Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,140

was serious about someone - especially a man who I intended to have in her life for a while. Or a few of them.

Monday morning was beautiful - which matched my mood as I headed to the office. Like always, Roman picked up Gabby for school, but this time my daughter waved as they drove away. Then, when I stepped inside, I found an impressively large bouquet of flowers on my desk. Beautiful ones in pastel shades, and a little card was sticking out from the top. Naturally, I had to read it.

A little something to brighten your day and prolong a perfect weekend. ~ Your Guys

I was smiling at the card, convinced that these guys were perfect, when Ashley walked in. She saw the flowers and sucked in a breath, then snatched the card from my hand without asking. Her eyes scanned the text, and then she just giggled.

"Ok, they're cute," she admitted. "And, should I even ask how the weekend went? Because this sounds like you had some fun."

"I've been exposed," I said softly. "But that's not the best part, see - "

The sound of the door opening behind me made me close my mouth and turn a little too quickly. Thankfully, it was only Seth. Then Trent and Pax walked in behind him. I waited for a second, but Lane and Ian didn't follow. Pax, however, was smiling at me as if he could read the guilt on my face.

"Talking about us?" he teased.

"I was trying to get her to," Ashley said. "What do you guys need?"

Seth moved to my side and slipped an arm around my waist. "Just wanted to make sure she got the flowers."

"And the presents on the porch yesterday," Trent added.

I nodded. "All of it. Gabby loved the little wolf."

"Just Gabby?" Pax asked. "So, where's the stuffed Lane?"

"On my bed," I admitted. "And I'd like all of you to know that it was the perfect chance for me to talk to Gabby about, um, us."

That even made Ashley's mouth gape open in surprise. "And?" she demanded.

"Well, I feel like I'm breaking every parental rule I know, but we talked about me dating all five of you guys, and..." I looked at my boyfriends. "She's ok with it. Probably more than I am. So, no more rules on who spends the night, how many, kissing in front of her, or any of those things."

"Just keep it kid-appropriate," Seth said, pulling me against him to kiss my shoulder. "Freaking out a little?"

"A lot," I told him. "I feel like I'm corrupting her, or being a bad example, but what else am I supposed to do? Hide this? I think that's worse. I mean, this is serious, right?"

"Very," Trent promised me. "Elena, we've been dating since last fall. Months now. This isn't a fling for any of us."

"Which means she deserves to know," I said. "So, it's all official, and can be out in the open. No more limits on who can come over, or when, or any of that." I repeated it, mostly to help convince myself and my eyes jumped to Ashley. "I have five boyfriends, and I'm learning how to make this work."

"Good," she said, then flapped her hand at the guys. "And don't distract her for too long. We might be slow, but still." Yet when she headed back to her office, she was smiling at me a little too much.

Thankfully, the guys only stayed for a bit. They wanted to make sure I liked the flowers, but they all insisted it had been a group idea. Not a single one would budge, but it didn't matter. I really liked that about our relationship. They weren't trying to show each other up, but rather worked as a team. I felt like I was on top of the world.

Then, Lane showed up at lunchtime to spoil me a little more. He'd stopped to get something for both of us to eat, and surprised me by knowing what I preferred. Just like with the others, I let him know that we no longer had to be careful around Gabby, but he was more concerned about me wanting to be a wolf. Not that he tried to talk me out of it. Rather, he sounded like it made him happy in a way I hadn't expected.

In truth, I was starting to get excited about this idea too. I was going to be a wolf. I'd divorced my husband and had dreamed of starting my life