Chapter 30
“Sweetheart?” Felix poked his head around the door, his old man glasses pinched on the bridge of his nose, his hair neatly style, and wearing his classic professor looking outfit. “Ah, there you are. Come get dressed. I’m taking us out this morning while Zayden and Jude are at their appointment.”
Appointment.
Sonnet still wasn’t sure what that was code for, but she was slowly coming to believe less that it had anything to do with music.
She didn’t ask questions. It seemed like whatever secret they were keeping was, for the moment, harmless. Besides, she had some of her own.
She got up and got dressed, settling on a long-sleeved knit crop top with vibrant-colored stripes, comfortable white shorts with seashell drawstrings, and white sandals to match.
She tossed her hair into a half-up bun pulled together by an orange scrunchie and then braided the front strands of her hair.
Felix seemed awed, his eyebrows rising slightly in surprise like they did every time he saw her in something new, and a small smile curled his lips. Kai poked around from behind him, looked her up and down, and nodded in approval.
“You’re coming with us?” She asked.
He hadn’t talked to her at all since he came home with Jude yesterday afternoon.
“I need some fresh air.”
“I asked him to,” Felix said, kissing Sonnet on her cheek. “Let’s get into the car. We’re driving a bit out of town.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” Felix had a sparkle in his eyes and winked.
Sonnet sat rigid in the front seat; her eyes glued to the window in excitement as Felix drove out of town and along the coast. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, and everyone seemed to be taking advantage of it.
So many people were out on the beach or parked along the banks of the road beside trails leading into the trees or hills.
Felix kept going until stopping at the bottom of a steep hill where people were walking up and down. At the top, a beautiful white house stood with an old lighthouse beside it.
The three of them followed the other tourists up the walkway, where different guides met people, splitting them into groups and leading them into the old house and lighthouse.
Sonnet walked between both alphas, Felix in front and Kai behind her.
She could tell how much the history of this area made Felix’s eyes twinkle with excitement, and even Kai seemed impressed by some of the lore.
Sonnet was too busy watching their movements; she hardly retained any information at all.
When the tour guide finished, they took the group to a staircase carved into the side of the hill, where different groups of people were allowed down to the rocky coves to tide pool.
“Look at all the starfish!” Sonnet yelled, stumbling onto the rocks before kneeling to look at a little family of five starfish hanging out in one pool with some sea anemones. “Are we allowed to touch them?”
“Not here,” one of the workers said gently, pointing at a sign. “This area is protected by MPAs. One touch can be more harmful than people think. Starfish are extremely delicate, and sea anemones can injure others.”
Kai kneeled down next to her, and they watched two hermit crabs chasing each other before disappearing.
The two of them walked to the next tide pool, and she laughed as they both stared down at a large, colorful sea slug eating away at the algae. “It’s kind of cute. I wonder if it’s slimy like land slugs.”
“You like slugs?” Kai asked.
“I think they’re cute. I like their silly little eyes.”
“Hmm. It does kind of look like you.”
“Hey!” Sonnet playfully nudged Kai’s shoulder. “Well, you’re just like a sea urchin.”
Kai raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
They bickered back and forth before Felix led them back to the car to head back into town for lunch. Felix picked the spot. A cozy little cafe right on the coast, where the tables and chairs were in the sand, and you could take off your shoes.
Sonnet sat crisscrossed on her chair, bumping elbows with Kai as they playfully fought over arm room on the table while they all read through the menu, which was obviously heavily centered on seafood.
“Should we ask for a child’s menu?” Kai teased.
Felix chuckled. “You might like the watermelon feta salad.”
Sonnet scrunched up her nose. “I’ve never agreed with fruit being in a salad. But the quinoa salad sounds delicious.”
“Boring! I’m getting the shrimp skewers and some chips with mango salsa tacos.” Kai smiled. Like, an actual, genuine, happy smile that made Sonnet want to take out her phone to capture the moment as evidence. He rubbed his stomach and sighed. “This is going to be so good.”
“Hasn’t my cooking been good enough?”
Felix and Kai both bickered back and forth, and Sonnet couldn’t help but swoon a little.
It did something to her and her omega watching her alphas act like a true, connected pack.
She had hardly seen Felix and Kai interact, so this felt nice and calm, a picture of her future with them.
Felix acted like an older brother, trying to correct Kai’s behavior in teasing ways, while Kai was quick-witted and even quicker to insult him.
Sonnet jumped as something fluffy rubbed against her knees. She looked down and immediately melted.
“Oh, my goodness. Who are you?”
“Sorry!” a woman shouted, racing forward to recapture the most adorable golden retriever puppy. “He got away from me.”
“Don’t apologize,” Sonnet laughed just as the puppy climbed into her lap. “What’s his name?”
The woman, who looked completely exasperated, gave an awkward smile. “No name. His adoptive family were supposed to name him, but, well, I made the trip all the way down here and now they don’t want him.”
Who the heck wouldn’t want this puppy?
Sonnet shook her head and held the puppy a bit closer. His tail thumped against her legs, his face resting in the crook of her arm as he made little sounds to Kai. Kai went from a bad boy to a child in a candy store in an instant.
Felix frowned. “How long was your trip?”
“Four hours,” the woman sighed. “He was the last puppy in our litter. The runt, and the most trouble. I thought he was going to go to a good home. I don’t know what happened, or why his owners pulled out at the last minute.”
“Can we keep him?” Sonnet and Kai asked at the same time.
Felix glared at them playfully and shook his head. “I don’t think this lady—”
“Actually, that would help me out. I don’t have much room for him. And he’s already paid for, technically.”
“Oh, for the love of…” Felix groaned and wiped his hand over his face.
Sonnet couldn’t help it. She squealed excitedly. “Really? We could take him home?”
The woman laughed. “You guys seem kind enough.”
“Oh, we are,” Kai said, stealing the puppy from Sonnet. “We have a huge backyard and all the money in the world to spoil him rotten.”
“Well,” the woman smiled warmly, almost relieved. “I believe it. You guys seem like a really special pack. I can tell there’s a lot of love.”
Love.
Sonnet could feel it. Each day, it seemed to grow stronger, and somewhere inside her was a flicker of hope that it would stay. If they adopted a puppy together, wouldn’t that mean they had to stay together?
I think I want to stay with them.
Sonnet met Kai’s gaze. “Yeah. We are a special pack.”