playing on the rug with a handful of little cars.
"Seems kind of fitting he likes those," I said with a smile.
"Yeah," Summer said with a sigh. "Thank you, Dean. Seriously, I appreciate everything you've done for us today."
"You're welcome," I told her, moving towards the kitchen and popping open the fridge. It was well stocked and I breathed a small side of relief that at least they would be well fed. "I know you don't have transportation right now, but if there's anything you need from the store just let me know and I can go and grab it."
"You really take this pack thing seriously, don't you, Dean Miller?" she said, with a shake of her head. "I'll have you know I've survived on my own perfectly well for the past three years. One night at my grandma's is not going to break me."
"Of course it won't, because you're strong," I told her, moving closer. "But you don't just have to survive anymore, Summer. Now can I please see your phone?"
She held it against her chest, drawing my eye to the exposed skin. Fuck, what the hell was I doing? This was Cole's omega for Hollow’s sake. Bash would have a field day with this when I got him alone later.
"What do you need it for?" she questioned.
"You can't get a hold of me if you don't have my number."
Summer handed the phone to me. "You're a hard man to argue with."
"Oh you can argue with me all you like, just don't expect to get too far. Bash likes to make a game out of it, see how hard he can push me."
She laughed, the sound a welcome respite. "I could see that vibe from him. He's really sweet, but the moment I heard him call you sugar lips, I knew he could hold his own."
"He'll be pleased to hear you say that," I said with a grin. "You have all five of our numbers now. You didn't get a chance to meet Miles yet, but I went ahead and put him in there. Are you comfortable with me calling myself from your phone so that I have your number?"
I wouldn't apologize for offering her more than I promised, but I wouldn't take something from her that she hadn't freely offered. She'd written her number down on the paperwork for the car, but it seemed like poor form not to ask for it. Too many things had been out of her control today, I wasn't going to contribute to more of it.
"Since you asked so nicely," she said with a raise of her eyebrow. There was a sassy omega hiding under all that caution, and I couldn’t wait to see who she was outside of the stress of the situation she found herself in today.
I quickly called my cell, saving her number, and returned hers. "Thank you."
"Theo, tell Dean thank you for the ride and letting you honk the horn, buddy. He's about to head out," Summer called.
"Bye, Dean! Thank you!" Theo said happily, raising one of his cars at me and pretending to honk its horn.
Summer opened the door for me, and I made my way out onto the porch.
"If you needanything, call," I reminded her. "It doesn't matter which one of us, whoever you feel most comfortable with."
"I got it," Summer assured, holding up her phone. "Hey, Dean?"
