Two hours later, I'm staggering in the front door, weighed down with grocery bags and new clothes for Riley.
With Lara's car, a cute little sports car, which has one of those soft-top roofs that fold down to turn it into a convertible still sitting outside, it doesn't look like I'm lucky enough to find her gone.
"Hey Jackson, they were having a sale on shrimp. I thought for dinner I could do steak with shrimps and a baked potato, kind of like a platter. What do you think?" I call out on my way to the kitchen.
I lose my grip on a couple of bags when I glance into the lounge and catch sight of Jackson on the couch with an arm around Lara and her face pressed against his chest.
Our eyes lock, and he moves to get up, but I smile brightly and turn away. "Or not. Sorry to interrupt."
I bend to grab the fallen bags and continue to the kitchen, trying to harden my heart at the sight of Jackson comforting his mate.
Fated, Regan. Let's not forget the part that means they're soulmates. That they were meant to be. The important part.
I don't know why it bothers me this much, because even though I fully suspect this is some ploy from Lara, it still does.
But I guess it won't matter soon enough. There would've been an attraction between them before. A strong one, and regardless of how badly she hurt him, how long can you go before you forgive your soulmate?
So, to save myself from any unnecessary hurt or upset, it's best I get right out of the way and leave them to it.
"Regan?"
I grab the bag of chilled food and start filling the refrigerator, aware Jackson is standing at the doorway. "Hmmm?"
"That wasn't-"
I glance at him. "I know. I'm guessing you were as surprised by it as I was?"
Relief fills his eyes. "Yeah. I think she heard you coming and-"
I smile at him, and if it feels a little forced, I hope it's not obvious to him. "Yeah, I thought so. So, dinner?"
I go back to emptying the bags. I may have gone a little overboard, but when I'm anxious, I can do some serious damage at the grocery store.
"Sounds good. Uh, about Lara…?"
After closing the refrigerator, I force cheerful Regan to the surface and bury anxious and upset Regan. I turn around. "I'm guessing she's staying, at least for dinner?"
He's leaning against the doorway, with his arms crossed over his chest. "I spoke to the beta who confirms her father died. He'd heard about me setting up a pack here and would've been the one to come and tell me, but Lara volunteered. They're having problems with a neighboring pack. Trouble that they're expecting me to resolve for them. So, I said she could stay the night."
I blink in surprise. I suspected she was lying, but for Jackson to ask the beta… that's more than a little unexpected.
His lips curve in a faint smile, though it's more bitter than amused. "If you knew her like I did, you'd check too."
Yes, I tell myself, of course, he knows her.
He would have slept with her. He probably told her he loved her. And he'll probably be going with her tomorrow when she leaves.
I nod. "Right."
His gaze sharpens as he straightens from his lean and uncrosses his arms. "So, I said she could stay the night, and tomorrow, she's leaving."
I wait for Jackson to tell me he's going with her because now would be the perfect time to say that while what we had was fun, he's going to Pasadena with his mate. That she hurt him, but the feelings are still there, and they always will be.
Only, he doesn't.
The silence between us extends until I can't take it anymore. "No problem. I've cleaned all the rooms and changed the sheets, so she can pick whichever one she wants to stay in. Except for the first room on the first floor. I'd like that to be for Riley."
Jackson blinks. "You cleaned all the rooms?"
I shove all the used grocery bags in one large one. "Yeah."
"You didn't tell me that."
Desperate for something to do, I cross over to the pantry where I place the bags with the others. "I didn't know that I had to. Why, is it a problem?"
His expression is unreadable. "Do I have a problem with you cleaning and cooking? With you taking care of the house and ensuring I get fed?"
"Yes." Since he's sounding so strange, I frown at him. "I'd have thought you alphas were all about women cleaning and cooking for you."
"I don't have a problem with it. I just wasn't expecting you to do it and not say anything. Would you have even told me?"
"It didn't come up. Jackson, what-"
"And you don't have a problem with Lara staying?"
"No. Why would I?" We stare at each other for several more seconds. "So, if there's nothing else, I'm going to put these clothes away, and then get started on dinner."
"Clothes?" Jackson asks, his gaze still not moving from mine.
I look away because the intensity of Jackson's stare tells me he's not convinced by my casual tone. "For Riley."
"That's a lot of clothes."
"Yeah. I thought he might want clothes other than sweats. Jeans, sweaters, sneakers, that kind of thing as well."
"It's pretty sudden to be stocking up on clothes for Riley," Jackson says, proving he wasn't born yesterday.
Yes, it is sudden. I didn't buy all this stuff because there was a sale on or because I felt like shopping. No, I bought them because Hardin is a small town with a couple of basic stores, nothing like what Dawley offers, and it makes sense for me to buy everything he might need here before we go.
That's if he agrees to come with me to Hardin. He might not.
"I'm making progress with him. I thought he'd appreciate it," I say, as I gather up the bags.
"Regan-"
Before Jackson can say whatever he was going to, we both turn at the sound of boots in the hallway. Seconds later, Lara appears in the doorway beside him, and they look so perfect standing together I can't help but notice it.
She's not short like I am. She's tall and slender, and they look so… right that I struggle to understand what he saw in me.
"Jack, there's something else I need to tell you," she murmurs.
I turn to Jackson and find his eyes fixed on me.
I smile again. "I'm just going to run these up. seven okay to eat?"
His eyes narrow as if he senses something is wrong, but again, before he can speak, Lara has her perfectly manicured hand on his arm and is gazing up at him.
I don't bother waiting for a response because I've had about as much as I can take from the lovely Lara. So, I grab the rest of the bags and skirt around them, making my way up the stairs.
All I can think about is putting the clothes away and making dinner for Riley. That's the only thing that matters to me right now. It's the only thing that has to matter. Also, I need to text Dayne and get him to send Luka or one of the others down to pick me up in the next couple of days. If not, I'll hire a car from town and drive back to Hardin.