He had friends in other places he could turn to. Family too. His parents owned a huge house and a lot of land outside of Denver. If he showed up with Jayna, her pack, and no job, his family would welcome them with open arms. Okay, maybe his mom would be a little shocked when she found out his girlfriend came with an extended family, but she’d overlook it if there was a possibility of a grandchild in the near future.
Becker was still daydreaming about kids with Jayna someday when headlights suddenly appeared in his rearview mirror. He glanced over, swearing when he saw two vehicles speeding up behind him and closing fast.
*
“Kathryn and Ethan are being really cool about us staying with them,” Megan said as she set down another plate on the big dining room table.
Jayna followed her, placing a knife and fork on either side of each dish. “Yeah, they are.”
Actually, they were amazing. College professors in their sixties, the couple had taken Jayna and the rest of the pack into their home simply because their future son-in-law had asked. But as kind as the woman and her husband had been, Jayna didn’t want to overstay their welcome. The modest ranch-style home with its four bedrooms was never meant to house five adult werewolves. But finding a place of their own when none of them had jobs was going to be difficult.
Laughter coming from the kitchen was a welcome interruption from the dark place her thoughts were headed. When she’d gotten back to the Stones’ house a few hours ago, Megan had told her the guys were in the barn with Ethan, helping him clean out the stalls. Even though Kathryn and Ethan were full-time professors at Texas A&M, they both loved horses and had four beautiful ones.
Now the guys were in the adjoining kitchen, giving the older couple a hand with dinner. Jayna couldn’t remember when she’d last had a home-cooked meal, and the aroma of lasagna and garlic bread made her mouth water.
She glanced at Megan as she placed a fork on another napkin. “Eric said he’d leave his pack and come with us if we leave Dallas.”
Megan paused, the plate in her hand halfway to the table. “Wow. That’s a big deal.”
“Yeah,” Jayna agreed.
A frown creased Megan’s brow. “You don’t seem happy about that. Don’t you want him to come with us?”
“Yeah, of course I want him to. It’s just…” Jayna hesitated. “I know Eric thinks that’s what he wants to do now, but what if he changes his mind years from now and resents me for making him leave his pack? I’m not sure I could handle that.”
Megan set down the plate she’d been holding and moved on to the next. “Maybe we won’t have to leave Dallas.”
Jayna gave her a sidelong glance. “Would you be okay with that?”
Megan nodded. “It’d be nice not moving around every few weeks.”
That was one more vote in favor of staying. “What about the guys? Do you think they’d be all right with staying here? So close to another pack of werewolves, I mean?”
“Why not?” Megan shrugged. “They already have a serious case of hero worship where Eric is concerned.”
Jayna smiled. Yeah, she’d noticed that too.
“And Eric would do anything for you,” Megan continued. “You should have seen the way he stood up to his alpha yesterday. Eric told him he’d walk away from the pack to keep you safe. You’ve seen Sergeant Dixon, so you know how scary he can be. But Eric was willing to fight him and as many of his pack mates as he had to if that’s what it took. He’d do anything for you.”
“I know.” Jayna swallowed hard, emotions welling up all of a sudden. “That’s why I can’t let him walk away from his pack.”
Megan stared at her. “That makes no sense. If it’s what Eric wants to do, then why not?”
Jayna looked away.
“It’s because you’re scared to death of letting Eric get too close, isn’t it?”
Jayna looked up sharply. “Too close? I think it’s a little late for that since we’re already sleeping together.”
Megan set down the last plate, then came around the table to take Jayna’s hand in hers. “Sleeping with a guy isn’t the same thing as opening your heart to him. It’s about being willing to open yourself up and risk getting hurt for a chance at finding something real. That’s not you, Jayna. You’re really good at keeping people at a distance, you always have been. But I’m guessing Eric makes you feel things you’ve never felt for a guy, and it’s freaking you out. And when you get freaked, you run.”
“I’m not running from Eric,” she said stubbornly.
“Aren’t you? Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me the only reason you don’t want Eric to come with us if we leave is because you don’t want to make him choose between you and his pack?”
Jayna opened her mouth to tell her friend exactly that, but the words wouldn’t come—because they would have been a lie, and she didn’t want to lie to the only person in the world who really knew her and liked her anyway. Well, the only person besides Eric.
“Okay,” she admitted. “Maybe I am running. But I’m just so scared of getting hurt.”