Chapter 52
Oh my gosh, he’s here!
No shit, Sherlock. He works here.
But still, I missed him.
The big dork.
Fuck, I sound like a fangirl, don’t I?
Shit, it’s ok.
He can’t hear me…
Can he? I mean, he’s grinning like an idiot.
Crap on a cracker, am I talking out loud?
I look over at Greg, who followed Moose out of the men’s locker area, and he just has a pleasant little smile going on.
So no, none of that was verbal. Maybe the big guy is just as happy to see me as I am to see him.
I should probably say something so I’m not just standing here like an idiot. “Um…Hi.”
Fuck me sideways with a spoon.
What the actual fuck.
If anything, he grins wider at my lack of eloquence, but he doesn’t seem to be any better at talking since he just replies with a shy little wave and a rising blush. Holy shit, he’s adorable…well, as adorable as anybody that size can be.
What the fucking hell is wrong with me.
Pull your shit together, girl.
“So, um…how’s the nest coming along?” No.
Shit, I don’t want him to think I’m only interested in his nest…
fuck. I mean, I’m interested in it…sort of.
I don’t fucking know. But he was enthusiastic about it, so I want to be supportive.
Jesus fucking Christ on a goddamned rubber crutch, I’ve never had a hard time just talking to people, not about serious shit, but small talk.
What the absolute hell is wrong with me today? Open mouth insert foot, apparently.
He blushes harder, not meeting my eyes. His voice is quiet when he responds.
“Oh, I wanted to talk about that. I think it’s finished.
Or just about finished. I hope…I mean…I still have to put in the stars, and I was thinking about doing constellations.
But I don’t know…they look different depending on where you are, and I was gonna put them in from here, but then again, they also change with the seasons and I’m probably just being indecisive…
so I don’t know if you want to have any input.
Obviously the beach looks different where you’re from instead of where we used to visit in the gulf…
And there aren’t any beaches around here, so it might not make sense to put the constellations from here…
but if you were gonna have a nest like this, and I’m not trying to put any pressure on you ’cause I know we just met, but…
Which ones do you think I should put up?
Unless you don’t have an opinion and you think I’m just being weird. Please don’t be weirded out.”
A voice at my shoulder makes me jump and almost run headfirst into the big alpha.
“Wow, I’ve never heard Spence say that many words at once, or sound as flustered.
You ok there, guy?” I spin on my heel to see Kelly standing behind me, watching us both with a little smile.
A stab of jealousy goes through me when Spencer looks at her and returns her smile, but her next words aren’t for me.
“Since Hope got kicked out, you don’t have anything on the schedule for the next hour.
If you could just make the rounds and see if anybody needs anything, that would be super helpful.
I’m fighting with Steve over new mats and trying not to throttle him.
Seriously, he only wants to disagree because it’s me. ”
Spencer chuckles quietly as she walks away, still grumbling to herself, but then he’s smiling at me again.
“I know they aren’t related, but those two fight worse than me and any of my sisters.
Even Kay, who always gets mad that I won’t get pedicures with her.
” He shakes his head back and forth. “I’ll go with her to the mall, and she knows all about skin care and beauty stuff, but a lot of things just aren’t made for somebody my size.
Like those tiny chairs at the salon she likes or the foot tubs when she asks me to go get our nails done.
Though I have to say the mint green polish did look good on me.
” He has a huge grin on his face and a faraway look in his eyes when he talks about any of his sisters, and it’s so stinkin’ cute.
I want to throttle him for being adorable.
He’s fucking huge; he’s not supposed to be adorable.
He’s supposed to be a big asshole meathead, a gym-bro.
An alphahole! But no, he has to be a fucking cinnamon roll…
I love cinnamon rolls. Though carbs are not my friend.
He seems to shake himself back to reality, focusing on me and Greg.
“Sarah, you don’t look like you need any help with working out.
Do you need anything, Greg? A spotter, or anything?
I’m getting paid to be here, so I should work, but that way I could also spend time with you and get to know you…
unless you don’t want that. Oh, shit…er…
shoot. I shouldn’t say shit at work. Fuck…
um…I can not talk to you if you don’t want me to. ”
I put the poor alpha out of his misery before he spirals.
“No, that would be great, actually. I’ve been trying to get Greg on a good routine, but I suck at teaching.
So any help you want to offer would be very much appreciated.
He’s already strong, but he likes to go to the gym with me, and it would be nice if he had something to do while I was lifting.
” I look at my beta and he’s waving his hand back and forth in a so-so gesture while grinning at me, so I smack him in the stomach.
“You ass! You know you love to see me in yoga pants.”
He stops for a moment, as if deep in thought.
“Ok, yeah. No, that’s a fair point. I do love you in spandex…
I love you out of spandex too, but not around other people.
” He waggles his eyebrows at me playfully.
Moose is watching us banter back and forth, a soft smile on his face, and it makes me want to hug him.
Not for doing anything out of the ordinary, he just looks like he could use a hug.
Also, I have this insane urge to climb him and sit on his shoulders.
It must be awesome to be that tall. I bet he’s fun to go shopping with; I wouldn’t have to climb the damned shelves to get stuff off the top.