Chapter 28
“ O MG, spill!” Madison bustled out with a tray of drinks after getting me settled poolside in the shade. I’d messaged her that I had news about Night of Knights and she’d immediately insisted I come over. “I need all the gossip before we head out. Also please give me your opinion on this mocktail I’m testing out for a party.”
She passed me a glass with a sugar rim and a sunset gradient to the liquid. An explosion of sparkling fruit bathed my tongue when I took a sip. “That’s delicious.”
Madison beamed. “Okay, yay! I was pretty sure, but it’s always nice to get a second opinion. Now tell me everything. What happened at the show? Did you have a good time?”
“Good would probably be a little generous.”
Her face fell. “Oh no. What happened?”
“It wasn’t bad, exactly,” I said, shifting in my seat. “Just one of the most awkward experiences of my life. Turns out three of the scent matches I bailed on work there.”
Madison collapsed into full belly laughs. “Oh my fucking god! Are you serious? Fate’s really working overtime on you, isn’t she?”
“Apparently.”
“So what did you do?”
I filled her in on everything that had happened so far while I sipped away on the decadent drink.
“Your life sounds like a fever dream. I can’t even get one scent match and you have four tripping over each other? How was the stable? Better as fantasy or as reality?”
My cheeks warmed. “Reality was pretty great. The straw bits I found in my bra later were a little less awesome.”
Madison laughed again. “I think the whole situation is perfect. I know some people get a little bit weird working with spouses, but that’s going to be so nice and flexible for you with your kiddos. Speaking of, you should really bring them over on the weekend. I know they really love your friend’s pool, but mine is also available if you wanted to hang out again.”
“We can definitely do that when it’s not a school day.”
“I’m still not clear why they have school in July.”
“Their school offers summer day programs. They’re not really behind since they’re only in first and third grade, but they thrive on routine, and it’s not like I’m going to be jetsetting with them to need time off. Most of their day gets spent on educational games and exercise, and they love being able to socialize with the other kids. I’d never get a single thing done if they were home all day, needing me to entertain them, so it works out really well for all of us.”
“Oof, yeah, I guess I was a tiny terror for my parents over the summers. It’s good for you to have breaks. Plus, selfishly, I know this means I can bother you during the week to do stuff with me.”
“I almost forgot what breaks were until recently,” I confessed.
“So when do you start your fancy horse job?”
“I’m not sure. First we have to come up with a program, get all of the insurance and whatnot in place, and get permission from the owners of the most relaxed horses for us to use them in lessons.”
“This is so cool. Is it going to be just for little kids?”
“I was thinking so, but do you think adults would like it?”
“I was a horse girl in spirit, never got the opportunity to be one in practice,” Madison replied. “I bet lots of adults would love it. You could even do a parent-and-child class so the parents don’t have to just sit on their butts and watch their kids ride around.”
“That’s a great idea. Get families involved. I’m not sure how much of this is reasonable while getting started, but I can pitch the idea to the guys.”
Madison clapped, wiggling happily in her seat. “I’ll totally be a guinea pig if you need someone to practice your teaching skills on.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Madison’s enthusiasm got me excited too. I already loved the idea, but it was always different when someone completely unrelated to a project was into it.
I gave her details on our plans, and by the time we were finished with the mocktails, she had to run off to pick up a client order but asked if I would come with her. That certainly sounded much more fun than going home and trying to be quiet while Beau was working remotely.
I slid into the passenger seat next to Madison and she took off to the luxury nesting supply store, Best of Nests. My sheets were from here, but everything was pretty pricey so I hadn’t indulged myself in more. It was a huge temptation as Madison navigated me around the place, showing me what she had selected for the nest she was designing for a friend since the order would be boxed up.
“How do you not have your own business? You’d make a killing.”
“Tyler doesn’t want me to have anything official so I can be more flexible. He makes so much money I don’t even have to worry about it.”
“If it’s something you want to do, you should be able to pursue it. It’s a hard feeling to rely on someone for money, and you’re so incredible at what you do.”
She waved me off. “No sense picking a fight. I don’t need the money and I have fun doing this for friends.”
I held my tongue. I didn’t foresee that mindset turning out well, but I couldn’t force her to see the red flags. I knew all too well what it was like to wear rose-colored glasses and see all the flags as the same color. Maybe Tyler would be better than Andrew, but I saw myself in Madison. The last thing I wanted was for her to experience the same suffering.
She insisted on buying me a purple pillow that was too expensive for my taste but was so soft I wanted to cry just holding it. We got the order loaded into her vehicle before going for iced coffees. It was so nice to have a friend here totally unrelated to my past. At some point I should introduce her to Ava since they were neighbors, but for now I would keep Madison to myself.
“Do you want to go get our nails done?”
I had hardly anything in a beauty budget, and she must have caught the indecision on my face.
“Totally on Tyler. He won’t even notice.”
“Sure. I guess my nails have gotten kind of raggedy.”
Madison let out a squeak of excitement. “Yay! Just so you know, I’m going to keep finding excuses to keep you longer.”
“What a tragedy. How will I ever recover from girl time?”
Madison giggled. “You’re so much more fun than the ladies Tyler wants me to hang out with. He’s always up my ass about schmoozing some business man’s wife. It’s exhausting.”
“I had to do that all the time for my ex.”
“Why can’t they schmooze themselves? Are they that incompetent at making friends?”
“Certainly seems like it sometimes.”
“Oh, oh my god, you have to invite me to Night of Knights when your boys are working so I can meet them.”
“You could meet them anytime.”
“But it’s not as fun if they’re not dressed up on horseback. Plus I can have wild imaginings that one of the other knights is for me. There’s gotta be at least a dozen of them, right?”
“There’s definitely a few. I thought Tyler didn’t want you to pack up?”
“That’s why I get to imagine . It’s not so bad being a one-alpha omega. Tons of time to myself. What would I even do if I had a full pack?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
“Does that mean you’re thinking of packing up?”
“Not really. How am I supposed to trust anything?”
“Leap of faith,” replied Madison. “Sometimes that’s all you can do. You can still be on guard while giving things a chance.”
“I guess that’s true. Feels like a very all-or-nothing thing.”
“I’d hope that your fated matches would be reasonable, considering your past. If they’re going to be assholes about it, they don’t deserve the gift fate’s given them.”
We got quickie manicures at a salon that knew her by name the moment she walked in, and afterward I helped her get all of her order home before I finally had to depart to collect my kids.
They bolted toward me when they caught sight, slamming their little bodies against me while excitedly telling me about their day.
“I’m glad you had so much fun. Ready to go home?”
“Yep!” they chorused. I got them safely buckled into the vehicle and made the short trip home. The apartment smelled incredible when we stepped inside. Something was tented in foil on the counter, and a bowl of salad sat next to a plate of sliced fruit.
Beau held up one finger as we entered, requesting our silence as he quickly ended whatever call he had been on. “Oh, good, I timed it correctly.”
“You cooked for us?”
“I said I was going to. It’s my chore now.” He closed up his laptop and rose from the couch, walking straight over to me, and pulling me into his arms. I was caught in a cloud of vanilla musk and cinnamon, lavender weaving down to my core to light me up from the inside. He breathed deeply, nuzzling his cheek against my hair, before finally standing tall again. “I’ll still have to work a couple hours in the evening, but I think this is manageable.”
We’d explained away our physical closeness to the kids with my omega nature. I needed extra cuddles and Beau was going to help with that. Luckily they didn’t ask too many questions, seeming totally unfazed by their pseudo-uncle’s father moving in. They already knew and loved Bryce, so they had easily extended that affection to Beau.
He glanced over me. “You got your nails done?”
Andrew had never noticed when I’d gotten anything done, only when I’d failed to meet standards.
Beau scooped up one of my hands, admiring the purple polish with a metallic sheen. “It looks lovely on you.”
Warmth rushed through me. “Thank you.”
“Buying nesting supplies?” he asked, looking at the pillow tucked under my arm.
“My friend Madison bought it for me.”
His brow furrowed. “As glad as I am you have a friend looking out for you, that’s an alpha’s job.”
“Well, when an alpha offers, I’ll be sure to agree.”
I put my new pillow in the bedroom, and our alpha in residence had no choice but to vacate his coffee table workspace since that was where we ate dinner. I was pretty certain it wouldn’t take him long to decide that staying with us wasn’t suitable for his needs. When I woke up this morning, he’d already been up for three hours to accommodate for the time zones. Even so, he’d ensured a blueberry breakfast bar was baking in the oven and yogurt was in the fridge with a bowl of sliced strawberries ready to add. He had risen without a word and poured me coffee before quietly returning to his multitude of emails.
“What did you make for dinner?”
“Steak salad.”
“It smells amazing. I’ll get the boys washed up.”
I set their backpacks aside and took them to the bathroom to scrub down their grubby little paws before setting the table while Beau sliced up the steak. He portioned it into tiny bites for the boys, leaving my serving and his in larger strips.
“Where did you learn to cook?” I asked.
“It was actually a form of rebellion in my home. My mother thought cooking was beneath us and always hired a chef, but as a kid I loved doing things that riled her up. The chef didn’t mind teaching me a few things, and I got plenty of practice trying to please Bryce as a kid. Pickiest child I’ve ever encountered.”
“You did a decent job expanding his palate. I feel like our mothers were opposites. Mine cooked to show love. I was never as good as her, but I tried.”
Beau plated everyone up. “Enjoyment makes a difference. Go sit. I’ll bring everything.”
I parked myself on the couch while my kids crowded around the coffee table, each of us accepting a plate. I had no idea what the green dressing was, but it was heaven on my tongue as I swabbed the steak in it and shoved it into my mouth with some crisp lettuce and avocado.
“How is it?”
“Delicious. I could eat it every day for a week and not get tired of it.”
“Boys?”
Ollie was busy shoving it into his mouth, using his hand to help his fork along, and Sammy’s cheeks were full as a little chipmunks.
“’S good,” Sammy replied.
“Thank you for cooking for us,” I said to Beau.
“Fank oo.” Ollie briefly managed a muffled thanks before forcing even more into his mouth.
“Do you think they like it?” I asked Beau.
“It’s truly a mystery.”
I laughed, watching my children gorge themselves on Beau’s gourmet dinner. I hadn’t been certain how this was going to work out at all with him staying here, but this gave me hope for the future. I took another bite of steak, fighting back the urge to moan.
A girl could get used to this.