Chapter 43 Ben #2
“Well I will try not to be offended at the low bar you had,” I say, partially joking.
Locking my arm with hers I lead us out of the nest and into the hallway, completing the loop of the third floor.
In a deeper voice I say, “Jake my good sir, ready our steed so we may travel to outfit our omega with all she requires.” Thea bursts out laughing at my antics.
Hey Eli and Parker aren’t the only goofballs in the pack.
Thea looks both excited and overwhelmed all at once as we go through the nesting aisles of the store.
She initially seemed to gravitate to the forest green items but kept pulling back.
Jake and I haven’t said a word. Omegas can be very particular about their nest so it’s better for us to stay out of it and not interrupt her process.
As we circle back to the beginning of this section, she finally starts adding things to the cart.
Jake and I each push one as we assumed there would be a lot and we were right.
Due to some of the pillows we needed a third cart.
That was just her nest materials. Once she’s determined she’s all done, she turns to us a little sheepishly when she sees the three full carts. “Oh, I can put some of it back.”
“Don’t you dare,” Jake says with a small hint of a bark.
She doesn’t respond instead changes topics. “I don’t know what size to get for the bedding, you said the pack bed was custom right?”
Jake pulls out his phone searching for something before turning it around and showing it to Thea, “That’s the size we need to look for in sheets and blankets, at least that’s what the company who made the bed said to get.”
Thea takes his phone and we head to that area of the store. Thea looks more hesitant than before as she keeps looking over all the options. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
She glances over at me before her eyes return to the rows of sheets. “I don’t know what everyone’s style is. If it’s going to be a space for all of us I’d want something that fits us all but how can you get something eight different people will like,” she says, clearly stressing about this.
“Well first of all, we can always get different items to switch out whenever you want. Second, I’m pretty sure whatever you pick we’ll all like. The important thing about that bed is the fact we’re sharing it with you.” I tilt her face up to look at me. The urge to kiss her is so strong.
“Okay,” she says softly. She ends up getting three sets for the bed.
When we checkout she moves to grab her purse which Jake promptly shuts down with a sharp look.
She gives a slight huff but I think she likes being taken care of and just doesn’t want to admit it.
Maybe it’s because she’s been on her own so much this last year she’s not used to others doing things for her.
As we return home she texts Keelan, Parker, and Eli to come help with the bags. The three of them are all waiting out front when we pull up. I wonder why she didn’t ask Liam, maybe she didn’t know if he was home, however, it’s the weekend so he usually is.
We’re quite the group as we trail behind this small curvy omega up the stairs to the third floor. She ends up leading us through the pack bedroom and into the en suite instead of the nest. Odd considering most of this is for the nest.
“Okay you can leave everything in here. I need to wash it all before it goes in the nest.” I didn’t think about that. Omegas are so sensitive to scents more than betas and alphas. It’s understandable she’d want them cleaned before going in her nest.
“Oh also, can you all give me some items of clothing of yours for the nest?” she asks tentatively. “I still need to ask Liam and…just Liam for something too.”
She was going to say Micah. The frustration I have for him is ramping up.
He was a complete dick to her the other day.
Now that she’s bonded to two members of our pack he has to realize she isn’t planning on leaving.
Given his history none of us judge him for being guarded when we found Thea and realized she was our scent match.
But he’s taking it too far at this point.
The rest of the guys slowly file out but I stay behind.
She’s already digging through the bags, removing tags and sorting them into piles.
I probably shouldn’t interrupt an omega who’s dealing with her nesting materials.
Crouching down opposite her, I offer, “Can I help with anything?” She looks up a little surprised, her hazel eyes widening.
“Oh, uhm.” She begins looking around at the bags scattered on the floor. “Can you sort out the pillows? Take off the covers we need to wash and put the pillows in the tub for now so they aren’t on the floor.”
“I can do that.” I smile back at her. She returns the smile which makes me feel like I won something.
As we work silently, I can’t help but want to know more about her life before the stalker, and losing Connor.
It’s completely understandable how those two events are dominating her thoughts and life right now but what was she like before.
It’s like we see glimpses of it, or that’s what I assume.
Taking a risk, I ask, “What was your nest like back in Florida?”
I’m not looking directly at her as I’m busy with the task she assigned me but the sudden quiet has me regretting the question.
Before I can brush it off, she says with a sigh, “It was perfect. We lived in an apartment building and Connor loved being outdoors. I had always wanted to go to the mountains somewhere and hike. So my nest became our little oasis. Forest green was the predominate color, it felt like the safest place in the world when he was holding me there.” She wipes at her eyes.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” I say, sitting on the floor next to her and placing my arm around her.
“You didn’t, I should talk more about Connor before everything. It’s not fair to his memory to let how, or why, he died overshadow the eight years we were together. I need to keep reminding myself of that. Especially now that I’m not constantly pushing down those memories.”
“What do you mean?”
She turns her head into my chest, taking in deeper breathes, scenting me.
“This past year, since I ran away, I had to lock up everything Connor related in mind. Especially those first few months in North Carolina. That’s where we planned to go before he died.
We had a trip planned to the mountains there for two weeks, and we were going to bond there.
I couldn’t handle the grief of his loss, the guilt that came with the stalker admitting he killed him, and then being close to the area we were supposed to bond.
It was all too much. By the time I had to run again, I had my locked boxes in my head figured out.
It was the only way I felt I could stay sane. ” She lifts her head to meet my eyes.
“That is until I got here. I honestly don’t know if it’s the slower pace of this town, meeting my scent matches, the anniversary of his death, but ever since I got here those boxes I kept locked up tight started cracking until they finally shattered.
” So many emotions are swirling in her eyes.
I cup her face in my hand, and her eyes close as she leans into me.
Resting my forehead against hers, I close my eyes as well and we stay just like that.
“Do you feel shattered?” I whisper.
“I did every day for over a year, until recently. I’m starting to feel those pieces come together again. It scares the shit out of me.”
Opening my eyes so I can see her, I ask my next question, “Why?”
Her eyes open too, “It scares me to be happy without him here, like he didn’t matter in the end. It scares me to be happy in a life he wanted for us so badly. It scares me because I can’t lose anyone else I care about, I won’t survive it.”
Tears are flowing from her eyes again, I wipe them away with my thumb, still cradling her face.
“I can’t promise you nothing will happen to any of us, no one can make that promise.
But we will get through this, it’s what a pack, what a family does.
No one wants to act like Connor didn’t matter.
He’s part of our pack whether he’s here or not.
Tell us more stories about him, so we can know him too. ”
An idea suddenly hits me and I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, texting Liam. “Are you up for one last adventure today?” Her eyes are still watery, but the sadness that filled them gives way to curiosity. She nods as I help her to her feet.
“Why are we at a tattoo shop?” Thea questions. All traces of tears are gone now.
“I’d like to know as well,” Liam adds on.
I roll my eyes at him, he is the worst for spur of the moment plans but it’s his friend who did his tattoos.
“You might not know this about our good doctor, but he’s got some pretty impressive tattoos,” I say.
Thea turns to him, shock written all over her face. I hold back my laugh, knowing full well she hasn’t seen them, and how he gives off the hard ass, straitlaced, boring vibe.
“Anyways, I thought since you and Connor weren’t able to bond and you can’t have his mark on you, maybe getting a tattoo in memory of him would feel like his mark.”
Thea is looking at me with so much gratitude I don’t know how to deal with it.
Looking at Liam isn’t any better. He gets how important this would be for her.
Thea is suddenly hugging me so tightly. If I didn’t know better I’d be worried she’d break something.
“Thank you, thank you,” she whispers against my chest.
When we break apart Liam claps me on the back. “Let’s go in, he said he’ll fit us in. Any idea what you’ll get, Sweetheart?”
“Actually, I think I do,” she says with a big smile.
After a brief conversation with Liam’s friend, Eric, they finally start on the tattoo.
She decided to get it on the inside of her left wrist. Shortly after they get started, Thea’s phone starts blowing up with calls and texts from Keelan.
Liam, Gods help him, is the one who answers.
Even I can hear his initial question with how loud he’s yelling. “Why the fuck is our omega in pain?”
Thea must have heard because she giggles a little.
I guess we should have given a little warning to her two bonded mates.
I would have freaked out too if suddenly I felt she was in pain, especially with everything going on.
Thea makes a gimme gesture with her hand not getting tattooed. Liam instead puts the phone on speaker.
“Keelan, I’m fine. Just getting a tattoo,” she reassures him. He’s strangely quiet.
“Be there in ten,” he says and then hangs up.
Thea looks at us questioningly and we both just shrug our shoulders.
I’m not going to get in the middle of whatever instincts he has going on.
He probably won’t feel better until he has eyes on her, not that I blame him.
Sure enough ten minutes later Keelan, followed by Parker and Eli, march into the shop.
Eric must be used to dealing with people better than us as he’s totally unbothered by this.
The stress evident on Keelan’s face melts away as soon as he sees Thea.
Leaning down to kiss the side of her head, he asks, “Doing okay Baby Girl?’
“I’m fine you grumpy teddy bear.” Parker and Eli snicker at her nickname for him. I know better. Keelan is unbothered by most things but in college he was the king of pranks. I wouldn’t put it past him to get back at those two. “He’s almost done,” she adds on.
“What are you getting?” Parker asks excitedly.
“You’ll see when it’s done. C’mon guys, give her and Eric space.
You don’t want him to mess up her tattoo do you?
” Liam says. It has the desired effect of having them stand off to the side with us.
Eric shoots Liam a glare at the idea he’d mess up a tattoo so easily but let it go when he realized Liam was kidding.
It’s not long until Eric is wiping it clean and applying the clear bandage over the tattoo.
Thea is beaming as she looks at her wrist. She nearly skips over to us to show it off.
She raises her hand up until it’s parallel with her head so we can see the image clearly.
It’s a sailboat, shaded in to give it some dimension and four little wave designs around it.
“It looks great!” Parker shouts.
“Why a sailboat?” Eli asks.
“Sailing was one of Connor’s favorite things to do. He loved his boat. The number of waves also represent his parents. He’d like that I think,” she says softly.
“I’m sure he’s watching this and loving how sexy you look with fresh ink,” Eli says making her blush.
“He did say in his letter he’d haunt me so we can only hope.” She laughs at Eli and Parker’s reactions as they give the room a skeptical onceover.
Wrapping his arm around her waist pulling her in, Parker gives her a brief kiss, before leading her out of the shop. “Let go home, there’s some awesome brownies in the kitchen you need to try.”
I forgot all about them. “Parker, those were supposed to be a surprise.”
He looks back with an oops expression before grabbing Thea’s hand and booking it to Keelan’s car that they must’ve arrived in. She laughs the entire time. Today was definitely an adventure and I can’t wait for more.