20. Easton
Chapter 20
Easton
Over the next few days, Grace continues to settle deeper and deeper into our lives.
The day I wake up wondering what she’s made us for breakfast is the day I know I’m in trouble.
None of us would ever expect her to cook for us just because we’re supposedly courting her, but Grace inherited a love of the kitchen from her father, so she makes a big breakfast every morning. We take turns cooking dinner. She also helps around the house and with feeding the animals, and she’s even reading manuals on farm equipment maintenance. The other day, I caught her up in the hayloft shoving hay bales with all her might down to where Jesse waited to catch them.
She doesn’t let her size or the fact that she’s spent years in a city instead of on a ranch stop her. She’s determined to help out, which is incredibly admirable.
But apparently, it also means I’ve gotten damn used to her—and that’s terrifying.
If I get used to having her around, that means that it’ll hurt more when she leaves. I almost forget what it was like to not have her living with us, her scent and little reminders of her seemingly everywhere. Cade was far more right than he realized when he said that this whole idea was dangerous. This might have been a very bad idea, and I’m the fool that talked the other three into it.
Grace is going to go back to New York when this little ‘courtship’ has run its course. When enough time has passed and she can claim that it didn’t work, she can find a way to go to New York and buy herself some time until the ORD comes knocking at her door again. A failed courtship is hard on an Omega or so they say, I’m sure they’ll be gracious enough to give her a bit of space. And Grace will take full advantage.
Smart cookie like her? She probably already has a plan in place. I wouldn’t put it past her.
But that plan doesn’t involve us. We’re playing our part, and when that part is through, she’ll leave us. We probably won’t ever hear from her again, unless we run into her while she’s at her folks’ house for the holidays.
The very idea of it hurts.
I get up and follow the smell of food downstairs. My moping’s made me a little late and the others are already gone when I get there, but I see a plate kept hot for me on the stove.
Grace is in the breakfast nook, a notebook propped up on her knees. She’s scribbling away. She tends to do that in the mornings, after the early chores are completed and she has time before the heavy afternoon ones.
“Thanks,” I tell her, coming over to sit down and eat. “You do this every morning.”
Grace hums. “You’re welcome.”
“Can I ask what you’re writing?” It’s probably a diary.
Grace flushes. “I’m… um… just writing a little something.”
“If it’s your diary then I don’t mean to pry…”
“No, no, it’s fiction,” Grace blurts out. She flushes harder. “I mean. It’s nothing. Just a hobby.”
“Just a hobby? You’re writing something?”
“A little something, yeah.” Grace shrugs. “Just getting back into the habit, I suppose. It’s just something I do for fun on the side.”
“I’m sure whatever you’re writing is amazing.”
Grace blushes again, but she winces a little too. It’s small, but I can’t help but notice. “Everything all right?”
“What? Oh, no, it’s just… um, I’m not used to thinking positively about my writing.”
“You should. I remember the grades you got in high school. You were always so smart and creative. And you work in a publishing company. I’m sure you’re better than you think you are.”
Grace starts to smile but then winces again, and this one is different.
I frown. “What’s wrong? And don’t tell me that was about your insecurities, that looked like pain.”
She blinks at me in surprise, and now I’m the one flushing. Yeah, I can tell what her different winces mean. I can’t help it. I can’t help but pay attention to her.
“I just feel weird. I don’t know what it is. It’s like I’m having period cramps but they come in waves and I’m not bleeding.”
My heart just about stops. I know what those are. They’re pre-heat cramps. She’ll be entering heat soon.
I swallow. “Here, give me your feet.”
Grace gives me a weird look. “My feet?”
“You heard me. Come on, up they get.” I pat my thigh so she knows where to put them.
Grace sighs but takes her feet out of the house slippers she’s wearing and puts them on my thigh. I start to massage them.
Grace’s head falls back against the wall and she moans a little. “ Oh that feels amazing.”
“You’re welcome.” I grin at her. “Look, this might come as a surprise, since it’s your first one. But I think you’re going into heat.”
Grace flushes all over even as she arches her feet into my touch. I wish I could massage her everywhere, turn her into a complete puddle of relaxed goo. Maybe after I’d fucked her and she was already filled with bliss from an orgasm or three—or beforehand, so she she’s pliant and moaning in my hands, primed for my cock.
My cock twitches in my pants and I swallow down the heat building in my chest. This isn’t the time. This is her first heat, she’s going to be uncomfortable and scared. I need to work on making her feel safe, not thinking about the ways I want to give into temptation.
“My heat,” Grace murmurs. She sounds worried.
“You’re going to be okay,” I promise her. “You have those toys Cade got for you, right? Those are all specifically for Omegas. They’ll take care of you, and you can take care of yourself. I know you can. And you won’t be alone. We’ll be there for whatever you need.”
Grace looks at me, and I flush all over again, my cock hardening as I think about the sort of things she’ll need in heat. The sort of things where if she asked me in the clutches of that heat, I don’t know if I’d have the courage to say no to her.
“Anything I need?” Grace asks, her voice hushed.
“Anything.” I swallow hard and just hope she doesn’t ask me to prove it by fucking her. I want to, so badly. I want to right this second. But that would be a terrible idea. I have to remember what Cade said and cling to his words. He knows what he’s talking about.
Grace looks away, flushing again. I focus on taking care of her feet.
There’s a clatter, and the door slams shut, followed by boots. “Hey, Easton, where the hell are you?” Jesse calls.
“In here.”
The other three enter, and I see them stop short and swallow whatever teasing they were going to give me about being lazy when they see what I’m doing.
“What’s up?” Jesse asks, trying for casual and failing.
Grace puts her hand over her eyes, embarrassed. “It’s nothing.”
“Grace is in pre-heat, I think,” I tell them. I know she’s probably feeling a bit uncomfortable but we need to talk about it. This is about her health and wellbeing. It’s not something to be taken lightly. “She’s having cramps. I think the foot massage is helping.”
Jesse nods, snapping into leader mode. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
Grace shakes her head, eyes still covered. “I don’t know. I just feel… ugh. I hate how I’m feeling. It doesn’t make sense, any of it.”
“Well, tell us, so we can help you make it make sense.”
Grace drops her hand from her eyes and bites her lip. “I’m… I want to build a nest .”
We all stare at her. Nesting is Omega Basics 101. When Omegas go into heat, they build a nest, full of soft things in the colors and styles they like, and often filled with little personal touches like the clothes of their Alphas, or maybe a blanket made by someone they love. It helps them feel safe as they go through the heat process.
Some Omegas have a nest all the time, regardless of if they’re in heat or not. Some rebuild a nest every heat. Others make their nest the first time and then just leave it when they’re not in heat, cleaning it out and retouching it when the time comes.
“Well,” Jesse says, sounding a bit confused, “if you’d like to build a nest, you’re more than welcome to do it. Don’t let us stop you.”
“I don’t want to build a nest,” Grace grits out. “I mean—I want to. But I don’t want to want to. It’s ridiculous.”
We all glance at each other. “Grace,” I say slowly, carefully, “there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be comfortable, or to feel safe. That’s what nests are supposed to do. In fact sometimes the things that make us feel comfortable and safe don’t make sense, logically. We all have things like lucky charms we carry around. Or you feel like if you’re at your parents’ house you won’t get burgled, even though it’s not more or less likely that you have a burglar at your place or theirs. You feel safer because it’s your parents, or because you have that silly little charm. Nesting’s just another version of that.”
“It’s something Omegas do,” Grace points out. She sounds miserable. “I don’t want to be a slave to my Omega instincts.”
“Well, fighting them is only making you unhappy. What’s wrong with doing what makes you comfortable and happy?”
“Heat won’t be fun,” Jesse says bluntly. “Make it easier on yourself.”
Grace cracks an eye open to glare at him and I half expect her to snap that if we would just fuck her already the heat would sure be a lot more fun and a lot easier, but she doesn’t start that argument all over again, thank goodness. She closes her eyes again and groans. I want to hold her close and kiss the top of her head and rock her until she feels better.
But that’s not an option, so instead I murmur, “Please, Grace?”
Grace sighs. “Fine.”
“Great,” Hendrix says, clapping his hands together with a grin. “You know what that means.”
“Cramps?” Grace mutters.
“Food cravings?” Jesse asks sardonically.
“More foot massages?” I ask, digging my knuckle into the arch of Grace’s heel and making her moan.
Fuck, I want to make her moan like that every day. I want to make her moan like that on my cock. Judging by the way Hendrix flushes, Cade looks away, and Jesse looks even more annoyed, I’m not the only one.
“It means a shopping trip,” Hendrix declares. “We need to make sure you get exactly what you want and need for your nest, darlin’.”
“Only the best for a princess,” I remind her.
“I’m not a princess,” Grace mumbles crankily.
She’s fucking adorable. “Come on.” I gently pat her ankle. “Up and at ’em. You’ll have fun.”
Grace doesn’t look like she thinks she’ll have all that much fun, but she does as she’s told and gets up.
There are specialty stores that deal in Omega supplies for things like nesting material, but the closest one is pretty far away, and Omegas can be eclectic, collecting items from all sorts of places.
We start at a baby supply store and get some flannel blankets. One of them is a lovely blue with daisies on it, and it warms my heart to see Grace rubbing her cheek against it happily. She scowls at herself a minute later, but it’s adorable. I just wish she wouldn’t be so hard on herself for her Omega instincts.
But that’s not my business. It’s hers. Especially since I’m not actually courting her.
From there we go to a home supply store. It’s owned by an older couple and mostly supplies ranchers, but if Grace has a problem with all the cowboy-themed décor, she doesn’t show it. She smiles softly as she walks around, trying to find things that will work.
Even just shopping for the things she needs for her nest is helping her feel better. It warms my heart, and I can’t help but smile at her like a dope as she explores the aisles. I try to school my expression into something more neutral when she looks my way, though. No need for her to see just what a sap I am for her.
Grace turns down an aisle and I lose sight of her for a second, or at least it feels like only a second, I swear it is—and then I hear her say, “Oh,” in a tone that has me wanting to sprint to her.
I hurry around the corner with the others and almost see red when I see the reason for Grace’s exclamation.
It’s the McAllisters.
Travis stands at the front as always, tall and trying to intimidate. He doesn’t look all that pleased to see us. Kyle does, flashing one of his slick smiles, but it’s Kyle’s smiles that you shouldn’t trust.
Leon is in the rear, as usual, silent and hulking. An enforcer who uses fists instead of words, Kyle’s polar opposite. They balance each other out though, make a good team. Good at finding a way to be assholes, anyway.
“Well,” Kyle drawls. “Look who it is.”
“Little Grace Whitmore,” Travis says. “I heard that you were back around town, and with these four of all people. I would’ve thought you had better taste than that.”
“I’m certainly better than all of you,” Grace snaps. She’s shaking with fury. “Wipe those snake charmer smiles off your faces. They don’t fool me and they never have.”
I step up at the same time my three fellow Alphas do, enfolding Grace into our midst protectively. Grace is no wilting flower, that’s for sure, but she’s half the size of these three men and I know none of us would forgive ourselves if we let Grace get hurt by them.
“We’re just doing our shopping, same as you,” I say smoothly, keeping my tone even. “We were just about to go look at a different section.” I put an arm around Grace. “Let’s go.”
Travis looks like he wants to say something, but I usher Grace away before he can. The other three hang back, probably to make sure he doesn’t try to follow, then they rejoin us.
“That was a close call,” Jesse mutters.
I agree. I just want to keep Grace away from them. I’d love to tear the McAllister Alphas a new one, but Grace’s safety is far more important.
As long as she’s okay, I’m okay.