Chapter Ten
Vaughn
At one time, I was scared shitless of all things sourdough. The process. The time. The complexity.
Then I discovered how easy the process was through videos. Goddess bless YouTube.
After nailing the basics, I began to experiment. Today’s try was a cheddar, candied jalapeno loaf and, so far, it smelled incredible. Letting bread cool completely was criminal, but it was nearly there.
Dinner was marinating in the fridge and I’d canned tomatoes that morning. The dishwasher ran, cleaning the utensils and pots and other things I’d used.
I sat on the barstool watching a video of my favorite couple who traveled the world when I heard someone coming up the drive. Poe, if I had to guess. Holt’s truck made a different sound.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Until I heard two doors shut instead of one.
I looked out the window and flipped out at what I saw. Poe, of course, wasn’t surprising, but he was pulling luggage out of the back of the truck. And Katie stood next to the passenger door.
What in the fuck? I meant that in the best way possible.
Rushing to the door, I tried and failed to ignore the nervousness inside me. A little notice would’ve been helpful.
Katie wasn’t some generic guest. I needed time to prep for our omega to come here.
Damn you, Poe.
I flung the door open, pretending I wasn’t a total oaf inside and out. Our omega was here. The reaction was perfectly normal.
“Hey, you two.”
I shot Poe the dirtiest, meanest look I could muster.
“I know,” he muttered. “It happened really fast.”
Good thing I kept the nest room clean. The omega room.
“Katie, welcome.” She neared and climbed the steps to our home. Her eyes were red. She’d been crying. My wolf growled, wanting to kill whoever made our omega sad.
“Thank you, Vaughn. I know this is…”
I swung the door wider. “You are welcome here. We are glad to have you. Are you hungry? I make a mean sandwich.”
Our omega smiled as though she were finally understood. “I’m starving, actually, but I can make it myself.”
Scoffing, I ushered her inside and patted a barstool. “And rob me of the chance to show off my sandwich-making skills. No, ma’am.”
Time to show off for my omega.
A couple minutes later, I slid a plate across the counter to her. A huge sandwich on fresh sourdough stuffed with peppered turkey, gouda cheese, and our fresh heirloom tomatoes with a healthy amount of homemade mayo took up most of the plate. “Lemonade?” I asked as she gawked.
“Yes, please.” One bite. One moan. My wolf preened, his muzzle high in the air. Proud of himself, even though he didn’t do it. I did. “Vaughn, this is incredible.”
“Glad you like it.”
Poe came from down the hall and I made another sandwich for him. Didn’t care if he liked it at all, actually. My omega liked hers. “I put your bags in the…suite.”
The omega suite. That was how this house was built, according to our standards.
“Thank you so much. For taking me in and feeding me. It’s been a rough couple of months.”
She offered no other details, and we didn’t require any. One day, she would feel comfortable with us and trust us enough to tell us her whole story.
The important part was that she trusted us enough to tell Poe what was going on and enough to come here and stay with us.
The rest…details.
When she was done, I washed the plates. “Holt is on duty, but he’s usually home for supper. Do you have a shift tonight? We are happy to bring you over.”
“Not tonight. There was already someone working, and they said it would be slow anyway.”
My heart soared. We had her for the night. “In that case, how about a tour of the house and the gardens. We have chickens, and there are baby chicks. They were born two weeks ago.”
“I’d love that, actually. Can we start now?”
“Of course.”
Poe made an excuse of getting some editing done and went to his office while my wolf and I nearly exploded with glee at some alone time with our omega. What a gift.
I showed her the house, and she commented on how organized everything was. Our home was lived in but clean and tidy.
“That’s Poe’s stereo. He prefers physical media and spends a lot of time curating his collection. Holt is the alpha of our pack and the sheriff as you know.”
“And you?” An innocent question but it stirred up all my trauma. My secret self-loathing.
“I don’t work outside of this house.” I cringed. Most omegas and alphas would think I was weak for being a homemaker. “I garden and keep our home running.” Shrugging, I braced myself for the demeaning comment or outright laughter.
“People underestimate how important it is to be at home and run things. Poe and Holt have weird schedules, I imagine. I’m sure it’s grounding to know that the home is a place of peace and order.
” She rested her hand on my shoulder and leaned over.
“So far, it seems like you’re really good at it too. ”
“Thank you. I do it with love. Let’s go meet the chicks.”
Katie was a natural with the chickens, and I barely tore her away before the sun set. We ate dinner without Holt and, before dessert could be served, Katie yawned.
The omega was tired. Had been since she arrived. I was surprised she’d lasted this long.
“Thank you. That was incredible. Would it be okay if I went to bed? Today has been exhausting.”
“Absolutely. You can do whatever you like here,” Poe said.
“Thank you, and thank you again for taking me in. Good night, both of you.”