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Cadence laughed, and even Lucia cracked a smile and said, “I’ll make sure the lighting is good for them.”
Lucas was just standing there staring at his mate with an unblinking stare.
“I’ll call you if we need a ride home,” Jenna promised.
“I have all these instincts now,” Lucas admitted. “And I don’t know if I like it. I barely like you motherfuckers most days, but I’m standing here torn between getting Gunner home and protecting you ladies, and figuring out what the hell is happening with Kru. My silverback wants me to Change and gather you all together and just exist knowing I’m looking at you and you’re all safe. I don’t know what is wrong with me.”
“I will fight you if you don’t take me home right now,” Gunner growled out from where he squatted in the gravel parking lot.
Lucas stepped forward and caught Jenna up in his arms, lifted her off the ground with his kiss, and then hugged her tight. “I love you.”
Cadence made a barfing sound, and to her absolute surprise and amusement, Lucia did a gagging sound at the exact same time. Ha.
Jenna said goodbye to Lucas. As he and Gunner moved to leave, Cadence stepped forward and said, “Lucas?”
“Yeah?”
Cadence glanced back over her shoulder at Lucia and Jenna, who were headed toward the truck. “You talking about how you want everyone to be together and safe…”
“Yeah?”
“You used to not be like that. I think your silverback is growing. I think you’re becoming a good Alpha.”
His face went completely blank. She wasn’t good at this mushy stuff, so she turned and walked away without a look back. She’d said what she wanted to say. She didn’t require a response. Cadence watched, and she gave credit where it was due. Lucas used to only care about himself, but now? She’d seen him get right in the mix there and make sure everyone in his Crew was good. And if Sasha or anyone would’ve gotten a punch in? Oh gosh, she couldn’t even imagine his silverback’s reaction. She had been watching him make many good changes since he had come back to Damon’s Mountains, and sometimes men needed to hear when they were doing well.
“You like Kru?” Lucas asked.
She shook her head and ignored him, kept walking. It wasn’t Lucas’s business, and besides, that was over. He had a ring on another woman.
“You should listen to what he’s saying,” Lucas called.
“He’s had lots to say,” Cadence clipped out. “Actions speak louder.”
“Stubborn,” Gunner growled out.
“Realistic,” she argued without even turning around.
She couldn’t turn around, because truth be told, her eyes were watering and she didn’t understand why. Perhaps it was the confusing moment with two of her exes that had ripped up her heart. And right after finding out Kru was out of her reach? It was layers of hurt and confusion, and there was this annoying little voice inside of her that said, You’ll never be enough. That had been repeating on a chant since the moment she saw that damn ring on Sasha’s finger.
She hadn’t realized how much she liked Kru until that moment, and now she would have to live in this Crew, putting on the show of her life and pretending it didn’t rip her up to live so close to Kru, who clearly had unresolved issues to work out with his mate.
Stepping stone.
Her whole life, she would be just a stepping stone.
“You okay?” Jenna asked as she held the passenger’s side door of Lucas’s truck open for her.
“Such a gentleman.” Cadence had meant for it to come out as a joke, but her tone sounded vulnerable and shaky. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. Stupid girl.
“I try,” Jenna teased gently as she waited for Cadence to scramble up in the truck.
Lucia was already in the back. “Can we go somewhere before the bar?”
“We aren’t going to a strip club,” Cadence murmured, clicking her seat belt into place.
Lucia didn’t answer. When Cadence looked back, the dark-haired beauty was sitting with her arms crossed, staring blankly out the window. She felt bad, so she said, “Where do you want to go?”
Jenna was in the truck now and turned it on. “If you’re going to take us into the woods and murder us, you should know I apparently know how to punch people.”
