“Do you still have a problem with Frankie?” I sat up and shook my head.
“No, and I’m so sorry for that. I shouldn’t have said that at all about him. He came and spoke to me after, when I was still being an asshole and he didn’t shift or fight me. He just spoke his truths. I didn’t want to listen to him.
“But he spoke the truth, none of us are good for you. But he is a good guy, he is good for you. He deserves you more than we do. And that is the truth.”
As much as it hurt to say it, it was true. Frankie lied about a few things, things that fed his family and kept a roof over his head.
We took away all her memories from the past two years. We were the ones who didn’t deserve her. And I accept that now.
Chapter37
Clare
It felt like no time had passed, but then at the same time, it felt like all the time in the world had passed and we had all changed. It was confusing.
I loved it here, sitting in the Lovell’s home theater. It was my favorite place in the house and when they asked if I wanted to come in here to chat. I did.
I wanted to know what they had been doing the past year, I wanted to hug Mekhi and tell him everything would be okay. I wanted to kiss Jett and tell him to tell me a joke. I missed his smile and the ones he was giving me were not the Jett I remembered. Mekhi was sullen and I could tell this had taken a toll on both of them too.
I wasn’t sure we could be like that again; I needed this time to work things out. Frankie had been nothing but understanding, sending me messages of encouragement. What boyfriend encourages their girlfriend to go and work things out with their exes? Frankie did. He was the light at the end of each day.
“We’re together now, Frankie and I. I’m his mate, and I won’t give him up.”
Neither of them spoke, but they both shook their heads. My heart dropped. That was it?
Mekhi reached out to me and on instinct I took his hand. It was so warm and comforting. I wanted to cry into his arms and have him tell me everything would be okay. But I knew I just needed to get this all out before feelings were involved. I needed to keep my heart and head separate today.
“We would never wish for you to give him up, we want you to be happy, and if Frankie makes you happy, then we want him for you.” Mekhi said with a small smile on his face.
I nodded, there was only one other problem.
“He can’t leave, his mom is… sick. And his brother needs him.”
They both nodded again.
“We will make it work, we can. If that’s what you want, Clare. We will make anything work if it means we can be a family again.”
And there it was… family.
That had been my end game with them, my soulmates in life. We would talk about our future big family, lots of sons after they bit me, and I was a wolf shifter. I wanted that with them. To be part of their pack. I hated being an only child and Linda—Mekhi’s mom— would tell me all the time that I was their daughter, not their daughter-in-law.
That they couldn’t wait for our family, even if we had no babies, or if we had twenty. She would love me all the same. I wanted to adopt and give homes to shifter kids who didn’t have any. I wanted the white picket fence, with a rounded belly as I called for my kids to come inside for dinner. I wanted it all with them.
And I still did. Emotions were overwhelming me of all the plans we had made.
“Can I see your mom?” I asked Mekhi.
His grin reached his eyes this time. “She would love to see you. She knows you’re back. I think everyone does.”
Yeah, with shifter hearing, news always travels fast around here.
***
Linda was so excited to see me, she wrapped me in a bear hug and hadn’t let go of my hand as she called out to Mekhi’s dads, Henry and Michael.
They didn’t take long to wrap me in hugs as they ushered me to the dinner table to feed me. That was one thing I missed being here. Linda and Henry were the best cooks ever. The two of them in the kitchen and you knew it was going to be the best meal you ever had.
Michael was the worst cook ever; I remember him burning toast one morning. It was so cute, Henry came out and made him breakfast. He said he didn’t want to bother him on his day off, but that man could burn water, so it was probably safer.
