“Not until this week. I guess I was busy with other things.”
“Yeah, you were. You’ve been busy volunteering, and helping out around town, and I know you’ve been putting in free hours helping with the library’s reading program. You do a lot. She knows it, too, and that’s why she’s been trying more and more ways to get your attention.”
I think I’m going to feel sick.
“But it doesn’t make sense. Brendan and I haven’t dated in five years,” I point out. So why would she come after me now? Why not right after the breakup?
“Doesn’t mean he’s moved on,” Henry says. “Brendan hasn’t so much as looked at another girl since you broke his heart, and my guess? Allison’s been biding her time. Brendan left for awhile, and when he came back, he was a different guy. He opened the bakery, which Allison wrote a newspaper article about. He started making incredible sales and hosting special events, and she comes to all of those. She’s been buddy-buddy with his mom for years, and I’m guessing the two of them have probably both been aware of Brendan’s infatuation with you.”
“Infatuation?” I whisper.
It sounds like such a horrible word. Is that what Brendan thinks of me? But I look over at him, and I see him watching me, and he shakes his head.
“I’m not infatuated. She’s my mate, Henry. She’s always been my mate.”
“Good,” Henry says. “Because I hate to break it to you, but you’re going to have to fight harder for her than you’ve ever fought for anything in your life. I’ll be here to help you, my friend, but I can’t stop this from happening.”
Brendan pulls me close and wraps his arms around me.
“I won’t let them hurt you,” he says.
“You have to find them first,” Henry points out.
I wish we could hire a detective who would hunt this guy down and put him out of his misery. I wish we could call in a team of bounty hunters who could locate exactly where he is and take care of everything for us, but I know that’s not the way the world works, and I know it’s not how this encounter is going to work.
No, this one is going to be up to Henry, and it’s going to be up to Brendan, and it’s going to be up to me, but we’re going to need something for energy if we’re going to do this thing.
“We need to go to the bar,” I point out. “Like, now.”
Chapter 8
Brendan
Meredith runs the Claw Valley bar with an iron fist and a squishy heart. She talks a big game, but both she and her mate are tender-hearted in all the best ways. When the three of us walk inside Claw Valley’s most prestigious liquor establishment, also known as the town bar, Meredith looks up excitedly from where she’s standing behind the counter.
“Hey, how’s it going?” She grins, waving us over. “I wasn’t expecting any early birds today.”
There’s a part of me that’s surprised the bar is even open since it’s early afternoon now, but Meredith loves what she does, and she takes her job seriously. There’s another part of me that’s just shocked Foxy and I managed to spend the morning fooling around and making love to the point where it’s not closing in on dinnertime. Unfortunately, we still haven’t found the guy we’re looking for. It’s too bad because my inner-lion is roaring up for a good fight.
“I need a drink,” Foxy says, heading directly toward the long counter. She grabs a barstool and sits down. Henry and I follow close behind and also sit down. We choose barstools on either side of her, and even though Henry isn’t saying anything, I know it’s a sort of solidarity gesture. It’s to show that we’re both in this together. We’re here to protect her.
He didn’t even bat an eye when I said that she’s my mate. Honestly, I’m a little surprised. I figured Henry, of all people, would put up a fuss, but then again, that’s true love for you. Henry and I both believe in happy endings, and it means a lot to me that he wants me to get mine.
I’m still a little surprised that I just straight-out said she was the woman I’m destined to be with. Even though I’m not totally sure how I feel about mates sometimes, in that moment, something just changed within me and I knew it was time to stop fighting. For five years, I’ve been trying to convince myself that there was someone else for me, someone better.
The truth is that there’s no one better.
There never will be.
“Ouch.” Meredith looks at me and Henry. “Is this because of you?” She starts glaring at us even as she’s pouring Foxy a vanilla vodka and cranberry cocktail. “Because I will take you outside and cut you.” Her voice comes out sharp, and mean. I’m a little surprised. I’ve never seen this side of Meredith before.
“What? No!” I say. “And I’d like a drink, too.”
“Not until she tells me what’s wrong.” Meredith turns back to Foxy and reaches for her friend. She slides the drink across the bar and looks at her carefully.
“What happened, honey? Are you okay?”
“I used Team Shifter,” Foxy groans. “And it was horrible.”