Chapter Fifty-One
Jett
Itook the cardboard container of baby chickens out of my convertible. Yeah, that wasn’t a sentence that I ever thought I’d say. Going inside, I put it on the kitchen table, then got everything else Grace bought at the feed store.
The little chicks made little cheep cheep noises. It felt mean to keep them in the box. Also, Brennan was occupied, probably with Grace.
I mean, as he should be. His realization today that he really wanted to be with her now, not someday, was big.
Not to mention, I’d stayed at the restaurant long enough to see him in the sidecar and took some pictures. His leaving work to go on an adventure with her in the sidecar was the epitome of an alpha wanting to make someone they loved happy… and told me everything that I needed to know.
Getting an old end table out of the basement, I made space in the kitchen for it.
Following the directions from the guy at the feed store, I got the little chicken TV ready.
Okay, it was called something else, but that little see-through temporary home for them was going to be a chicken TV for every cat and hawk in the neighborhood.
By the time the baby chicks were settled in their little house, with food, bedding, water, and the lamp, I could feel that Grace and Brennan had finished.
I cleaned up and put the rest of the food and bedding on the bottom shelf of the small table.
Yeah. That looked nice. Especially with the two omega lilies we now had.
I liked the idea that we were adding pets. Also, I’d been serious about the bunny army. Brennan liked bunnies, too.
The door opened from the garage, and Evan came in.
“Um, we have tiny chickens?” Evan took off his shoes.
“Grace kidnapped Brennan, and they got chickens.” I knew Brennan would be fine with her. I’d only checked on them today because I wanted to make sure that she was okay, and his temper wasn’t getting the best of him.
Okay, that and Cam thought it was hysterical and said if I didn’t go that she was going to find them and pull them over for funsies because she wanted to see Brennan in a sidecar.
It was also sweet that Grace had let me know she was absconding with him. My one regret was not ordering some food at that restaurant because it smelled amazing.
Evan put an arm around me. “Grace texted me that she was going to take him to lunch. I wasn’t sure he’d go with her.”
“He was taking the afternoon off anyway because of the press conference. Also, he admitted to me that he really likes her and wants to mate with her.” I kissed Evan.
“Finally. Mmmm. I want to watch that.” He grinned. “You’re next?”
“I’m already hers. I don’t need anything.” Okay, more dates. I should probably start advocating for more alone time with her.
Evan’s head tilted. “Those chickens are tiny and fuzzy.”
“That’s why they’re in the chicken TV. I think they need feathers before they go into the coop.
Which we don’t have yet. Hey, should we go find Bren and Grace?
She told me that she was only kidnapping him until dinnertime.
” I got contentment through the bond with my husband.
It was probably a good time to find them.
“Wait, kidnapping?” Evan laughed.
I told him about it as we went up the stairs. They weren’t in our room. He went to her room? Yeah, Brennan’s inner-alpha was over-the-moon in love with her.
“What are we doing for dinner?” I asked.
“Riley’s going to Hiro’s. Spencer and Wes have work. I’d planned on trying to make Brennan’s day better,” Evan said.
“You still could.” Maybe I could take Grace out, or at least we could go pick something up for everyone.
“Why is there a sock on the doorknob?” My eyebrows rose.
“I don’t know. Let’s go through my room.” Evan took my hand, and we went into the bathroom.
The closed door between their rooms also had a sock on it. I didn’t understand the socks.
I knocked on the door and opened it, taking off the sock. “Kidnapping’s over.”
Brennan and Grace were cuddled together on her little daybed. There was a water bottle, a teacup, and some massage oil on the nightstand. I could smell the lavender oil mixed in with the scents of them and their lovemaking. Her neck and shoulders were covered in love bites and hickeys.
My husband took up most of the bed which wasn’t meant for alpha sleepovers. He looked so fucking cute wrapped up in the pink sheets.
Grace gave me a look. “Um, there’s a sock on the door.”
“I know.” I held it up. “Why?”
“Oooh, there’s a boy in your room,” Evan teased.
“Well, yeah, that’s what the sock means, Do not disturb, I’m entertaining. Is that not what you do in the dorms here?” She made no move to get up from her Brennan pillow.
“Oh, that’s what that means. We just used the underwear of the person we were fucking,” Brennan replied.
Evan thought for a moment. “In the military we put a condom on the doorknob, or a rubber band.”
I looked at everyone in horror. “What? Why didn’t your dorms use the light system? We literally had lights by each door, and there was a panel inside where you could change the colors to indicate if you were at home, asleep, in class, studying, busy…”
Okay, I’d seen the underwear on the doorknob a few times when we’d gone to parties at Rock State. But I thought that was just something stolen from the movies and they were being funny. People really did that?
And a condom? I mean, the red light could theoretically mean a lot more than, Don’t come in, we’re fucking, but there was no doubt what a condom on the doorknob meant.
“Yeah, you went to the nerd university.” Evan laughed, going all the way in.
“The light system is a good idea. You can come in,” Grace added.
I came over to the bed. “I installed your chicken TV. The cats are going to sit in the window and watch them like they’re the new hit show.”
Grace laughed. “I love it.”
“It’s just us four for dinner, what should we do?” Evan waggled his eyebrows and eyed them suggestively.
“It’s Tuesday.” Grace looked at me. “Will you take me to Cam’s class, and then we can get noodles?"
I felt a little pout through the bond, because obviously Evan was suggesting a sex party for dinner. But I liked the idea that she’d rather the two of us do something together.
“Of course, Peaches. Though you don’t need me to take you.
You have a membership and a car. But…” I recalled my earlier thought about wanting to spend more time with her.
“If you’d like to, maybe we can make it a regular thing that we do together?
I’d really like that.” Reaching out, I stroked her hair with my hands.
She beamed. “You and noodles every week? Amazing.”
“Um, can we get noodles too?” Evan asked.
Grace thought for a moment. “Sometimes. But only if it’s okay with Jett.”
“Yeah. I mean, you wanted to spend a little time with Brennan anyway, so you can just meet us at the noodle shop tonight after you’re finished?” I suggested.
“You want some time with me, Love?” Brennan held out his hand.
“I was going to come home and make you feel better. Peaches beat me to it.” Evan grinned.
“You can still make him feel better.” Grace laughed.
I looked at the clock on the nightstand. “If we’re going, we should get dressed.”
“Okay.” Grace kissed Brennan and rolled out of bed.
I kissed him, too, then went to our room to change and get my stuff.
A moment later, Brennan came in, smelling of sex and peaches, still completely naked, clothes in his arms. Putting his clothes down, he hugged me to him.
“Hi, Dear.” He kissed me.
“How was your day, Honey?” I asked.
“Ugh.” With a sigh he filled me in.
Outrage filled me. The Queen Mum did what?
“I’m sorry that happened. Did you have fun being kidnapped? Do I need to look you over and make sure that Grace treated you well?” I teased as I pulled on sweatpants.
“She was a very good captor. We had a great time. Thanks for getting the chickens. I… I’d like to bond with her soon at some point. Are you okay with that?” he asked.
I pulled on a t-shirt. “I told you I am. I’m surprised that you didn’t do it this afternoon. You already told me at the restaurant."
Brennan gave me a look of horror. “And not talk to you about it properly first?”
“Go right ahead.” I sat on the bed so that I could put on my socks.
“Would you like to be there? I have no issues with that.” He sat down on the bed with me.
Much of everything with Evan had been together because it was really important to Brennan that I felt included in the process.
Which came in handy when I needed to take over planning courting gifts and dates when Brennan had problems with being subtle and figuring out what really delighted Evan because Caroline had loved everything with a high price tag that looked good on her socials.
Fortunately, he quickly figured out how to be more observant.
Leaning over, I kissed him. “If it works for the moment, I’d love that. But don’t not bite her in the perfect moment just because I’m not there. I think Evan wants to watch.”
“Of course he does.” Brennan smirked.
“As for tonight… I get my first weekly date with Grace.”
“You must really like her to agree to take Cam’s class weekly,” he teased.
“You got in her sidecar. We’re all hers.” I smirked.
“Well, yeah.” Evan came in.
I tugged him to me and kissed him. “Don’t be mad that she wanted to spend time with me, Baby.”
“Mmmm, only if Brennan makes it all better.” Giving his alpha a cheeky grin, he kissed him.
“Always.” Brennan wrapped his arms around Evan. “Are you okay if I court her a little and bond with her at some point?”
“Um, yeah. I want to watch. So… I meant that about wanting to make you feel better.”
“Yeah, warn Grace, please,” I told him. Tying Evan to the bed in the playroom always made Brennan feel better.
Brennan’s look went serious. “Of course.”
“Can we still join you for noodles? If we’re done in time?” Evan gave us a sly look.
“I don’t have a problem with it.” I got my stuff and headed downstairs. Brennan, wearing only shorts, followed me.
“Is that a cat in the window?” Brennan asked, gazing at the window that looked out onto the patio.
I turned but didn’t see one. Brennan probably startled him.
“That’s going to be entertainment for the neighborhood cats,” I replied.
Grace stood in the kitchen with her things, holding a water bottle, watching the chickens. She wore leggings and a T-shirt and was eating an apple.
“Thanks for setting them up.” She gave me a kiss.
I smirked as I realized she was wearing one of my shirts.
“Grace, Evan and I might be a bit much for you while you’re in class, so you want to keep things locked down, okay?” Brennan stroked her face. “Jett will hug you tight if you need him to. He gives great hugs.”
“Thanks.” She buried her face in his bare chest.
“And then we’re getting noodles.” Evan joined us and picked her up and spun her around. “Is that Jett’s shirt?”
Grace gave him a look. “Laundry tax. If I do your laundry, I might steal your clothes.”
“I think you do laundry to steal clothes.” Evan gave her a kiss. “Are you going to ride with Jett to class? Because if you are, maybe you can ride back with me. I feel like I don’t get enough of you on my motorcycle with me.”
“Well, I was thinking about letting Jett have a turn in the sidecar, but okay.” Grace finished her apple and tossed the core in the food scrap bin.
He turned to me and gave me a kiss. “Have fun.”
“We will.”
Grace and I put on our shoes and went into the garage. Grabbing our helmets, we went over to my motorcycle.
“This is okay?” I asked.
“Absolutely.”
We put on our helmets and drove to my boxing gym.
“I hope you don’t mind that I wanted to go to class with you,” she said over the coms in our helmets.
“Honestly, I adore that you’d rather do something with me than have a sex party,” I shared.
She snorted. “That was an option? Both Spencer and Riley really want me to play tennis doubles with them, and during my tennis lessons I realized that I need more cardio in my life.”
“Extra cardio is seldom a bad thing. Yeah, Evan was sort of silently suggesting that for dinner. But he’s with Bren, it’s fine. And, well, I want to spend more time with you,” I admitted.
“Me, too. I don't want you to feel left out just because you don’t literally carry me off when you want my attention. If you don’t actually want to take the class, we can just work out. All I want is to spend some time with only you,” she said.
That meant everything. “Same. Though I can carry you off if you want me to.”
She giggled. “I’m fine with it.”
“I’m glad Bren finally realized that he’s courting you. It’s been really fun watching you two like you’re at a middle school dance,” I laughed.
Marti grinned at us from the desk when we went inside. “Cam’s here. So, are you taking her class?”
“We are. I love Cam’s class.” Grace beamed at her as we signed in.
And I loved her.
“I still think we should train her for Omega League. Maybe weapons division? They’re always needing enough omegas for the competitions to count,” Marti told her.
“Weapons? Like swords?” Grace perked.
“There’s a few weapons to choose from; you should watch some videos,” she suggested to Grace.
“That sounds fun.”
Huh. Grace in weapons division. Though her competing in Omega League would be nice. They usually were part of the same competitions as my league. She could come with me.
When we came out of the locker room, we found people already getting ready. Cam included.
“Hi, Cam!” Grace waved.
Cam waved back. “Grace, did you kidnap Jett this time? Please tell me that he rode in the sidecar?”
“No, we just took his motorcycle.” Grace stretched.
I enjoyed her arms being around me.
Class started, and it was obvious that Grace was having fun. I felt Bren and Evan and kept looking over at Grace to make sure she was okay.
We took a quick water break. I wrapped her in my arms. “Are you doing okay?”
“I’m okay, thank you.” She leaned her head on me.
We finished class. Afterwards, she laid down like a starfish. “Excellent class, I’m beat.”
I stretched and checked my phone.
Brennan
Running late, but we’ll be there.
“Want to work on a few things? Bren and Evan are running late.” I helped her up off the floor.
“Okay.” She shrugged.
We went through a few things in the main gym. I checked their location, and they still hadn’t left.
“Can we get the fruit candy on sticks while we’re waiting?” she asked.
“Sure.”
I let them know, and we left the gym and took off for the outdoor market.
I parked by the noodle place, and we walked over to the vendor and bought them.
Checking my phone, I saw they were almost here.
I got one for Evan since he liked them, too.
Brennan didn’t like the candy coating, so I got him a plain one.
Tucking Grace under my arm, we walked toward the noodle shop. Yeah, this was nice, and I was happy we’d get to do this every week.