Chapter 19
Parker
“Dude, why does it look like a baby store threw up in your bedroom?” Logan stood in my doorway with a look of utter confusion.
“I figured out the perfect apology gift for Clover,” I said.
It wasn’t just an apology—it was also, hopefully, an olive branch because Logan and Avery had made it painfully clear if I fucked this up for them they’d be pissed.
I needed to make her like me, or at least not think I was a complete incompetent ass.
I’d looked into poppy bouquets, too, but it turned out they lasted such a short time that they were uncommon to use and none of the local florists had any in stock.
“And you thought buying out a baby store was the way to go?” he asked.
“I looked up the best-selling items for kids and got them,” I said proudly.
Logan nodded slowly. “Okay, well, I’m going to leave you to it. She’s here right now, so if this was a surprise, you might want to hide it fast.”
“What do you mean she’s here?”
“Avery took her out for ice cream and brought her back.”
“Please don’t tell me he tried to buy the ice cream shop for her.”
It wasn’t that we couldn’t afford it—but Avery sometimes made rash decisions that led to a lot of financial paperwork for me.
“I guess we’ll find out if we get the bill,” Logan said with a laugh. “Anyway, I’m going out tonight. I tracked down some rare parts for my bike, and I really want to get my hands on them.”
“I thought you weren’t feeling well today? Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“More fatigued than normal, but I’m feeling better at the moment, and I don’t trust anyone else when it comes to my bike.”
“Okay, fair. Good luck,” I called after his retreating form.
I didn’t even have time to move the boxes before a certain blonde-haired omega popped her head around the door.
“What do you want, Parker? Logan said you wanted to talk to me, but honestly, I don’t think you deserve a conversation right now.”
Her scent wafted into my room, filling it with sweet peony. It scratched a primal itch and made my head all kinds of fuzzy and fucked. I wanted it to coat every surface in my room.
Why was logic so difficult to retain when I was dealing with Clover?
“Hi,” I said lamely. “I’m sorry, I just—”
“What’s all this?” Clover nodded at the dozens of packages. When I didn’t respond right away, she raised a questioning eyebrow. “Cat got your tongue?”
“I got some toys for the baby!” I said brightly.
She blinked at me. “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you guys.”
“Tell us what?”
“The baby isn’t mine. He’s my bestie’s, so I’m the cool auntie, not his mom.”
Fuck. Now I looked stupid. “That seems like something you should have made clear.”
“I never told anyone he was mine. You guys apparently assumed, and no one asked. Why would I say something? And if I had known you all thought that, when would I have? I wasn’t going to bring it up while we were doing the horizontal tango or when you were yelling at me.”
I grumbled as I grappled with that being a fair statement. I could salvage this. “Well, regardless, the child is important to you, so the gifts are still for him.”
Clover looked at the brightly colored boxes. “Parker, I hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure that jungle gym is for a toddler. The sapling is only a few months old…”
“Sapling?” I stared at her. What the fuck did a young tree have to do with baby toys? Why hadn’t I checked the age of the child? I had been so excited thinking I had a good idea that I had barreled ahead and bought everything without even thinking.
“That’s what I call him. His actual name is Forest, but that’s too big a name for him, so he’s my little sapling while he’s small. He won’t be able to use that for at least another year, I don’t think. I have to ask, though. Why are you buying Forest gifts?”
“I…” Words failed me for a moment. “I wanted to apologize for my behavior, and this is the best way I know how. I was reactive, and you didn’t deserve my response.
I figured if you love him, then I can’t go wrong with spoiling him.
I don’t know you well enough to get something you’d love, but I couldn’t do nothing.
I got you some ruby chocolate as well, so you’re not completely neglected. ”
“Parker, that’s really fucking cute. I’m sure Forest will love the gifts, and he can grow into the stuff he can’t use yet.” Clover’s eyes scanned the room, landing on the pink chocolate box. “You mentioned chocolate?”
I passed her the shiny box wrapped in pink chrome and she opened it. For a moment, she stared at the contents, like her brain was trying to compute what she was seeing.
Every second she looked felt like a lifetime.
When she started maniacally laughing, I thought I was truly fucked.
“Is this edible glitter?” she asked with a wheeze, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.
“...It felt appropriate.” I shrugged awkwardly.
When I saw the edible glitter at the chocolate shop, I couldn’t resist. It was only right I gave her back a little of what she’d given me.
The problem was, she was laughing so hard that I couldn’t tell if she actually liked the gift or not. Was she offended? Did she think I was pathetic?
“This is amazing!”
My shoulders sagged with relief.
Clover plucked a candy out of the box and shoved it into her mouth, humming with glee as she did. “Glittery and delicious.”
“They seemed very you.”
“Were they the most expensive there?” she asked, cocking her brow.
“Not at all, those were the gold-encrusted chocolates.”
She laughed again and plucked out another sweet. “Want one?”
I’d never tried ruby chocolate before, preferring dark chocolate, but I didn’t want to turn it down and accidentally offend her again.
“Sure.” I reached for it, but Clover’s smile widened and she shook her head, offering the chocolate from her fingertips. I sucked in a breath and bent to eat it from her hand like a fucking dog, trying to ignore the way my heart pounded and my cock stirred.
Clover purred, looking utterly satisfied. “Good boy. It seems you’re learning.”
Good boy.
Those words shouldn’t have affected me, but my fucking god, they did.
“Have you thought about letting me take you out? I assume the answer is no, but…” The words were more pleading than I’d like, but the tone seemed to soften her further. “We can get something Forest can use immediately, and it’s nearing dinner time if you’re still hungry after your ice cream.”
“You probably have something in this mountain he can use right now.”
“Yes, but I want to do this right. You can pick something you know he’d love.”
She considered for a few agonizing seconds, leaving me hanging in a tortuous purgatory. “Only my dessert stomach is full. I suppose I should eat something with a few more nutrients.”
Thank god.
“I’ll call a car service—” I caught the pursing of her lips. “What’s wrong with a service? They’re still trying to get the glitter out of my car, so I can’t drive.”
“But I have a car. You can be my passenger princess.”
My first instinct was to balk, but this was likely a test I’d fail if I did so. “Do I get to wear a crown?”
I preened internally over getting a smile out of her with my question.
“I don’t think we’ll be able to find one that can fit your ego.”
Ouch. I deserved it, but still. “You’d be surprised what you can find when you’re willing to pay for customization.”
Though she rolled her eyes, she still smiled again. “Come on, I’m parked in your driveway. You’re in charge of navigation.”
I frantically hunted down the addresses of some fashionable baby boutiques so I could fulfill my role.
If my pack was going to be obsessed with this woman, then I needed to get to know her and figure out what her true motivations were.
I knew what I thought they were, but the others wouldn’t listen without proof.
Clover would either confirm my suspicions or get started on proving me wrong.
In the meantime, I couldn’t deny that spending time inhaling her maddening peony scent would be a pleasant way to spend an evening.
Settling into her passenger seat, I pushed the chair back to accommodate my legs and admired the sleek beauty of her car.
She didn’t say much as I gave her directions and tried to subtly hold on to the door handle as she glided through traffic.
Clover wasn’t a particularly dangerous driver, but she definitely knew where she wanted to go.
We pulled to a stop in front of a classic baby boutique.
“Parker, this looks bougie as fuck.”
“That’s because it is. Children deserve high-quality items.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again, unable to formulate an argument to my statement. I swept around the vehicle and opened her door, mindful of the traffic. She eyed me curiously but didn’t comment on the action.
“No budget. Buy Forest what you think he’ll enjoy,” I insisted, guiding her into the shop.
She meandered and I followed after we assured the overzealous associate we didn’t need any assistance.
Clover picked up and put down a dozen items. Why wasn’t she looking at the big-ticket items when I was paying?
Granted, I’d purchased a fair number of them entirely unprompted, but there were definitely others I hadn’t acquired yet.
“I think these.” Clover held up a deluxe set of teething items, ranging from cooling options to wood, silicone, and rubber. “Sapling is starting to cut his first teeth, and he’s not a happy camper about it. RIP, Meadow’s titty when they finally come through.”
“I…don’t know what to say about that last part, but the set looks appropriate. Is that all you’re getting?”
“You bought him a whole room of stuff. I need to go through it to see what else he might need, but I think you’ve been plenty generous on outfitting my nephew with baby supplies.”
“What can I get for you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t need anything.”
“But what do you want?”