Chapter Nineteen
Samantha’s bare feet padded against the hardwood floor as she paced beside the phone and clenched her fists. Her long red nails dug into her palms and she chewed worriedly at her bottom lip. Too long. It had been too long since Jason had checked in.
He never went longer than five or six hours without calling her and he had been gone for days. She knew damn well he had gone on a mission with his brother to find Abbey and those kids and she would kill Joseph if the man had gotten Jason into trouble.
Samantha had no idea why Jason had to involve himself in Joseph’s troubles every single time. As far as Samantha was concerned What happened between Joseph and Abbey was there business. Joseph was a drug-addicted, drunk, abusive, hard ass and Abbey was a weak, whining woman who had no idea how to keep her man in line.
Samantha grabbed up the house phone and dialed her husband’s cell phone one last time. After being sent straight to voice mail, Samantha tossed the cordless phone across the room. She watched it bounce onto the plush leather sofa and then she snatched up her cell phone. She looked through the numbers and found the home number for Jason’s supervisor.
“Hello?” he groggily answered.
“Hi, Steve, I’m sorry to call so late,” Samantha felt a moment of guilt when she realized it was three in the morning. “Or early I should probably say but…”
“Samantha? What’s going on?” Steve came to alertness on the other end and Samantha sniffed back tears.
“It’s Jason. He left three days ago with his brother and I haven’t heard from him since. That’s not like Jason….”
“That brother of his is trouble,” Steve grumbled. “Why does Jason still run around with him?”
“I don’t know…” Samantha sighed. “But I’m worried, Steve. I think they might have really gotten into trouble this time.”
“I’ll make some calls, Samantha. Do you know where they were going?”
“Wyoming.”
“Wyoming?!” Steve exclaimed. “Jason told me he’d need a few days off but he said it was to get things done around the house. What is he doing in Wyoming?”
Samantha bit her lip. She might just get her husband in trouble but she didn’t care anymore. It was enough covering for him. He had gotten himself in trouble this time and she was desperate to find him, “He’s helping his brother chase down his wife.”
“Why so he can beat her again?” Steve questioned with venom.
“You know about that?” Samantha didn’t have to fake her surprise.
“Everyone knows about that,” Steve informed her. “But there’s not much we can do with Abbey unwilling to press charges.”
Samantha said nothing. She knew that Abbey had tried to press charges, she’d tried to get help, but Jason had helped Joseph out and kept Abbey from being able to do either. Samantha knew her husband kept Joseph out of trouble. He kept him out of drinking and driving charges, drug charges, abuse charges—at first she’d been upset about it but she’d learned that it was what it was and that if Abbey was a real woman she’d deal with her husband herself.
“He went to Wyoming, Steve, because they were tracking Joseph’s truck that Abbey stole and that’s where it was leading them. They were going to rent a car once they landed at the airport.”
“Alright then, Samantha, I’ll start making calls. Those rent-a-cars have G.P.S. systems so I should be able to track whatever car they rented and find them.”
Samantha thanked him and hung up the phone. She knew that Steve would find out where Jason was and Samantha just had to hope like crazy that he wasn’t lying dead in a ditch or shacked up in a hotel with some bimbo his brother picked up.
If the latter were the case then Samantha would kill both men herself. It wouldn’t be the first time that Joseph had led Jason down that road but it would certainly be the last.
***
Abbey felt warm and safe as she snuggled her back against the warm wall of muscle behind her and pressed her face tighter against the firm chest in front of her, finding peace in the sound of the beating heart beneath her ear.
A tangle of arms and legs encased her and Abbey slowly opened her eyes to find herself staring at a black t-shirt. She glanced upward to find Marcus looking back down at her. His ice blue eyes were full of passion and something else… a tenderness that no man other than Julian and Marcus had ever looked at her with.
She felt the body behind her shift and move closer to her and knew that it was Julian.
Awareness washed through her body. A heat and desire that made breathing difficult. She had no idea how the men had come to be in the bed with her but she was happy they had. Abbey couldn’t explain just how much it meant to feel so safe, so warm, so protected, so loved…..
She shook her head and looked away from Marcus. Love? Love was a fairy tale. Or at least it was for her. She was their mate and it was only nature and duty that had them so enthralled with her; not that she was complaining.
As hard as Abbey’s life had been up until now she would take what happiness she could grab. Julian and Marcus had already given her so much, she would be a fool to ask them for more.
Abbey felt a hand, though she wasn’t sure who’s it was, brush against her breast, causing her nipple to harden instantly and her breath to catch in her throat. She moaned as her eyes slid closed and then she was jerked from her passionate reverie when her door flew open giggles accompanied the running footsteps that came bursting in.
“Are they pups or cockblockers?” Marcus growled, lifting his arm away from Abbey, revealing that it had been his hand lighting her on fire.
“Both,” Came Julian’s muffled response.
Abbey flushed red with embarrassment. How would she explain this to her children? How would she explain to them that their mother was curled up in bed with not one man but two and neither of them were her husband, their father.
“’Mommy!” Audrey exclaimed before leaping onto the bed. Tanner quickly followed suit and the two of them began leaping up and down on top of the three unsuspecting adults.
Abbey was worried that Marcus and Julian would be angry. Antics like this would have resulted in severe whoopings from Joseph. It surprised Abbey that Tanner and Audrey felt comfortable enough with Julian and Marcus to act this way—and it was a pleasant surprise. One that had her heart swelling with love for the men……
Love. It had crossed her mind twice this morning. She was in love with Marcus and Julian.
Abbey was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Marcus growling just before he leapt up, caught Audrey around her waist and threw her down into the mattress. Abbey’s heart froze when he put his face to her daughter’s neck and continued growling. Was he going to kill her?!
Audrey’s laughter filled the bedroom as Marcus tickled her sides without mercy and growled into her neck causing her to squeal. Tanner giggled and hopped on Marcus’s back only to be scooped up by Julian who tickled his hips and chewed at his feet causing Tanner to laugh until he was gasping for breath.
Abbey just sat on the edge of the bed and watched the scene with tears in her eyes. It was so beautiful a sight to watch her children laugh and play and it was a sight she had not seen near enough of in their lives so far.
“Stop… Please!” Audrey squealed breathlessly.
Marcus had mercy on the girl and stopped his tickling, though he didn’t let her go, instead he propped her on his leg as he sat cross-legged on the bed. Julian was still laying down but Tanner was cuddled up against him.
“You’re being lazy bums today,” Tanner said.
“Yeah, we’re hungry,” Audrey urged as she grabbed Marcus’s ears and forced him to look in her eyes.
Marcus winked, “Then you need to butter up the other werewolf because I don’t cook.”
Audrey laughed with exasperation, “You’re just silly!”
“Only for you,” Marcus replied, resting his brow against hers. Then he looked at Julian, “Go cook us breakfast.”
“Would a please kill you?” Julian grumbled as he stood up with Tanner on his hip.
Marcus flashed that toothy grin of his, “It might.”
Julian looked Abbey’s way then and saw the tears in her eyes. Instantly his brown eyes softened and he sat Tanner down, “You pups head on downstairs with Marcus and I’ll be down to start breakfast in a minute.”
Marcus nodded as he too noticed Abbey’s tears, “You’re better at dealing with those,” he agreed. Marcus stood from the bed, kissed Abbey’s brow then let out a playful growl and chased a squealing pair of kids from the room.
“What’s wrong?” Julian asked tenderly as he crossed the floor and took her hands gently in his.
Abbey sat there on the edge of the bed and looked up at this amazing man. He and Marcus were both the types of men that Abbey had thought only existed in story books and Hollywood movies. They had opened their homes and their lives to her and to two children that weren’t even theirs. They did everything to take care of her, Tanner and Audrey and they were so patient and kind to her children that it caused her heart to ache.
She let go of one of Julian’s hands and swiped the tear from her cheek, “I was so worried when the kids came barging in.”
Julian sat down beside her, “Why?”
“I… I was worried at first of what they would think of their mother in bed with two men that aren’t their father…”
Julian growled low and angry and Abbey was shocked by the sound. Julian had growled before but never like this… just now he sounded very much like Marcus. “Don’t say they aren’t ours, Abbey,” he warned.
Abbey just nodded slowly while Julian looked away from her, focused his gaze on the floor and breathed deep through his nose for several long seconds. When he finally looked her way again his brown eyes had lost that angry glow. “Sorry,” he said gently. “Those pups are ours just the same as you are. Saying anything different brings out the territorial side of me. Be careful not to ever let Marcus hear you say that because his territorial side is worse than mine.”
Abbey nodded, “Because of his beta blood.”
“Yeah,” Julian replied shifting on the mattress, “And his asshole tendencies.” Abbey smiled and Julian returned the gesture. “And most kids aren’t judgmental, Abbey, that’s something we learn as we get older. Tanner and Audrey didn’t think a thing about what they came in and found.”
“I think they liked it,” Abbey smiled. “It gave them a chance to attack us all at once.”
“I could definitely get used to mornings like this.” Julian smoothed her hair back. “I understand your hesitation to accept all of this, Abbey, but I…” Julian hesitated. “This is real, Abbey. Marcus and I are real and we’re here and we want to take care of you and those pups for the rest of our lives. All you have to do is let us.”
Abbey wanted to speak, she wanted to say something but her throat was clogged with emotion and she couldn’t say a word. Julian kissed her head and patted her on the leg, “Breakfast will be ready in about thirty minutes. Try to dry the tears before you come down or Marcus is going to develop a complex.”
Abbey found herself laughing and Julian stood up, “Thank you, Julian.”
“You don’t ever have to thank me.” He walked from the room and Abbey simply stared at the empty doorway.
She had spent hours last night trying to figure out who she was, what she liked, what she wanted to do, to try, to see and she hadn’t learned much for all her work.
As a matter of fact the last ten minutes had told her more than all those hours of research had. She was still a weak woman who had moments of strength but was getting a little stronger every day. She was the mother of two children who were the light of her life and showed no lasting scars of the hell they’d lived through. She was the mate to not one but two incredibly strong werewolves. Marcus and Julian were different as night and day.
One openly caring, good with words and a sense of calm for her. The other gruff, uncomfortable with too much caring talk and incredibly powerfully strong. And Abbey was desperately in love with them both. She hadn’t thought that was possible given her marriage and how recently she’d escaped her husband but she was in love with Marcus and Julian…. Unless it was only the mate bond that made her think she was.
Abbey put her fingernail between her teeth and chewed as her mind filled with doubts. Was that all this was? Was it only the mate bond that made her feel so safe and secure with Marcus and Julian? Was it only the mate bond that made her heart skip a beat whenever their eyes met hers? Was it because of the mate bond her body responded so readily and enthusiastically to their touches?
Logic told her that’s exactly what it was and her doubts fed that logic. Her heart cried out to be heard over both but Abbey was good at ignoring her heart and burying its needs. That’s a skill she’d learned quickly in her life. It had been essential to her survival as Joseph’s wife.
Abbey sighed as she stood up and headed toward the bedroom door. Love wasn’t something she needed to worry about. She had a roof over her head, food in her children’s stomachs and two men that seemed to genuinely care about their well-being and were teaching her how to feel like a true woman. As far as she was concerned that was a million times better than where she’d been a week ago and she would happily take it.
***
Marcus frowned as he watched Julian cooking, “What is that?”
“Omelets with chives, mushrooms, cheese and hashbrowns,” Julian replied distractedly.
“Well aren’t you Mr. Fancy Pants this morning,” Marcus grumbled as he grabbed a chunk of potato and dodged a swat of Julian’s spatula. “Wasn’t that on Abbey’s list of foods she wanted to try?” Marcus added as Audrey and Tanner laughed and began calling each other ‘fancy pants’.
“Yep.” Julian placed the third finished omelet on the platter.
“Ya better make me about five of them,” Marcus stated and then he turned quickly when Abbey’s scent overpowered the eggs and filled the kitchen.
She was beautiful. Her shirt was too big, her pants were too baggy, her hair was a mess, her eyes were still red rimmed from her tears and she wore not one trace of make-up on her face and still she was the most breathtaking thing that Marcus had ever laid his eyes on.
Unable to stop himself he crossed the kitchen and took her in his arms before pressing a kiss that might have been slightly inappropriate for the children to see to her lips. When he pulled away Audrey and Tanner were giggling and Abbey was staring at him with wide eyes, “What was that for?” she gasped.
“I love kissing you,” Marcus replied with a shrug.
“Because I’m your mate….” Abbey whispered and Marcus frowned.
“Well… yeah.”
He looked in her eyes and nearly stumbled backward. It felt as if he’d just taken a missile to the chest when he saw the sadness in the green depths of her gaze. She turned quickly, “I forgot something upstairs,” she said tightly and like a flash she was gone.
“What did you do?” Julian demanded.
“Nothing! I’m not that bad of a kisser!” Marcus snapped.
“Well go fix it,” Julian urged.
Marcus would rather pluck out his own fingernails than go deal with tears but he knew he had to. He’d done something to make her sad and that wasn’t okay. With a growl he took off after his mate.