Chapter 117 CIRCLES
GALLAHAN'S POV
We headed back home to Fen Cottage after an early dinner with my Dad that was mostly filled with silence, broken only by stilted and short-lived conversations here and there. But we could not have left without making promises and assurances to the twins that there would be more trips to Moonshire in the coming days.
It was then that Willa and I gently broke the news to them that our family would be moving to the castle in a matter of a few weeks, explaining that it was all for our safety.
The twins took it well, so it was another win on our very great day.
We would've ended everything on a high note, if not for Lewis, who seemed to have been waiting for us for quite some time, given the way he had made himself utterly comfortable on our couch.
His posture was relaxed as he sat on the couch, one arm slung over the backrest. Meanwhile, his feet were crossed and propped on top of the coffee table, moving in time with the tune he was humming.
"Oh!" His eyes widened for just a fraction as he hastily sat more properly, putting his feet back on the floor. "You're finally back! I was about to doze off, you know!"
"Lewis!" Willa exclaimed in mild surprise.
"Uncle Lewis!"
The twins wasted no time running up to him, smothering him with hugs and kisses. Lewis laughed heartily, returning the shower of affection in the same kind, making the twins squeal with adorable peals of laughter.
The green monster inside of me roared to life, knowing I hadn't been on the receiving end of the same warm welcome from the twins before.
But I managed to tame down the envious beast with the thought that my family was mine and Lewis didn't hold the slightest interest in Willa.
Still, the jealousy lingered.
Lewis obviously mattered so much to them for much longer than I did. Heck, my spot in this family was still rocky at times even now that I had been acknowledged and accepted as Willa's mate and the twins' father.
It made my stomach churn.
Still, I greeted Lewis with a polite nod.
"A-ah! H-hello, Mr. Wick," Lewis greeted in a nervous stutter. "I hope I am not intruding on your..."
His voice tapered in hesitance as his gaze flickered to Willa for a brief moment. Something about it disturbed me in ways I couldn't pinpoint.
My instincts were yelling at me not to trust the man, but I did my very best to silence them as much as I could. After all, it could just be my possessiveness tainting my rationality.
"...family time," he finished with an awkward smile.
"Well, you're already here," I said coolly, against my better judgment.
It was childish of me. I knew this completely. Still, I couldn't seem to keep my tone in check.
A strained laugh erupted from Lewis while I pretended I didn't hear the disapproval in Willa's voice when she said my name. I didn't even deign to look at the confusion painted on the faces of Calisto and Gillian upon hearing the less-than-cordial treatment I was affording Lewis.
"Anyway," I said, forcing a small smile on my face. "You're likely here for a reason. So I'll just head upstairs and leave you be."
Then, without sparing them a moment to respond, I made a quick exit from the scene, heading straight to Willa's room, which I had begun to call my own for a long while now.
To ease the tension that suddenly built up in my frame, I stepped into the bathroom for a long hot shower. If I held a bit of hope that the steamy water could also wash away the pathetic jealousy and ridiculously irrational unease I felt over Lewis's presence in Willa's and the twins' lives, then no one would have to know but me.
It was shamefully foolish and immature. Willa had already told me that Lewis was gay and he was simply a close friend. Yet my inner wolf's instinct was still not completely at ease. Seeing how the twins treat him and knowing how rooted he was in their lives-given how Lewis seemed to have the direct key to the Fen Cottage and how he was acting so fucking at home-set me on edge. But there was something more to it too.
Something I was still unsure about. But...
But it could also just be my paranoia.
With a sigh, I dried myself off and stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped low around my hips.
Then, with comfortable lounge pants and a loose muscle tee, I settled on my side of the bed and waited for Willa.
But as if fate wanted to spite me, the night trudged forward slowly. I could almost swear it nearly took two hours before Willa came to our room.
"You took your time," I said as a way of greeting.
My eyes took in the way her steps slowed down on her way to the bathroom, her frame going rigid for a second or two. But then her shoulders sagged when she let out a loud sigh, her right hand harshly rubbing her forehead as if she was about to get a headache.
"Gallahan, please," she said tiredly, turning her head to look at me almost pleadingly. "I don't want to fight."
"And I do?" I shot back, my tone coming out sharp and defensive.
"You tell me."
"I don't. I never want to fight you. But you probably think I do, huh? After all, fighting is all I'm about, right? That's what you always think."
Willa looked up at the ceiling with a gravelly groan. "Here we go again! When will this stop, Han? We keep going in circles. We fight. Then we talk and make up, only to fight all over again. Can we just... Can we not do this tonight? We had a good day. Let's keep it that way."
"Fine. I'm sure Lewis is a better company to talk to."
"Oh my god," Willa cried out in annoyance. "I can't believe this. But you know what? It's whatever. Wallow in your absurd thoughts about me and Lewis. Be my fucking guest."
She angrily stomped to the bathroom and shut the door with a resounding slam. But a second later, the door went slightly ajar and her head popped out just so she could say, "And for your information, I didn't take my time talking to Lewis. In case you forgot, we have kids. Calisto and Gillian, remember? I had to help them do their night routine, tuck them to bed and lull them to sleep!"
Willa then closed the door with the same ferocious intensity as before, leaving me in utter silence.
I brought my hands to my face and dug the heels of my palms against my eyes as a deep growl of frustration rumbled out of me.
Great. Just fucking great.