Reckless Regrets
Chapter 24

Kade

The next morning, Marisol, Cameron, and I left the packhouse around 7:30 AM to start the three-hour trek back to Blue Moon. Thorne was not there when we left, I hadn’t seen him since dinner, so I guessed that he was still licking his wounds from our verbal sparring match.

A*****e.

About an hour into the journey, I pulled over to a gas station off the highway.

“Alright gang, we’re switching trucks,” I announced.

“Really? But why?” Marisol asked.

“Because we’re not going to be exactly where we’re ‘supposed’ to be. And we could be being tracked,” I whispered.

Cam was asleep in the back seat, but I erred on the side of caution; I didn’t want him to overhear us and get suspicious or, even worse, excited. Marisol then nodded her head and climbed out of the truck.

“You see that black Tahoe at pump number five? Get in, Xander sent it for us.”

She cautiously walked over while I grabbed Cam and his bag. When I made it to the truck, I was both happy and surprised to see who the driver was.

“Tyson! I never thought I’d say this, but I’ve missed your crazy a*s. How is my girl?” I asked.

“Same as far as I know. Still stubborn as hell and still knocked up.”

Hearing the news made Marisol shrink back a bit. She didn’t know that her dad’s f****d up plan had pulled me away from my pregnant mate, but to be honest, neither had I at the time.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” she stepped closer to me and stated.

“Don’t sweat it. Tyson, this is the troublemaker Marisol and her son Cameron. Mari, this is Tyson; former hitman, current Gamma for Blue Moon, and Morgan’s favorite cousin.”

“You’re the bear?” she asked.

“I am. Is that a problem?”

“Hell no, it’s actually pretty badass,” she replied as she climbed in the back seat.

I passed Cam’s limp body over to her, but before I could get in, Tyson gave me a small black box.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a GPS disrupter. If the truck you came in is being tracked, this will make it seem like you’re actually at your dad’s house and not at a random gas station. Stick it under the dash, and we can get out of here.”

I quickly did what I was told, and then we took off.

“I’m glad Xander sent you. I swear you’ve got a toy for everything,” I said.

“And that’s exactly why business is booming. I’ve been trying to steal Taylor away from Matt and have her work with me, but he’s being an a*s.”

“So, your wife has another husband? How does that work? I heard Blue Moon has a thing for that; threesomes and all, it’s pretty hot, but Nate gets crazy jealous, and I don’t think he’d go for it.”

Tyson looked over at me with a “what the f**k” look on his face.

“It seems that our packs s*x life is out in the open when it comes to Canyon Woods. Once we get everything settled, she’s going to tell us how and why they know what they know; isn’t that right?” I looked in the mirror at Marisol and said.

“Fine. I already told you I wouldn’t hold anything back. But would you answer my question? How does it work? Like, which d**k takes precedence?”

Tyson lowered his sunglasses and turned up the radio, effectively tuning her and her questions out.

“Whatever!” she screamed over the music before slumping down in her seat and pulling out her phone.

“She’s not completely terrible. At first, I wanted to kill her, and happily would have, but once her dad showed his true colors, she snapped out of b***h mode and became a decent person,” I leaned over and told him.

“That’s good to know, but I’m still not discussing my marriage and d**k schedule with a chick I just met,” he replied.

“Ha! Fair enough.”

***

Morgan

“How are you feeling today? Still, cranky?” Tay asked with a smile.

“No! I’m not cranky. Since I’m not keeping the baby a secret anymore, life is good. Mitchell gave up his bed, and when he’s home, he constantly cooks, so I have nothing to be cranky about.”

“Really? Nothing?” she raised an eyebrow and asked.

I tossed my head back and laughed out loud.

“This apartment has the best shower head attachment. Put it in pulse, and it’s the sexiest fifteen minutes of my day,” I replied.

“Damn it, Mo! I use that thing to massage my back; stop f*****g my shower head!” Mitchell yelled from the hall

I swear he was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or this apartment was just too small for two people. Either way, his discomfort brought me a small amount of joy. I loved him.

I watched Taylor crack up on the screen; then, over her shoulder, I saw a blur of color rush up behind her and dip her backward, evident by the crystal-clear picture I now had of the living room floor.

“Ahh! Kade! What are you doing here? Please tell me you’re back for good!” I heard her yell.

Kade? What was he doing back there? He was supposed to be in Oregon fixing this mess so I could come home.

“Nah. Just for the day, I’ve got some things to discuss with the guys and our dad’s,” he replied.

That voice, even if I couldn’t see the words coming out of his mouth, hearing them still gave me chills.

“I’ve got Morgan on FaceTime; did you want to say hi?”

She then righted the camera, and I got a clear picture of his face. More importantly, I saw the worried look on his face and the small blonde woman and the little boy in the background.

Had he brought them back to our home? To meet our pack? Seriously?!

“Uhh, Morgan let me call you back,” Taylor said and quickly hung up.

Obviously, she was unaware of this family meeting if her quick departure from the call was any indication. Thirty minutes.

I’d give them thirty minutes to discuss what the f**k was going on, and then I was calling back. And if I didn’t get the answers I wanted on the phone, I’d gladly make the drive back there to get them in person. Stealing my fiancé was one thing, but coming to my home, even if I’d temporarily left, and being introduced around as the new “me” was something else entirely.

Kaden Thomas had some serious explaining to do.

***

Kade

s**t, s**t, s**t!

Why didn’t I think this through? I should have known that Taylor could be on the phone with Morgan; they were best f*****g friends. I should have had Matt distract her to avoid all this, but shoulda coulda woulda wasn’t doing s**t to help my cause right now.

“Kade, I love you more than I can express in words, but if you’ve really brought them here, here, when we’re still trying to talk Morgan off the ledge, I will seriously f**k you up,” Taylor dangerously stated.

She looked over my shoulder at Marisol and Cameron, who both looked more than a little out of place.

“Tay, this looks bad, I know it does, but I promise there is a reason for it. And it’s not at all what you think. I’m trying to get back home; I’m trying to bring Morgan back home, but it’s taking a little finesse.”

“Finesse? That’s what you’re calling this?!”

“Sunshine? Just trust him, alright? He’s being honest,” Tyson came over to her and said.

“You knew about this? Does Matt know too, and Xander? That’s a stupid question; of course, all you d***s know. You guys never tell us s**t and just expect us to go along with everything.”

“Yes, we all know, and it had to be done. Just like you have to do your job as Beta female and welcome these two and make them feel comfortable,” Xander walked in and stated.

He had a pissed off Alaia next to him, who was shooting daggers at me. I guess the hugs and k****s would have to wait for later. He nudged her forward, and after a huff, she rolled her shoulders and walked over to Marisol and Cameron.

“I apologize for the rude and disorganized introductions. I’m Alaia, this packs Luna, and this is Taylor, our Beta female. I know it may not seem like it, but you are welcome here. We were just a little unprepared for your arrival, but any family of Kaden’s is family of ours,” she smoothly stated.

“I get it, and I’m sorry for just popping up on you all like this,” Marisol replied.

Thankfully I’d let her know that the women had no idea what was going on in the car on the drive over, so she wasn’t surprised by their reactions.

“I’m Cameron. You’re really pretty, and you too!” He looked to Alaia, then Taylor, and said.

“Thank you, and you’re very handsome, and absolutely your daddy’s son, you little charmer,” Taylor said with a big smile.

This kid’s timing was impeccable because, just like that, all the tension in the room was gone, and the ladies were both talking and smiling with him like he was the most interesting man in the world.

“Fellas, let’s get up to my office and get this meeting underway. Everyone else is already waiting for us,” Xander said.

I walked over to Marisol before heading up.

“The ladies are cool, I promise. We shouldn’t be long, but if you need me, just have Taylor or Alaia link in and l try and get out as soon as I can.”

“They’re protecting their family; I can’t blame them for their reactions. Besides, Cam’s got them wrapped around his little finger already, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

As I headed up the stairs, I heard Alaia clear her throat and say: “So, Marisol. You want to marry Kade? We’ll see about that.”

Hopefully, Mari was wearing her big girl panties; she was going to need them.

***

Marisol

“Is there somewhere this little guy can go? You two have children, right?” I asked.

“We do, they’re not quite as old as him, but my boys can try and keep up,” Alaia replied.

“Do you want to go up to the playroom? It’s full of cool toys and games,” Taylor leaned over to Cam and asked.

“Yeah! I love games,” he proudly replied.

“Me too.”

She then took his hand and led him up the stairs, and I was happy to see that even though they were cold towards me, the chill didn’t extend to him. It made me feel more comfortable leaving him here for the next month. Once he was out of earshot, I turned my attention back to Alaia.

“Luna, I understand why you don’t like me, but I promise you I’m not the person you think I am. Not anymore. I just want to be happy; I want Cameron to be happy.”

“You’re an only child, right?”

“Yes. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father never remarried.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Either she was an Academy Award-winning actress, or she really did feel bad to hear about my mother.

“Anyway, I ask because I’m a twin. I have an older brother who means the world to me. Then I came here, and I got Kade, Matt, and then Tyson. I also got Taylor and Morgan. It’s cliché and corny, but I promise you it’s true; these people possess my heart just as much as my twin brother. I’d die for them, and I’d kill for them. So, it’s not that I don’t like you, I don’t know you, it’s that your presence has caused two people I love more than anything, pain. That’s what I don’t like.”

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want this either; I have a m-.”

I had to stop myself; I almost admitted that I had a mate, and Kade would lose his mind if I screwed this up for him.

“I have a mind to call everything off, but it’s already done. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s life, that’s why we’re all here.”

“Well, let’s hope they can figure it all out so everyone can go back to living life the way we want.”

There was nothing I wanted more.