Chapter 25
LEVON
It’s Valentine’s Day, and a day I tend to forget. It’s a fabricated holiday, right?
Even if it is, I’m dragging my pack to the largest nest store in Nashville while Caelia has brunch with her best friend.
“I wish there was enough room in there to hang a swing from,” Santo grumbles about the space for her nest.
Miles glances at him as we walk into the store, attempting to follow his thought process.
“Like a sex swing?” he asks, confused.
Santo snorts, shrugging. Apparently, we all have sex on the mind.
“I wasn’t specifically going in that direction,” he drawls, ignoring the women we pass who glance curiously at us. “I was doing some video searches for nests online, and came across sensory swings. It kind of blocks everything else out.”
“Depending on the size, I bet we could hang one at the entrance because that’s before the ceiling begins to slope down,” Miles grunts.
“The realtor who sold me the house told me that that space would work for a nest, but since I bought it a little over three years ago, I didn’t think much of it at the time. ”
“You bought a house with a pack bedroom, and didn’t think of it?” I ask incredulously.
“Meh, it was pretty and I vibed with the house,” Miles says, hiding a smile.
I bet he knows exactly how ridiculous that sounds.
“I cannot,” I mutter. “Alright, we have a favorite color scheme other than ‘black’, correct?”
“Yes,” Santo says. “Sage green, navy blue, and burnt orange. I asked her at lunch the other day when I took her out. I think black is her relatively safe color because it either doesn’t attract attention or makes people avoid her.”
“She definitely attracts my attention no matter what she’s wearing,” I say, heading in the direction of bedding. It’s all set up by colors, making it easier to find things.
“You mean the tiny skirt she came out with this morning?” Santo snorts.
“I may have forced some of the rookies to go have breakfast at the restaurant Caelia is at,” Miles admits. “I’m not sorry and I was very scary about it in my call.”
“I didn’t think you had that in you,” I laugh. “The skirt covers her ass. It wasn’t that tiny. Now, the red crop top she had on?”
“The one that says ‘don’t be a dick’?” Miles asks. “It was very festive.”
Choking on my laughter, I nod. “I’m very excited to remove it with my teeth.”
“The fishnet stockings were cute with the skull and hearts,” Santo admits. “She may have started this in an effort to hide, but the style suits her.”
“It does,” I agree. “I want to incorporate that with some snarky pillows that reflect her humor.”
“Let me go hit the pillow section to see if they have any here,” Miles suggests.
Working together, we find bedding, a mattress, a pallet for the mattress, a little book shelf, and more.
“They have swings!” Santo hisses, spotting them. I have to say, this is a lot of fun.
None of us get this excited shopping for ourselves.
“Alright,” I smirk. “Let’s get one. Who the hell is going to hang it?”
“I will,” Miles says beside me. “This may be a surprise to you, but I also built the outdoor kitchen in my house too.”
“No way,” I say, looking at the different colors of sensory swing fabric. “I’m impressed. It’s quite the setup you created.”
“Eh, maybe somewhere in my mind, I thought a pack would happen for me one day.”
“I don’t think any of us were looking for one, but good things happen,” I agree. That’s what this pack, Santo, and Caelia are for me. Good fucking things.
“Has anyone seen Caelia’s drawings, other than me?” Santo asks, pointing out a deep blue swing.
“I noticed that she’s been doodling, but she never lets me see it,” Miles says.
“She’s really fucking good,” Santo says. “She drew you at the last practice, Levon.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Mmhmm. I think she should pour into that because it’s raw talent,” Santo says.
“Maybe we should buy some art supplies,” Miles muses. “I need to go track someone down about what’s good.”
This nesting store has anything an omega could want. Miles even found pillows that have the sayings we wanted. While he takes off, I grab the swing that Santo picked out, along with the harness to hang it up.
“Do we want anything else?” I ask.
“The main walls of her nest are kind of plain,” Santo says, leading me toward the paint and wallpaper area. “The nest light is also really bright…”
We went over every inch of the nest space to make sure everything fits well since we don’t have much time before she comes home. Hopefully, her friend keeps her chatting for a while.
I head toward the light section to make sure we don’t need something other than the twinkle lights we grabbed, and find a skull lamp I can outfit with a low watt lightbulb.
Santo isn’t anywhere near the area I left him at with the cart when I return, and I look around the huge store. I could text him, or continue to browse until I’m found by Santo or Miles.
Since I don’t often get to spoil my girl, I decide to keep walking through the store, making sure to snag a basket to place the lamp into. I’m rooting through an aisle that has chandeliers hung up throughout it, when I overhear two women near me chatting.
“Is that Levon Phillips next to us?” one of them asks. My lips twitch in amusement because I’m recognized often. It doesn’t really bother me.
“It is. I didn’t know he had an omega,” the woman beside her says. “I thought it would be a little more public. I heard he was with a man. Doesn’t that mean he’s gay?”
Rolling my eyes, I begin to tune them out. If Santo gets his feelings hurt because he ends up overhearing them and they’re being shitty, then I’ll step in. Right now, they’re just curious, and that’s part of being a professional hockey player.
Everyone wants to know about your life, have a piece of you, and I just want to beat the shit out of people on the ice. These people don’t know me, even if they think they’re owed a piece of who I am. So, I largely ignore them.
“This one,” I murmur, gazing at a pretty chandelier that’s completely black and with candelabra for lighting.
“Can I help you with anything, Alpha?” a floor saleswoman asks.
“I need this chandelier, please,” I say politely, pointing at it.
“I’ll have one brought out from the back for you,” she says. “I’ll also put your name on it so you can pick it up from customer service once you’re ready to check out.”
“Wonderful,” I commend. “Can you put it under Pack Diaz, please?”
The woman nods with a smile and scurries off, and I continue to look for my pack.
“Maybe he has a male omega,” the woman in the next aisle continues to gossip. Ooh, they’re going to make me lose my temper. I thought they’d finally moved on.
“Do you think he’s hiding something from the public?” her friend hisses.
“Ladies,” I purr, stepping into the aisle they’re in. Fuck it, Miles and Santo can come find me.
“Oh, hi!” the younger woman exclaims. “I’m Suzy, and I just love you. Can I ask why you’re here?”
“I am shopping for a nest to surprise my omega,” I state. “My very female omega.”
Maybe I’m being a jerk, but their startled eyes and blush of embarrassment is something I need. They don’t live in a bubble, and people can fucking hear them.
“Oh, I suppose that I was under the impression that you liked men,” Suzy says slowly.
“I can understand how that could happen, since I’m openly in a relationship with a man,” I say. “However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it excludes my ability to be scent matched to a female omega as well.”
“So you didn’t choose that relationship,” Suzy says obstinately. “Fate doesn’t give you a choice.”
“I choose not to reject her,” I counter. “There’s always a choice. My omega is one of the best people I know, alongside the men in my pack. Don’t believe everything the world tells you. You can say no at any point, to anything.”
Suzy looks stricken, and I know that she finally understands my words.
“Suzy,” the woman beside her murmurs.
“No, he’s right,” Suzy says. “I’m rejecting Tommy.”
Oh shit. What did I just do?
“Suzy, your parents will be pissed if you do that,” her friend reminds her.
Looking closer, I see that Suzy is younger than I originally would have pegged her. It’s the sadness in them. There’s something she’s deeply unhappy about.
“I’m nineteen about to play house with a man who disgusts me,” Suzy complains. “I’d rather sleep on a park bench than marry him.”
She stomps away as the other woman glares at me.
“I’m going to be in so much trouble with her mother,” the woman grumbles. “This is all your fault!”
“You’re welcome!” I call after them, at a loss of what else to do.
“Are you getting into trouble?” Santo asks, finding me as he takes in the scene.
“They were talking shit about my sexuality, and while I usually brush it off, I chose violence today,” I explain, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. “I can’t be left alone.”
“Clearly not, Menace,” he chuckles. “I get the feeling that girl is probably better off. Nashville parents have a penchant for matchmaking, and not the way that Marilyn does it.”
“So forced marriages?” I ask, letting him lead me across the store.
“Pretty much,” he grunts. “I think she’s much better off finding her own way. We may be older than Caelia, but she doesn’t seem to care about our ages.”
“Agreed,” I murmur. “I think my biggest issue with Suzy and her little friend is the fact that she told me that since we’re fated to Caelia, we have no choice in the matter.”
“That’s not true,” Santo groans. “Metiches. They shouldn’t have stuck their nose where it doesn’t belong if they didn’t want your life advice.”
“I don't think what I deliver is life advice,” I laugh. “It’s more karmic fuck around and find out vibes.”
“Well, that fire she landed herself in is saving her life. I’m calling it your good deed for the day,” Santo says stubbornly. “Let's go pay for all of this, surprise our girl with her new nest, and then give her lots of orgasms.”
“What about our dinner surprise?” I remind him.
“Plenty of time in the day for that and orgasms,” Santo mutters.
“You’re right, but we have to swing by customer service for the chandelier, and I need to return the lamp,” I explain.
“I leave you for two seconds, and you find a chandelier,” he says, shaking his head as he peers at the lamp. “Keep the lamp. We'll get her both.”
Fuck yes. I think I like shopping with my pack. We’re all so focused on spoiling her that none of us care about the price tag. She deserves the world, and while it’s not all about money, it certainly helps.