Abbey's Protectors [Beckett's Wolf Pack, Triad Mates 4] (Siren Publishing Menage & More) (33 page)

“You can’t find me, Mia!” Eric called to Mia, giggling, drawing Abbey’s attention back to the small group of her new friends.

“I can hear Eric’s voice, but I don’t know where he is,” Mia called out, playing along, winking at Abbey as both of them swam closer to the waterfall. “Do you know where Eric is, Abbey?”

“I can’t see him, Mia,” Abbey answered loudly, smiling as she heard Eric laughing. “But I think I can hear him, too.”

“Mommy, they can’t find me,” his sweet voice echoed in the small cove behind the curtain of water.

“I know, honey,” Meeka told him, laughing. “You’re invisible.”

Eric’s instant eruption of laughter made all of them smile. All the tension, all the worry, and all the insecurity from just minutes before seemed to melt away in the joy this little boy brought to all of them.

“Come on, Mia,” Abbey whispered. “Let’s get him.”

Mia smiled and took a deep breath, matching Abbey as she submerged and swam beneath the waterfall to come up on the other side of it to burst through the surface of the water directly in front of Eric, Meeka, and Suzie. Both Mia and Abbey wrapped their arms around the little boy and hugged him tightly as he squealed with delight.

“We found you!” Mia told him, laughing softly. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly before pushing away. “Try and catch me, Eric!”

Eric reached out and grabbed for her without hesitation, wrapping his little arms around her neck and leaning into her. He hugged her tightly and splashed happily, completely drenching Mia in the process.

“You’re getting me all wet, little dude,” Mia warned him. “You know what that means, right?”

“What?” Eric asked, suddenly very serious.

“It means I’m just going to have to become the kissing monster!” Mia told him, pulling him tightly against her and kissing his neck and face repeatedly.

Eric’s squeals of happiness made them all smile. There was nothing that could make them happier than the laughter of a child. Abbey, Suzie, and Meeka swam closer to Mia and Eric, wading slowly toward the shallow end of the pool.

Mia helped Eric slip into the center hole of the little blue plastic blow-up ring. She stood in front of him and grabbed his hands, pulling him gently across the water and making motorboat noises.

Lucian and Clay watched the fun from their spot at the edge of the beautifully landscaped yard. The smiles on their faces as they watched the happy inhabitants of the pool were broad. Lucian looked at Cole and nodded toward Mia and Eric.

“She’s amazing,” he told his triad partner quietly.

Cole nodded. “She is,” he agreed. “When I saw how she helped Nikki take care of Alexander and Butler when they were injured, I saw that she was a caring healer. The way she looks out for her mother and her brother shows what a loving, protective person she is. But seeing her playing with Eric makes me happy.”

Lucian completely understood Cole’s words and feelings. “Me, too,” he told him, his voice carefully quiet so Mia wouldn’t hear their conversation. “Happy looks good on her, Cole. I don’t think she’s had a lot of time to relax and enjoy herself in her life.”

Cole was quiet for a moment, turning his attention back to Mia as she played with Eric in the water. “You know, Lucian, she’s going to be a great mom.”

Lucian’s wolf agreed, sending possessive rumblings through him. Cole looked at him and smiled.

“Thinking about making love to her and creating our cubs?” he asked.

“Hell, Cole, you aren’t helping by bringing those thoughts into my mind,” he muttered. “I know we promised Jace, Jackson, and Laurie that we would give her time to go to college, but I want to claim her right now.”

“I know. I feel the same. But we have to give her the space she needs to do what she wants. You know it would be wrong of us to prevent her from graduating and becoming a nurse. You know it’s her calling.”

Lucian nodded and reached up to place his hand on Cole’s shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “I know. But it’s also her calling to be ours.”

“It’s important that she’s both. She’s an amazing person who will help so many,” Cole said softly as his attention was drawn back to the beautiful woman who was destined to be theirs. “It won’t be long before she’s finished school. We can only hope she’ll give us a chance when she graduates.”

“Yeah.” Lucian’s voice held hopefulness but a great amount of sadness and frustration. “I want to hold her between us, Cole. I want to keep her safe and show her how good it will be to be our triad mate. I want a life with her.”

He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to wipe away the tiredness that seemed to fill him. He threaded his fingers through his blond hair and rubbed at his scalp to loosen the tension. His brown eyes were sad as he looked at Cole.

“It will happen, Lucian,” Cole assured him. “Mia is ours. We know it, and she knows it.”

“Do you think she knows it, Cole?”

“I do.”

“Then why doesn’t she acknowledge it?”

Cole was silent for a minute, looking at the mate that they wanted and needed. “I think she does, Lucian. I just think she needs to work through some things in her mind before she surrenders to her feelings for us.”

“You think she has feelings for us?”

Cole ran his fingers through his long, black hair, pulling on it in frustration before he faced his triad partner. His blue eyes were sparkling with determination as he faced his triad partner.

“Yeah. She may not want to admit it, but I think she does,” he said quietly, believing it with all his heart.

* * * *

“Thanks for helping me put together my resume, Abbey,” Meeka spoke softly as she leaned against the pool wall, allowing her body to bob weightlessly as she gave in to the complete relaxation of the water.

“No problem,” Abbey told her, smiling. “I think you have a good shot at getting a job, Meeka. With your degree in business and your experience, you have plenty of marketable skills.” She pushed back her hair off her forehead and dipped back to saturate her hair so that it hung down her back. “We can go together to the local mall and you can apply for jobs. In fact, if you don’t find something you like around here, I know you would be a good match for my company. I can have my office manager Synthia talk to you.”

“Thanks, Abbey, but I think I’ll just find something temporary so I can make enough money to get me and Eric back to Connecticut.”

“Meeka, you can’t leave,” Suzie spoke softly, reaching out to hold her best friend’s hands. “I need you here with me. I want you to be with me when I have my baby.”

Meeka looked at Suzie sadly. “I know, Suzie. I wanted to stay here, too, but I can’t. I think it’s best if I just go back to Connecticut.”

“Why, Meeka?” Suzie asked, barely able to hold herself together at the thought of her friend leaving her.

“Suzie, I just can’t stay here,” Meeka told her quietly. “I can’t stop the feelings I have for Reece and Wade. They’re so good to Eric. They make me feel safe. But they also make me feel ugly.”

“How on earth do they make you feel ugly?” Suzie nearly shouted. “I will kick their asses.”

“I’ll help you,” Abbey spoke up. “What the hell is up with them?”

“You’re both sweet, but I know what I feel—what they make me feel,” Meeka told them softly. “I know that Wade and Reece like Eric and they probably have a protective streak for me because I’m his mother. But I also know that whenever I happen to get close to them or touch them accidentally, they both act as if I’m carrying the plague. They can’t get away from me fast enough.”

“Meeka, you’re beautiful,” Suzie told her firmly. “What those men are doing makes no sense. You’re their destined mate. I saw it in my dreams. You know I’ve never been wrong.”

“You have dreams of the future?” Abbey asked, amazed.

“Well, not anymore,” Suzie told her, blushing lightly. “My mother had the gift before me, but she told me it faded when she became pregnant. Since I’m pregnant, I haven’t had any more dreams. My brother Mitchell has them now.” Suzie laughed lightly. “At least he won’t have to worry about losing the gift since he won’t be getting pregnant. Too bad. I think he would look adorable pregnant.”

Meeka snorted, covering her mouth quickly, blushing at the unladylike noise. “Geez, Suzie! Stop trying to make me laugh.”

“I’m not trying to make you laugh,” Suzie protested, smiling broadly at the sight of her friend’s sudden happiness. When Meeka’s smile left her and sadness filled her big brown eyes, Suzie couldn’t stop the rush of worry that encompassed her. “Meeka, you know those men are meant to be your mates. Their scents draw you to them, don’t they?” She waited until Meeka nodded. “Have you been having visions of your future with them?”

Meeka remained quiet as she looked at Suzie and Abbey. Turning her attention toward her son, she smiled sadly as she watched Mia play with him. “I’ve seen visions of them playing with Eric.”

“Anything else?” Suzie encouraged her.

“I’ve seen them holding me between them,” Meeka admitted.

“There you go,” Suzie told her, triumphantly.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Meeka protested. “Just because they held me between them, it doesn’t mean that they want me. And they’ve shown me every day since we’ve been here that they don’t want me near them.”

“I don’t believe that, Meeka,” Abbey spoke up. “I think they want you. I don’t know why they’re being such idiots, but I can see the way they watch you. I think they’re struggling with accepting what they want.”

“Yeah, well, if I was what they wanted, they wouldn’t be pushing me away.” Meeka looked at Abbey and smiled sadly. “It’s okay. I’m not expecting to ever have what you and Suzie have with your mates. I don’t think that kind of love is meant for me.”

“I don’t agree with you,” Abbey told her before Suzie could speak. “I think it will take time, but I think Wade and Reece will come around. They’ll see that you’re meant to be with them.”

“See, that’s the thing, Abbey,” Meeka told her softly. “I don’t want them to ‘come around.’ I deserve more. I deserve a man who isn’t going to settle or cave and accept me. The hell with that. I’m not going to be made to feel as if I don’t measure up ever again. I’ve had a lifetime of being a second choice.”

Abbey looked at Suzie and nodded. She agreed with Meeka. No woman should ever feel as if she was settled for. “Okay, Meeka. I’m going to help you find a job. If you want to work for me, I have sister companies all across the United States. There’s one company in Connecticut that might be a good fit for you.”

“Thanks, Abbey. I’m going to need a job around here first so I can save some money to take care of me and Eric. Once I have enough, I know my sister will let us live with her until we can figure out where we’re going to settle.”

Abbey nodded, unable to say more. The beautiful lady had told her she would be instrumental in getting Meeka and her mates together. She honestly didn’t know how she was supposed to do that if Meeka left Beckett’s pack land.

“I’m not going to think about you leaving,” Suzie told her sternly. “We’ll help you find a job so you can make some money, but I’m not going to help you leave. We have to figure out a better way.”

“Suzie, there’s no other way.”

“We’ll see about that. Come on, let’s get out of the pool and dry off. Do you want to come to dinner at my house tonight?”

“Sure,” Meeka accepted the invitation, sighing softly.

“I would ask you to come, too, Abbey, but I think you and your mates need some bonding time. You know you’re welcome if you want to come.” She smiled knowingly at Abbey, winking boldly.

Abbey blushed despite her determination to remain calm. She knew exactly how she wanted to bond with her men when they got home.

“Come on, Eric,” Meeka called out as she made her way over to her son. “We’re going to Aunt Suzie’s for dinner, but we have to get cleaned up first.”

“Okay, Mommy.” He reached out his hands and Meeka lifted him carefully out of the plastic tube, taking him into her arms and walking up the marble steps of the pool. “You’re such a good boy, Eric,” she whispered, kissing the top of his head.

She knew that she was lucky that her son was so well behaved. It saddened her to realize that he knew the urgency of doing what she said when she said it. How many times had they hidden in Suzie’s cabin on Randall’s pack land when his enforcers had come to harass Suzie and her family? The life they had been forced to live was no life for a child. Going back to live with her sister in Connecticut was looking better and better.

* * * *

Abbey combed through her wet hair, smiling at her reflection in the mirror of the master bathroom. She had had such a good time with Mia, Suzie, Meeka, and Eric. He was such a great little boy.

She thought about the children she had seen in her dream. She didn’t know if what she had seen was really her future, but she hoped that it would be. Despite her hesitance to make her life with the members of Beckett’s pack family a permanent thing, she couldn’t help but accept the longing she felt for a home and a family with Clay and Hunter.

An instant flash of Hunter and Clay’s son playing on the floor in the middle of their living room filled Abbey’s head. She saw her two men lying on the floor on either side of their son, snapping together plastic pieces of many shapes and colors to build a giant wall that was quickly becoming as tall as their son.