Page 76 of Hidden Fates

Ah. Yeah. I suppose that would cause a lot of anxiety, wouldn’t it? He’s lost his parents and his grandfather; he must be afraid he will lose her next. Death is inevitable for all of us, but knowing that doesn’t make facing it any easier.

Stopping him on his way back from the dresser, I wrap him in a quick hug. “Whatever happens, you aren’t alone, Em. We’ve all got your back.”

“Thanks, Bellamy. I appreciate that.” He pats my back and I let him go, leaving him to his thoughts.

Emmett isn’t as bad with emotions as Onyx or Quentin, but I know him well enough to sense that he needs time to collect himself.

I jog down the stairs, heart beating wildly when I see Skye and Caleb curled up on the couch. They laugh when I toss myself on top of them. “What are we watching?”

I shift to the side so that I’m not crushing her, enjoying Caleb’s arms wrapping around us both as I mold myself to her back.

“Carved. They did mystery baskets this week.”

A food show is going to be torture, but maybe Sterling will be inspired to make dinner early.

Two episodes in, the man in question appears with a stack of papers in his hands. “I wrote a new song,” he tells us, passing part of the pile to me and Caleb. “I thought we could practice for a bit before dinner. You have a show next weekend, Skye, you should also stretch your vocal cords.”

“Shoot. I forgot all about that.”

From the snack bar, Quentin calls, “Don’t worry, darling, I have everything prepared.”

Of course he does. He’s always on top of her schedule. I’m glad he’s her manager. And ours.

I skim the song, testing out the chords as I tune my guitar. It’s a banger. Heavy, dark, and emotional. Perfectly suited for us.

Peeking at Caleb, I can barely hide my curiosity. I want to know what he thinks of the song. Is he excited to give it a try? To find his place not just in our pack but in our band?

Shit, imagining him performing on stage with us makes my heart race. Our fans are going to go nuts when they see him in a cutoff, all those beautiful tattoos on display.

Andddd I’m hard again.

It’s a good thing I’m used to playing with a boner.

“C’mon dandelion. We gotta get a move on.” I call up the stairs as I finish lacing up my shoes.

She jogs down, slipping her arms into a thick jacket. We’re heading to the gym to try out one of their Zumba classes. My girl loves dancing, so she’ll get a kick out of this.

If anything, it will kick our asses and we’ll be starving after, so I can finally take her to Mr. Phillip’s shop.

“Okay, I’m ready now.”

Taking her hand in mine, I drag her outside and down to the garage. We’re taking the SUV. A compromise I had to make with Onyx since apparently my Jeep isn’t cold weatherproof. I don’t see what the issue is as long as I keep the top on, but I’ll argue with him about it later.

“Are you ready to get groovy?”

“Groovy?” Skye snorts, climbing into the passenger seat before I shut her door and run around the driver’s side. I wiggle my brows and buckle us in. Safety first.

We listen to our favorite playlist of randomized genres, bouncing and singing along to each song that comes on during the short drive into town to the gym. The parking lot is packed and I’m surprised to find Caleb’s car parked several spots down from us. I don’t point it out to Skye, leaving his presence here a surprise.

“Good morning. Welcome to Obsidian River Fitness.”

I recognize the Beta man working the desk and guide Skye over. “Good to see you, dude. I need to get my mate set up with a membership. We’re signed up for the morning Zumba class, but I registered her as a guest.”

“I got you. Fill this out and we’ll get everything sorted.”

Letting go of Skye’s hand, I quickly fill everything out, selecting all the options for extra privacy since she gets recognized fairly often. We can never be too careful.

“Enjoy the class. I’ll have her badge ready in a bit, so stop by on your way out.”