Thicker Than Ink

Forty Four

"Addy... Honey Bun... I promise you are alright... Alpha Silas is just right in the other room... He's working and we're going to bake and the last time I checked baking is way more fun than watching him... I promise..." Even as Quinn says the words I don't know if I believe him...

I know that he misses his mate Archie just as much as I miss Silas, but for some reason he seems to be so okay standing here hugging me in the kitchen while I sniffle, my wolf whining and pawing at the edges of my mind attempting to get me to go back into the library so I can shadow our Daddy and stay close to him... My separation anxiety kicked into high gear by having to watch Liam take him by the hand to lead him out of the kitchen with my heart tucked into the back pocket of his favorite jeans.

"I doing know how you and Archie operate but I like watching Silas work..." My voice sounds shakey as it leaks into the air... "I... I just want to be close to him..."

Even I can hear the anxiety partially trapped in my throat as Quinn tightens his hold on me... Our hug growing longer as my closest friend offers me as much comfort as he can.

"I love being close to Archie... But giving each other space is also important, Cutie." Quinn gives me the sweetest muzzle... One that reminds me that I'm safe... And that I'm with someone safe... And that Silas is right in the other room... I can get to him if I want to... And that he is also safe and being safe... "Now let's get to it, Babe! Did you ask what Mrs.Bethany's favorite flavor is?"

When Quinn pulls away from me there is no doubt that I feel a little bit more alone than I did before... And it makes me stick closer to his side as he moved towards the counter where I've set out all of the ingredients that we'll need for today... His hands immediately picking up the freeze-dried strawberries I had found in the pantry that I figured could be worked in somewhere with all of the chocolate... Even if we just crush them into powder and use them to stencil out the all-important message that Silas and I will be presenting to Bethany when she comes over for dinner tomorrow night to let her know that she is about to be a Grammy.

"Daddy said she likes fruit flavors, so I thought if we added those freeze-dried strawberries would make the cupcakes taste like a chocolate-covered strawberry." My words oddly enough cause my bestie to do a double-take... A small smile working its way onto his lips while he takes a moment to chuckle to himself...

"That sounds amazing. Should we maybe make extra for the guys to surprise them?" With the devious way Quinn giggles I'm almost tempted to test the waters of the link that I've been trying to pluck up the courage to actually use to see what's going on in that wonderful head of his... But in the end, I don't need to because he tells me, "I... Archie really likes frosting... He made sure to tell me last night... And I bet Alpha Silas would too."

The way he laughs around his words leaves me a bit confused... But knowing how big of a sweet tooth Silas actually has I can't exactly say he's wrong... I just don't know why it's funny... "I thought we were making extra cupcakes anyway? It wouldn't be nice to make the crew smell the cupcakes and not let them have any... Especially not with how they're trying to finish everything earlier than planned..."

...

Silas

...

"Do you think he's really going to be okay? Should I go check on them?" I've asked the question twice already... But I can't seem to stop pausing what I'm doing to reach out with my mind to caress my sweet Angel... The longer we stay apart the more the pressure seems to build up in my chest as I stress over being away from my sweet Mama and our growing Nugget... "I know that the oven part of the stove works fine but what if one of them turns one of the burners on by accident?"

It feels like I should be biting my nails and pacing back and forth... And yet somehow Liam seems to think it's appropriate to smile at me... The growl that tries to spring from my chest at his grin just barely kept down... His eyes widening at me before he drops the smile down a notch and nods his head at me before letting his eyes scroll past me to where his own mate stands...

Even though Casper's mental health having come a long way since they first met, the poor guy's flashbacks can still be triggered by the domineering growling of wolves... PTSD painful to see when it gets triggered, unintentionally or otherwise... A silent 'thank you' floating from Liam's mind to mine for keeping myself in check so that his mate remains comfortable here... Their friendship and comfort actually important to Addy and I even if I'm not always the most vocal about enjoying their company.

"The boys will be fine, Sigh. Addy knows not to use the stovetop, and Quinn will make sure that he doesn't overdo it. Unless the two of them decide to start a fire on purpose I'm pretty sure they can manage to make a batch of cupcakes together." Liam's answer is gentle as he's patient with me... My display of nerves something rarely seen here at home, and even more rarely seen in front of the company of the crew... All of the guys giving me a wide berth because they aren't exactly sure what's going on with me... The fact that Addy isn't stuck to my side like he usually is raising more than a few eyebrows as we try and make today flow as smoothly as it possibly can...