Chapter 6
“ I got you an early birthday present.” Ava beamed and handed me an envelope across our brunch plates.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said earnestly.
“I wanted to. You looked so refreshed after your last night out and I wanted to give you another opportunity.”
I opened the envelope and found a printout for my favorite ’90s country pop star who had taken up residency in Vegas. My cheeks flushed. She sang the song I had danced to with Francisco.
“Do you like it?” Ava bounced in the place.
“I love it. Thank you so much.”
“It’s her first show in the city. I asked Sammy what music you play at home, and he didn’t know the names of the artists, but he did know enough words that between the whole pack we figured it out.”
“That’s so sweet you went to so much trouble. You could’ve just asked me.”
“But then it wouldn’t be a surprise .”
I read over the information on the printout. “This is for tonight?”
“Yep. Is that too short notice? We’re ready to host another sleepover so you can enjoy yourself.”
I chewed my lip. Two nights off in a week’s time seemed so indulgent.
“You deserve time for yourself,” Ava insisted. “I promise we don’t mind hanging out with the boys at all. I’m pretty sure the whole pack is hoping for a boy with the next baby so we can start having this energy around twenty-four seven.”
“You’re really, really sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to impose.”
“I wouldn’t have offered it if I minded,” Ava replied.
“All right. Well, thank you. I’d love to go to the concert.”
Ava squeaked excitedly. “Yay! I hope you have so much fun.”
I hoped so too.
We finished off our meal and I went home to pack up some overnight bags for the boys. They were already over at the pack house at Ava’s insistence, swimming their hearts out under the pack’s supervision. I really needed to find them another swimming option so we didn’t have to keep bothering Ava and her pack. Not that they saw it as a bother, as far as I was aware, but the boys would be over there for hours every single day if I let them.
I barely got them to swim to the edge of the pool to kiss their cheeks when I dropped off their things.
Once I was alone again, I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with myself. I’d grown so accustomed to devoting myself to my children, and before that, my ex, that having all this time to myself was an anomaly. I hadn’t been to a concert since before I became a mother. I knew that finding out who I was without the confines of my marriage would require extra time to myself, but the reality of it felt strange.
I’d been antsy since going to the club and meeting Francisco. My brain was happy to ignore the fact that he was a scent match, but my body was another story. His touch was branded there, and I felt it in my dreams, craved it while awake. Luckily, I had plenty to occupy myself with to ruthlessly ignore that craving. Maybe tonight I’d find someone new to further ignore what fate was pushing on me.
I didn’t have to be with Francisco just because fate made us scent matches. I’d refused to get more information from him for that reason alone. I needed to show the universe I was serious about not wanting anything permanent right now. I’d done permanent. It went poorly and I didn’t want to do it again anytime soon.
Nothing in my closet seemed appropriate for a ’90s era concert, but I had a little black slip dress with some sparkle to it and some tights I could pair with boots that should do the trick.
Apparently this was a week of reclaiming my lost youth. I was giddy as I got dressed up, knowing I had every lyric locked away in my head. Andrew had hated her music, so the only time I got to listen to her was when he was gone, or in my own car.
Parking at the venue promised to be a nightmare, so I booked a rideshare and soon I was amid the glowing glitz and glamor of the Vegas strip. I knew it was touristy and overpriced to hell and back, but it was so damn pretty. Tourist traps were popular for a reason and the Strip was no different.
Enormous lit-up billboards showed the aging starlet with her bouncy hair and big smile, neither of which had faded over the years. My parents had taken me to see her when I was about ten, a gift for my birthday that year, and one of the sweetest memories I possessed.
I couldn’t tell if the crowds inside the hotel were typical, or if a good portion of them were concertgoers. I clutched the ticket printout in one hand and opened up the electronic version on my phone, nervous that one or the other wouldn’t work. Going in early didn’t matter since the seats were all assigned, but I didn’t want to miss a second.
I perused the merch table, debating if I wanted to purchase a replica of her signature feathered cowboy hat. I’d had one when I was little and I’d worn it until it fell apart.
“I would definitely get one of those,” a voice behind me said, and I turned to see a man with shoulder-length blond waves and green eyes with a mile-wide smile. He plucked up another on the stack and popped it on his head. “Do you think it suits me?”
“Absolutely. The pink really sets off your eyes.”
He grinned and turned to the man next to him, their hair the same style, though his partner’s hair was nearly black and he had light brown eyes instead of green, and darker skin. “What do you think, Eddie? Should we get a pair?”
“Don’t start calling me that again just because there’s a pretty girl around. I know me having the far superior name makes you feel intimidated, but you don’t need to reduce me to an Eddie to feel like you’ve got an edge.”
I pressed my lips together to hide my smile. “What’s your actual name?”
“Eduardo,” he replied. “And this ridiculous asshole with me is Dylan. What’s your name?”
“Charlotte. It’s nice to meet you both. You guys are fans of Molly Barton?”
“Hell yeah we are,” said Dylan. “She was the ’90s queen . My dads fucking love her, and so consequently, I do too.”
“I know her music,” replied Eduardo. “I’m not a super fan like Dylan, but I appreciate her talent.”
“You gonna get the hat?” Dylan asked.
“I shouldn’t. They’re pretty pricey.”
“Well, if the price is the only thing standing in your way, then it’s on me. Unless there’s another piece of merchandise you would like better?”
“I can’t let you buy me something.”
“He’s going to be insufferable if you don’t accept the gift,” Eduardo told me.
“It’s true.”
I raised a curious eyebrow, unsure what warranted him using that love language on me. “What if I just pick out something cheaper?”
“Then I’ll buy you that and the hat.” Dylan grinned, giving off some serious golden retriever energy.
“All right, you can get me the hat, but don’t expect anything out of it.”
“Seeing your smile when you put it on is the only payback I need.” He handed his card over to the staff at the table, purchasing three of the feathered cowboy hats.
I couldn’t help beaming when I put mine on my head, a rush of nostalgia washing over me.
“I won the bet with myself that you would be beyond gorgeous with a smile on your face,” said Dylan.
I laughed. “That’s cheesy as hell.”
“What can I say? Sometimes you gotta haul out a line like that.”
“You do have a beautiful smile,” Eduardo added.
My cheeks warmed and my body tingled under their gazes. “Thank you. And thanks for the hat. Feels like the full concert experience now. I should use the bathroom before the show, but I might see you guys later?”
“I hope so!” Dylan waved as I hastily departed.
I locked myself in the bathroom for a few minutes, taking some steadying breaths. I was absolutely not used to alphas hitting on me. At events in New York, I was almost always with my ex and he went near-feral if anyone looked at me too long.
Ironic considering his extracurriculars.
Maybe unleashing my omega nature with Francisco made me react more than usual to Eduardo and Dylan paying attention to me. Intrusive sultry thoughts filled my head, of me sandwiched between them with more alpha than I could handle. I swallowed hard and shoved the thought away. It was one thing to take a tumble with one random alpha, but two? That was beyond the pale for me.
I waited until I was pretty sure they’d have gone into the venue before slipping inside myself. Nervousness, dread, and excitement pooled in my belly as I got closer and closer to my assigned seat. It was quickly becoming apparent that we were all seat buddies.
My cheeks burned when I paused in the aisle and was forced to tap Eduardo’s shoulder. His eyes widened and a smooth smile leapt to his lips.
“It looks like my seat is right on the other side of Dylan,” I said, my voice a bit hoarse.
Both of them stood up to give me room to pass. Did I want to go face-to-face or turned away from them and risk brushing my ass on one of them? I decided face-to-face was probably a bit safer, but the moment I stepped in front of Eduardo, it was like time slowed. I took in the crinkle at his eyes, his soft lips, and curling hair. The urge to reach out and lay my palms on his chest was almost overwhelming. Instead, I curled my fingers into the hem of my dress and kept scooting along. Time refused to go any faster when it was Dylan in front of me instead. His green eyes gleamed, and when my heel slipped over the edge onto the dropped row behind me, his arms locked around my waist to save me from tumbling over the seats.
“Whoa, there. Are you okay?”
My heart thundered and I gripped the flannel of his shirt. “Yep,” I squeaked out.
Balancing on my toes, I scooted the rest of the way over, slid out of Dylan’s grasp, and sank down into my seat heavily.
“They should really make wider aisles,” commented Eduardo. “Can’t have omegas tumbling to their doom because of shitty floor design.”
“It’s fine, really. I wasn’t paying attention to the edge.”
I fiddled with the hem of my dress until I caught Dylan watching my hands, and then promptly laid them flat on my knees. Andrew had always hated when I fidgeted.
“I didn’t mean to touch you without permission,” Dylan said quietly. “I didn’t want you to fall. I’m sorry if it made you nervous.”
“It’s all right, I promise. I spook easily.”
“Don’t use horse language around him,” said Eduardo. “He’ll get weird.”
“Shut up,” Dylan said with a laugh. “Weird is subjective.”
“Don’t try and pretend your brain didn’t immediately run to gentling her when she said she spooks easy.”
I blinked, staring at the two of them, my mind whipping to the idea of Dylan speaking softly to me, stroking my hair until every bit of stress melted out of my body. “You guys are into horses, I gather?”
“That’s our whole job,” said Dylan.
Before he could explain more, the house lights dimmed and turned back on briefly to let us know the show was about to start. The seats around us filled, and the stage lights flared, illuminating the perky pink popstar who emerged from between the curtains.
“Hey, y’all!”
The audience cheered.
“I hope you’re ready for the pop country stylings of the Molly Barton experience!”
I clapped a little too hard and let out a whoop of excitement.
“Let me know if you know this number.” She strummed the opening notes to her most well-known song featuring a cheating husband and the car our scorned woman vandalized. The accompanying band burst to life. “Sing along if you know the words!”
The music electrified me and I started singing, pleasantly surprised that both Dylan and Eduardo sang too. I’d almost forgotten how amazing live music was, the feeling of community that sinks down to the marrow of your bones.
Tonight couldn’t get more perfect.