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“That was one thing that kept me away from it. You know, I’ve never even been in the city. Not until I had to go to Heat Wave.” I feel my cheeks burn. I didn’t mean to bring that up, but it kind of just came out.

“I bet that was scary,” Pierce says.

“It was,” I admit, looking them in the eye. I know that I don’t need to be embarrassed when talking to them about things. There is no judgment on their faces, and their presence and smell make me calm. I need to focus on that, rather than allowing my nerves to take over. They’re alphas; they know how things work, so there’s no need to hide things. “I had never been off my suppressants before, so it was awful. I’m so glad I found Trina when I did, otherwise, I don’t know where I would be.”

“So you haven’t known her long?” Forge asks.

“No,” I say with a shake of my head. “I found her when I came upon Falling Oaks. She was kind enough to help me.”

“There are still good people in the world. They are just hard to find sometimes,” Pierce says.

“Trina said you two were good guys.”

“We are,” Forge says.

“I’m starting to believe that,” I add. “You haven’t shown me anything different.”

“And we will keep proving it to you,” Pierce says with a kind smile.

“I appreciate how kind and understanding you both have been.”

“It is our pleasure,” Pierce says. “Forge can be a bit harsh at times, but I take pride in my ability to understand others’ situations.”

“Hey—” Forge says, causing me to laugh.

“You know it’s true,” Pierce says.

Forge rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

The food comes then. The waiter has a large tray that he puts down on a small foldable table. He passes out the plates to each of us, and asks if we need anything else. We all say no.

“How does he remember who ordered what?” I ask quietly.

They both chuckle.

“It’s one of the requirements of being a waiter,” Pierce says.

“And they have little tricks to remember.”

“Like what?” I ask as I look down at my foot and pick up my fork and knife.

It looks and smells delicious.

“Associating items with food or drinks. Like a man in a red shirt orders red wine. They also look at the table like a clock and use numbers,” Forge explains.

“Wow, I never would have thought of doing something like that,” I say.

We start to eat, and I almost can’t believe how good the food tastes. When Pierce lets me try his lasagna, I quickly understand why it’s his favorite. It’s much better than mine. I’ve never had the kind of cheese that’s stuffed in there, and I really like it.

“If we ever come back here, I want that,” I say with a laugh.

“We can come back here whenever you want,” he says. “And I’ll give you as many bites as you want.”

I can’t help but smile at his kindness.

We continue to eat as we get to know one another. We talk about our childhoods, and I tell them about how my parents were ones to leave the village and move far away because they wanted a different life. They offered for me to go, but I didn’t want to.

Pierce and Forge tell me how they came from very different families, but found each other and didn’t care what anyone said. They only cared for the other. I love the relationship they have, and it’s something I could see myself being a part of. They have a seamless relationship, that I feel like I could blend right into it without causing any bumps.