Chapter 69
Lucy
I used a lint roller to catch any loose strings on Leo’s baba’s custom suit before slipping a garment bag over it. I couldn’t wait for him to see it. He had already promised to model it for us when we went over for family dinner.
I slumped down on my rolling chair, my eyes drifting shut.
My guys all had to wake up early this morning—Leo and Wilder at the crack of dawn to get to the flower market and firehouse, and King not too long after for some sort of work meeting.
Since I didn’t drive, I had to get up with them.
Well, get up was maybe a bit of an exaggeration since Wilder had ended up rolling me in a blanket and carrying me to his truck.
Not much could convince me they really loved me as much as them finding my morning grumpiness cute instead of annoying.
I wanted to be back in bed with all of my guys, sleeping and fucking the day away, but since napping in my nest alone held no appeal, I had started my work day. “If these guys think they’re going to turn me into a morning person, they are sorely mistaken,” I muttered.
The shop phone made me jump, and I realized I’d fallen asleep at my desk. It should be illegal for people to make phone calls before noon.
I rolled my chair over to the checkout desk, where my phone was sitting on the new shelf King had gotten Easton to install.
“Spring in Your Stitch, this is Lucy.”
“Hi Lucy. It’s Jaqueline.”
My heart pounded and my stomach lurched with nausea. My guys hadn’t pushed me about my internship decision, but when I told them at dinner that I’d emailed Fran to turn it down, they’d said they were proud of me.
“I heard you decided to pass on the internship,” she continued.
I braced for her disappointment or anger. “I hope you don’t think I’m ungrateful or not appreciative—”
“What? No, of course I don’t think that. I was hoping we could snap you up, but I’m not surprised you turned it down.”
“You’re not?”
“I knew it would take a lot to steal you away from that gorgeous shop of yours, and then Fran showed me your social media account—I started following Felix, by the way, and voted in the Midsummer outfit poll.”
My jaw dropped. What?
“You’re so talented,” she continued. “Never feel bad for turning down opportunities that aren’t right for you.
It means you’ll be free to say yes down the line when the right offer presents itself.
Besides, this serves my selfish interests.
I’m already planning my trip to Starlight Grove so I can hire you to design a custom dress for me. ”
I gripped my phone harder. “But I…what?”
“I hope if nothing else, this interview experience gives you more confidence. You’re very talented. Don’t belittle what you’ve accomplished.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you. That means more than you know.”
“I’ll be in touch once I know my travel dates. Take care, Lucy.”
After we hung up, I stared at my phone, stunned.
I took deep breaths as I turned my Razor scooter down my moms’ street.
Well, it might not be exactly my scooter. I’d found it in the garage of King’s rental, but it wasn’t like Ms. Ito needed it right now.
Lala was in the front yard, kneeling as she pulled weeds coming up around the bright pastel tulips lining the walkway. The tension in my chest eased. Of all my moms, Lala understood me the best.
She waved as I parked the scooter in their driveway.
“Hey, love, I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“Just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I wrapped up work early, so I figured I’d come say hello.”
Her cocked eyebrow told me she didn’t quite buy my nonchalance, but she didn’t push it as she pulled me into a tight hug. “Where’s the bun-bun today?”
“Blossom is hanging out with Wilder at the firehouse.” We’d picked her up from Summer this morning. King had pouted because even after he’d meticulously prepared her morning salad, she had still chosen to go to work with Wilder instead of him.
She pursed her lips. “And when are you bringing these guys over for us to meet?”
“You mean interrogate?”
“It’s our job as your moms.” Her tone was light, but her scent turned bitter. She averted her gaze, busying herself with brushing the dirt off her hands.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just…I’m so sorry, honey. We failed you with your exes.”
“What do you mean?”
She swallowed hard. “It was obvious pretty early on that they didn’t make you happy. Every time we saw you, it was like they’d chipped away a little bit more of your sunshine. I should have done more to protect you from them.”
My throat tightened with emotion as I grasped her hand.
“You did try. I just wasn’t ready to listen.
” All of my moms had made little comments questioning my exes, which had felt like personal attacks at the time.
“I was the one who reacted defensively whenever you brought it up. It’s my fault. I should have known better.”
She shook her head, expression fierce. “Don’t say that. Their treatment of you is not your fault. Some lessons we can only learn by living them. I just wish you could have been spared a broken heart.”
I blinked quickly to keep my tears from falling. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” She squeezed my hand and I jumped, still not used to the strange sensations when someone touched my bond mark.
Lala’s mouth gaped when she flipped my hand over. “Lucy Bluebell Andersson-Spring!”
“Ahh, yeah, surprise! There have been some recent developments.”
“You’re the reason for my gray hairs.” She scowled, but I just laughed.
“You don’t have gray hair.”
“Well, if I did, it would be all your fault.” She huffed. “Come inside so you can tell everyone else.”
I dug my heels in. “Or you can just deliver the news. That sounds good to me. Okaybye!”
She rolled her eyes, keeping a surprisingly firm grip on my arm as she half dragged me across the yard. “Nice try.”
I gave up the struggle once we were inside and followed Lala into the kitchen. Jojo and Mamma were on their laptops at the counter, and Mom was making cardamom buns that smelled just like Leo. My cheeks heated as I almost perfumed at the smell of baked goods.
“Hey, honey.” Mamma held out her arm to me without looking up from her computer screen.
I shook my head but walked over and gave her a hug. Her nose crinkled as she sniffed me. That was enough for her to peel her eyes away from the computer screen.
“Why do you smell like alphas?”
“I don’t think you want me to answer that,” I said dryly.
Jojo and Mom burst out laughing, and Mamma shook her head, lips pursed against a smile. “Is it getting serious?”
“Umm, well—”
Lala poked me in the back.
“I bonded Wilder yesterday.”
Jojo gasped and moved my hair to the side to expose the bond mark there. “Congratulations, baby. Although it would have been nice for us to actually meet him first.”
“Wait,” Lala said. “Did you bond King, too?”
“Not yet.”
She lifted my hand, showing my second mark to the room. “Then what is this?”
I shrugged, but I couldn’t stop my huge smile. “He was feeling a bit possessive.”
Mamma’s jaw dropped, but before she could make a comment that would inevitably set me on edge, I forged ahead. “I also found out I got offered the fashion internship, but—”
“Wait, really? Congratulations!” Lala said.
“Of course you did,” Mamma said. “That’s incredible.”
“Well, the thing is, I think I might—”
Fuck. No. Be confident, Lucy.
“I mean, I’ve turned it down.”
“Oh.” Mamma tucked her white-blond hair behind her ear. “Why’s that?”
“The internship is more focused on design and large-scale manufacturing, which isn’t necessarily my interest. I don’t want to take the spot away from someone who would use the internship as a stepping stone to their dreams.”
“Are you sure you’re not doing this because you want to stay in town with your men?” Mamma asked.
Defensiveness flared inside me like it often did when I was explaining my decisions to my moms. I took a deep, slow breath and let it out. “You say that like it’s a bad thing to want to be with my pack.”
“No, honey, that’s not what she’s saying,” Lala said, her words doing nothing to soothe my prickly frustration at once again feeling misunderstood by them. “We just don’t want you to give up on your dreams for them.”
My jaw clenched and my omega snarled at their critique of my guys. “They wouldn’t want that, either. I made this decision for me.”
“Okay, everyone take a breath.” Mom set a plate of cardamom buns on the table and nudged me toward a chair. “Let’s all sit down and listen to what Lucy has to say.”
I took my time spreading butter onto a cardamom bun. “I’m sorry I haven’t brought King, Leo, and Wilder over yet. Things have been pretty chaotic, and I wasn’t sure we would work out for a while there. But I am sure now. They’ve shown me what real love feels like. They make me happy.”
“That’s all we want,” Lala said. “For you to be happy.”
I slowly shook my head, swallowing around the lump in my throat. “I guess I thought my courting record would make you doubt my judgment, and I’ve been carrying around enough doubt for myself.”
Mom entwined her fingers with mine, squeezing tightly.
“I know you didn’t like my exes, but I never told you how bad things got,” I said, forging ahead.
“Partially because I was ashamed, but also because I blamed myself for a long time. They put me down all the time, but they were so good at keeping it subtle or masking it with concern. I realized that if I said yes to the internship, I’d be doing it because I want to prove to them that I’m not worthless and untalented. Not because I actually wanted it.”
“Oh, honey,” Jojo said, leaning forward to squeeze my shoulder.
“Saying no feels like freedom. It feels like finally choosing myself and what I want for life.” I brushed away the tear rolling down my cheek.
“Have we made you feel pressured?” Mamma asked.
Mamma was a classic alpha—confident, protective, and no-nonsense.
She’d always been successful in her field and instilled in me values of perseverance and hard work, which I was grateful for.
She’d advocated for Lars and me in school when he was diagnosed with dyslexia and I struggled to pay attention in class, but I had also gone through life secretly scared I was disappointing her.
“I know you didn’t mean to, but sometimes it feels like nobody in this family really sees me. I know you love me and are proud of me, which is why this is so hard to say out loud because I don’t want to make you feel bad or think that I’m not grateful for growing up in this home and…”
“Shh.” Lala pulled me into her arms. “You don’t have to qualify anything or spare our feelings. No parent is perfect, and we can’t fix what we don’t realize we’re doing.”
I kept my eyes fixed on my cardamom bun. My mouth was too dry and my stomach too tangled to enjoy it.
“Sometimes the things you say make me feel like you see me as weak and unserious. Like when I said I was going camping, you acted like it was the most ridiculous thing in the world.” Just because they were right didn’t change how I felt about it.
“And when I opened up my shop, I overheard Jojo and Mamma talking about how I didn’t have any business skills.
It feels like if I fail, I’ll just prove everyone right. ”
“Oh, love.” Jojo sighed. “I’m so sorry I said that and that you overheard.” She moved around the table and pulled me into a hug. “You proved me wrong within about five seconds of being open, and I’m so ridiculously proud of you.”
“I’m so sorry, too,” Mamma said, her scent bitter.
“You moved so fast when the shop space became available and I was scared it wouldn’t work out, leaving you crushed.
But in the end, I was the one who made you feel that way.
I should have done better expressing how much confidence I have in everything you do. ”
“Thanks, Mamma.” I sniffed.
“Oh, baby.” She rounded the table, pulled me to my feet, and all of them crowded around me, squishing me in their arms.
“We’re going to do better,” Jojo said, her voice thick. “I promise.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Mamma said.
When we finally broke apart, we were all wiping our tears, which was truly shocking since none of my moms besides Lala ever cried.
“Here, you take these home.” Mom handed me a glass container filled with the rest of the cardamom buns. She was never one for sappy words, but I felt her love in the way she took care of me. “You can share them with your guys if you want,” she added.
I scoffed. “Fat chance. These are mine. But maybe you can make some more when I bring them over.”
She beamed. “You got it.”
More hugs and heaps of reassurance later, I rode away from my moms’ house on the scooter.
The shining sun warmed my skin even as the windy day blew salty ocean air over me.
If I were in an animated movie, this would be the scene where I broke out into song.
My mind was still reeling from how quickly my life had changed.
Everything was falling into perfect place.
There was just one thing left for me to do.