Page 78 of Now Their Starlet

Edison flashes me a wry grin.

“Good to know. But... I think I know someone who can offer you more comfort than I can. Five someones, in fact.” His gaze drifts over my shoulder. And there my guys are. Waiting.

For me.

CHAPTER 17

Beck

Andi stands from her seat and offers Edison a tight hug before she turns to face us again.

The five of us are waiting in the aisle between the seats right before the main floor of the courtroom.

When she walks over to us, her steps start slow at first. Hesitant. Almost like she’s afraid if she moves too quickly, we’ll all disappear.

“Come here, Starlight,” I say, opening my arms.

Her chin wobbles as she blinks at me in that way that makes me want to burn the world—no, the universe—for her. And then she’s running towards me, her chamomile perfume enveloping me in a cloud of sweetness as she throws her arms around my neck.

“Beck,” she breathes out.

The two of us bury our faces in the crooks of each other’s necks, just breathing each other in for a few moments of silence.

“I missed you so much,” she rasps, her shoulders trembling as I hold her to me.

Is she crying?

“Me—me too.” My throat is so tight I can barely squeeze out the words.

Shit, am I crying?

“God, you smell so good,” she whines reluctantly as she finally lifts her head so I can see her face.

I brush her cheeks with my thumbs. She is crying.

“You—you want to know something stupid?”

“Duh, of course I do.” I lean forward and brush a soft kiss against her lips. “I want to know every single thought that runs through that head of yours.”

“My head’s a mess, so that’s probably a bad idea.” She shifts her weight nervously from foot to foot.

“I meant what I said, Starlight. But tell me ‘the something stupid,’ I’m ready.”

“I had a bunch of scented bath products under my sink.”

That has my brows drawing down in concern. I’m a late bloomer and my designation didn’t present itself until I was in my early twenties, but I still know that scented bath products and omega instincts don’t go well together.

Considering the fact Gina only gave Andi a wardrobe of clothing that was too small, I imagine that was another way she chipped away at Andi’s sense of self so she’d be easier to control.

“I would take baths basically every day to help with the boredom, and I’d always try to combine them to get a scent sweet enough to remind me of yours,” she continues, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, a slight flush to her cheeks.

She’s embarrassed.

Despite the turmoil roiling through my gut at the mention of the conditions she was kept in, a grin crosses my features.

“You wanted to be covered in me, huh?” I murmur into her ear.

“M—maybe,” she breathes out.