Chapter 319

Judy’s POV

“Woah, you live here?!” Lucy asked, her mouth dropping to the ground as she stared up at the mansion.

“Not at the moment, but I used to,” I told her. “Nan’s been staying here with her mate. I’ve been here for so long that this place kind of feels like home.”

“You never told me that you lived in a fucking mansion,” Lucy said, folding her arms across her chest. “How could this never come up in conversation?”

“I told you, when I arrived at the Redcliff pack, I didn’t want to think about my old life,” I told her.

“But still,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve opened up to you, it’s kind of sad that you felt you couldn’t open up to me.”

“It’s not that I didn’t think I could open up to you, Lucy,” I assured her. “It was just too painful to talk about. “

She nibbled on her lower lip. We sat in the front parlor, Nan curled up on the armchair, and Lucy sat beside me on the couch. She was tugging at her fingers, staring down at her lap with a sheepish expression on her face. I know I hurt her when I lied to her, but I was hurting too. The entire time I was in the Redcliff pack, I was in pain. My heart constantly felt like it had exploded when I thought Gavin and Rachel were together and expecting a baby. I thought my world had crumbled, and I was trying so hard to pretend that it wasn’t.

One of the maids walked in and gave us a platter of snacks and some wine. I told her I wasn’t feeling well and asked for water instead. She got me a bottle of water from the kitchen, and I ignored the curious looks from Nan and Lucy.

After thanking her, she retreated.

“You even have a maid,” she said, her eyes wide.

The Redcliff pack was small, and though their packhouse was large, they didn’t have hired staff like that. It was hard for them to have a steady stream of income for stuff like that. That was part of what I liked about that pack; they worked hard for what they had.

“This is Landry's property. Of course, there are maids here,” Nan said, taking a nacho off the platter and stuffing it into her mouth. “Not as good as Chester’s, but they are tasty,” she said, taking another nacho.

The door to the parlor opened, and Irene walked in. She smiled when she saw me and then gave Nan and slight wave.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she said, putting her purse on one of the side tables before taking a seat beside Lucy. “Did I miss anything good?”

“No, we just finished giving Lucy the grand tour,” I told her. “You didn’t miss anything.”

I noticed Lucy was gawking at Irene.

“You’re Irene Landry…” Lucy breathed. Then she looked at me, her eyes wide. “You’re friends with Irene Landry?”

“Well, yeah,” I said, raising my brows. “She’s Gavin’s daughter.”

“I used to talk about her clothing brand all the time. I wish I could own a few pieces, but they were so expensive. We literally sat together and cooed about her photos in different fashion magazines, and you didn’t bother to tell me you actually knew her??”

I nibbled on my lower lip, knowing that she was right. I didn’t bother telling her any truth about myself. I hated lying to her, but at the time, it felt necessary. I knew a simple “I’m sorry” wasn’t going to suffice.

“You’re a fan?” Irene said, pleased.

“A huge fan,” Lucy admitted, a blush creeping along her cheeks.

Irene’s smile grew; she liked it when people from outside the territory recognized her.

“Well, I haven’t created anything new recently. But I do have a ton of clothes from last year that I haven’t worn yet. We look to be about the same size. They are upstairs; want to try them on?”

Lucy’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Really? I mean, I don’t want to impose or anything…”

“Nonsense; it’s literally just sitting there untouched,” Irene said, waving off her concern.

With that being said, we went upstairs and tried on Irene’s clothes. The rest of the night was filled with laughter, gossip, and friendship.

Later in the evening, Chester arrived with Emalyn, and Nan disappeared with her little family. Lucy and Irene spent the night in Irene’s bedroom; apparently, they had a lot more in common than they thought, and they quickly became incredible friends. I always knew that Lucy reminded me a lot of Irene, and I think that’s why I got along with her so well.

I went to my old bedroom. I smiled when I stepped inside; it’s been a while since I’ve been in this room. For a while, this room had become my comfort zone. Remembering my first day in this room, a smile tipped the corner of my lips. I felt so out of place here at one point, and I never imagined this place would become a home to me. I never imagined that Gavin would become my home.

I slipped under the covers and rested my head on the familiar and soft pillow. My hands are on my still flat belly. I wondered if we would live here once the baby is born or if Gavin would want to live in the Villa. The Villa would probably be better because that’s where Matt lives, and I wouldn’t want to uproot him from his home. Not that he wouldn’t be comfortable; he has a room here, too, but I knew he liked the Villa better; plus, it was closer to his school.

As the thoughts of my future with Gavin roamed through my head, I started to drift off to sleep.

For a moment, I thought I was dreaming when I smelled his scent. I thought I dreamt of his strong arms wrapping around my body and pulling me flush to his chest from behind. I thought I imagined it when I felt his soft lips brushing across the nape of my neck, inhaling my scent, and letting out a soft breath in contentment.

I let out a soft moan as I wiggled against him, feeling more comfortable than I had when I first fell asleep. I’m not sure how long I had been asleep for, but my senses were becoming more alert by the second.

“Go back to sleep,” he whispered, holding me even tighter. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked him sleepily, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

“Did you really think I could stay away from you for an entire night?” He asked, nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck.

I smiled.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said, turning around to face him.

He had the cutest lopsided grin as he looked down at me; his eyes were stormy with something I couldn’t figure out, but it went straight to my core.

“You are?” He asked, rubbing his nose against mine.

I closed my eyes, basking in his nearness, loving how affectionate he was with me now that we finally admitted our feelings to one another and discovered that we are second-chance mates.

“Yes,” I said, brushing my lips across his. “I've missed you today.”

He deepened the kiss, allowing his tongue to slide into my mouth and tasting me like his entire life depended on it. He kissed me like he was parched, and I was his last sip of water.

I moaned into his mouth, melting into him as he tightened his hold on me.

“I never want to be apart from you again,” I whispered, my mind still clouded and dazed from his proximity.

His chest rumbled with suppressed laughter, though he was terrible at hiding it because his shoulders shook.

I chuckled too.

“What?” I asked him.

“A few days ago, you wanted nothing to do with me,” he told me, kissing the bridge of my nose. “And now you can’t get enough of me.”

“Do you want me to go back to not wanting anything to do with you?” I teased.

“You can try,” he replied. “But I’m not letting you go… not again. You are mine, Judy. Mine to protect…” he kissed my nose again. “Mine to cherish…” he kissed my cheek lovingly, making my cheeks flush. “Mine to love…” he kissed my lips, making me melt all over again. “And I’ll do whatever I can to make and keep you happy.”

“You make me happy,” I whispered, resting my head against his chest.

He kissed the top of my head as he ran his fingers through my hair.

“Get some sleep,” he murmured. “I love you, my mate.”

“I love you,” I whispered sleepily.

Lying in Gavin’s arms, I fell asleep. When I woke up the next morning, Gavin wasn’t in bed, but thanks to this mate bond, I knew he was close, so I didn’t wake up in a panic. I padded out of the room and down the hallway; as promised to Gavin, I was wearing one of his shirts. It was long enough to be a dress, so it covered my important bits.

I walked into the kitchen to see my friends standing around, waiting for Chester to finish up breakfast.

Gavin was talking to Chester about something, helping him cook, which was certainly a sight. My heart fluttered at the sight of him, and I couldn’t help the smile on my face.

“Holy shit,” Nan said, her eyes glued to her phone.

“What is it?” Irene asked, frowning at her.

“I just saw Jenna’s Instagram,” Nan said, her eyes wide.

“Jenna Cash?” Irene asked.

Nan nodded.

Jenna is Ethan’s sister; I hadn’t thought about her in a long time. She never liked me and made it very known that I was scum beneath her shoes. I tried hard to avoid her this past year, not wanting any more confrontation from the Cash family.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stepping further into the kitchen and drawing the attention of everyone.

“They are moving,” she said, looking up from her phone to look at me. “The entire Cash family is moving out… today.”