Chapter 167: Rhys
The movie had finished about an hour ago, and now all that were left was our small crew. Alana was taking down the balloons. Sawyer was putting away the tables. Maizie and Michael were eating what was left of the ice cream. And Grace, was sweeping the popcorn and other treats up off the floor with Sammy hanging off her back, half asleep, as I picked up the extra blankets and pillows, careful not to disturb Jack who was asleep in the same spot we left him earlier.
“Are you two going to help?” Sawyer asked the two teens who were still indulging in the special snacks.
“We are helping.” Michael answered with a mouthful of ice cream. “This ice cream would have gone to waste if it wasn’t for us.”
“We could have just put it back in the freezer.” I told him as I walked by and ruffled his hair.
“You can do that?!” Michael exclaimed, and I wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not. Either way, I was going to keep more ice cream on hand for him. Clearly, the kid needed some simple luxuries, and it was the least we could do for him.
“Yes,” I laughed. “We’ll make sure to keep the freezer stocked with it.”
Michael’s eyes lit up. It was like since our conversation today, he was a totally different kid. Gone was the kid who was indifferent and cold. This was a kid who was suddenly a kid again. We had taken the responsibility off of his shoulders, eased his fears, and for the first time he seemed to actually believe we were trying to help. We still needed to have a true conversation about the information he had shared, but Grace believed in him, and for me, right now, at this moment, that was enough.
I piled the blankets and pillows neatly into a pile like Alana had asked me to. I had been surprised at how many pack members had showed up to the impromptu movie night, but it had made me proud of Grace. She had interacted with so many different people throughout the movie and after. It really seemed that her little event made an impact on the pack. I knew for sure that the kids had loved it. They had all even offered to help us clean up, but Grace told them that it was okay to go to bed, they had enough responsibilities, they didn’t need this one too.
It was late by the time everything was put away and settled. I walked over to my mate and pulled Sammy off of her back. The little girl hardly stirred; how she hadn’t fallen off Grace’s back was beyond me.
Grace sagged in relief and stretched her body tiredly. I could read the exhaustion on her like a book. The short day that we were supposed to have had turned into a longer than usual day, but that did seem to be a pattern these days.
“Ready for bed?” I asked.
She nodded. I knew her well enough to know that she was pretty talked out right now. I would give her the moment, but we would discuss the day in the end because it was a day.
I shifted Sammy in my arms to my right side and reached for Grace’s hand. She took it without any hesitation, and I couldn’t help but be grateful for how far we’ve come. My whole world shifted when she came into my life. It was crazy to look back and see how much we’ve both changed. And as we all crawled into bed, exhausted, I couldn’t help but wonder where we would go next.
I woke up slowly, and despite sleeping so well, I didn’t want to wake up. I reached across Grace’s side of the bed to pull her close again, but I only found an arm that was too small for Grace. My eyes popped open to find no sign of Grace, but the sound of the shower turning on, caught my attention. Had she been up long?
I sluggishly dragged myself out of the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I opened the door slowly, and my breath caught when I saw her long blonde hair loose and wet from her shower. She was wrapped in only her towel, her skin covered in little water droplet, attracting me right to her.
“Oh!” She shrieked in surprise when she saw me. She had been so lost in her head; she hadn’t noticed me come in or that I was slowly approaching.
“Sorry,” I said unapologetically. “I should have knocked.”
She gave me a look that told me that she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t seem to actually mind. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?” She asked.
“No.” I told her as I got closer. “No. I just reached for you and realized you weren’t in bed.”
She gave that familiar small smile that I had fallen in love with, and I wrapped my arms around her. I kissed her neck slowly in the way I knew she liked, and she immediately granted me better access. My hands roamed her body, and her sharp intake of breath told me that she was enjoying this moment too.
I tugged at her towel, but she held it firmly in place, and I groaned in protest.
“I want to see your beautiful body.”
“Sammy is in the other room,” She hissed back.
I sucked that sweet spot on her neck that held my mark and pulled away. She immediately deflated a little bit, but I just smirked. There was something about having such an affect on her that I loved.
I clicked the lock on the door into place, and turned back to my waiting mate.
“We don’t have to let that stop us.” I told as I walked back to the exact spot I left her, turning her to face me.
Her eyes met mine hungrily. She wanted this as much as I did, and she was going to get it.