Oh.
I get it now. Pack dynamics.
“I’m Sadie. I think... Jake mentioned I might be stopping by?”
Fiona’s face lights up. “You’re Sadie. The muralist! Oh my god, Jake said you were talented, but I didn’t expect you to be this”—she makes a vague gesture—“cool-looking.”
I blink again. “Thanks?”
She waves off the awkwardness. “Sorry, I talk fast when I’m excited. And you’ve got that whole, like, edge thing going. The hair. The boots. The flannel. Love it.”
I snort softly. “Yeah, well. The rain and I aren’t friends.”
Declan chuckles. It’s a low, rumbly sound. “You get used to it.”
Rhys nods. “Eventually.”
Fiona beams and says, “Do you know what you’ll need yet? For the murals?”
“Not really,” I admit. “I just wanted to come introduce myself. Get a lay of the land. Maybe figure out where to start.”
“Well, anything you need—paint, ladders, drop cloths, moral support—we’ve got you.” She leans over the counter and scribbles something on a notepad. “Here’s my number. I’m usually around. Unless I’m home with the baby. Then you’ll get Declan or Rhys. Or Jonah. He’s mostly home with me and the baby so maybe just Declan or Rhys. Or both.”
“You have a baby?”
Fiona’s whole face softens. “Yeah. Little Hazel. She’s seven months. She’s already trying to climb furniture. Like me.”
Rhys grins and kisses her temple.
God. The way they look at her.
Like she’s the sun. Like she’s a star that burns just for them.
I try to smile back, but it comes out crooked. Because once—long ago—I was being kissed like that. Touched like that.Worshippedlike that. Max and his pack made me feel like the only woman in the world.
Until they didn’t.
Until Max was gone, and the rest stopped seeing me as anything more than a body to scratch an itch.
I swallow hard.
Don’t cry. Not here. Not now.
Fiona touches my arm. “Sorry if we were... a lot.”
“No,” I manage. “You’re fine. Just... happy.”
She grins. “We really are.” Then she glances toward the back room. “Okay, I’ve gotta go check on Hazel. I’ll leave you with the muscleheads.”
She blows a kiss toward Rhys and disappears with a bounce in her step.
Declan turns to me. “Anything in particular you want to look at?”
I shake my head. “I’m good for now. I’ll come back once I’ve got my sketches sorted.”
“Sounds good.” Rhys leans on the counter. “Take your time. This town doesn’t rush anything.”
Clearly.
