Chapter 36
THIRTY-SIX
charlie
“Shotgun!” Willa yells, lunging for the passenger door before Jake can beat her to it.
I grin, unlocking the doors. I’d texted her last night to make sure she’d be ready early, knowing we’d had this planned.
Willa buckles herself in. Beau slides into the back seat next to Jake, somehow managing to look dignified despite having to fold his massive frame into the smaller space.
He catches my eye in the rearview mirror, and I see the amusement there even through his neutral expression.
Next to him, Jake wears the most petulant look I've ever seen on a man. It’s way too funny not to tease him about it.
“You look ridiculous back there,” Willa says, twisting to look at him. “Like a giant sulking puppy.”
“I’m not sulking,” Jake mutters.
That’s definitely a pout,” I say, starting the engine.
“I don’t pout,” Jake says defiantly, crossing his arms in a very pout-esque manner.
“You’re pouting right now,” Beau points out.
“I’m expressing discontent through facial expressions.”
Willa laughs, bright and genuine. The sound fills the cab. “I haven’t gotten to sit next to Charlie yet,” she says as I pull out of the driveway and head toward the highway, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the center console. I’m itching to place it on her thigh.
“So are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks, watching Muddy Creek give way to open highway.
“Nope.”
“Charlie.”
“Wills, patience.” I glance at her, grinning. God, she’s beautiful. And I do slip my hand onto her thigh.
“We’ve noticed,” Beau says dryly from the back.
She twists to look at him, and I catch the way she chews on her bottom lip with her indignation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Jake says, leaning forward, “that you’re terrible at waiting for surprises. You always have been.”
His chin is practically on her shoulder now, and I see her fight the urge to lean back into him. She’s getting more comfortable with us, with touch, with letting herself want.
“I’m great at waiting,” she protests.
“You opened all your Christmas presents early when you were eight,” I say, the memory surfacing easily.
“How do you even know that?”
“Caleb told me. Said you rewrapped them so perfectly your dad never knew.”
Her face flushes, and I want to kiss every red splotch. But I keep driving.
“That was one time.”
“You also tried to break into the coach’s office to see the roster for the softball team after tryouts,” Jake adds.
“I was being proactive!”
“You got caught and had to run laps for a week,” I remind her.
“Okay, so maybe I’m not great at waiting for surprises,” she admits. “But in my defense, surprises make me anxious.”
“This is a good surprise,” I say quietly. “Promise.”
“Okay,” she says. “I trust you.”
“Good girl,” I murmur. I give her thigh a hard squeeze and bring my hand a little bit higher. Her scent spikes sweeter, more intense.
From the back seat, Jake groans. “Charlie, if you’re going to do that, warn a guy.”
“Do what?” I ask, keeping my voice innocent even as my Alpha purrs at the way Willa’s scent is flooding the cab now. Buttercups and vanilla, thick and sweet and aroused.
“Make her scent spike like that. It’s—” Jake shifts. “Distracting.”
I can see Willa’s face heating in my peripheral vision, and I can smell the embarrassment mixing with her arousal. My hand tightens on her thigh, reassuring.
“Sorry,” she mutters.
“Don’t apologize,” Beau says, his voice dropping into that dangerous Alpha register. “We like it.”
And I don’t miss another swelling of her scent.
We pull off the highway twenty minutes later, heading into Silverwood.
I turn down the side street, and there it is—Sanctuary Premium Nesting Supplies.
Willa’s breath catches. “Oh my god.”
“Surprise,” Jake says from the back.
She twists to look at all of us, and I can see the exact moment she realizes where we are. Her eyes go wide.
“You’re taking me to a nesting store?”
“The biggest one in the state,” Beau confirms.
“But these places are—” She swallows hard. “They’re really expensive.”
“Good thing we’re not worried about that,” I say, pulling into the parking lot.
“Charlie, I can’t let you—”
“Yes, you can.” I kill the engine and turn to face her fully, cupping her face in both hands. “Today is about spoiling you, sweet girl. About giving you everything you deserve. Everything you never got. So let us do this. Please.”
I need her to understand that this isn’t charity or pity or obligation. This is us wanting to provide for our Omega. I want to see her happy, comfortable, and safe.
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I kiss her then, pouring years of wanting into it. She melts into me, her hands coming up to grip my shirt, and I can’t help the answering hardness of my cock.
When I pull back, her lips are swollen, and her eyes are hazy.
“Come on,” I murmur. “Let’s go build you a nest.”
The store is exactly as I remember from my scouting trips—overwhelming and perfect.
Willa stops just inside the entrance, her mouth falling open. I watch her take it in—the twenty-foot ceilings, the rows of shelving, the staged nests in the showroom—and my chest swells with pride.
“Holy shit,” she breathes.
“Right?” Jake grins, appearing at her side. “This place is insane.”
The Beta sales associate I spoke with last week approaches. “Welcome to Sanctuary! Are you folks looking for anything specific today?”
“Everything,” Beau says before I can.
She blinks. “I’m sorry?”
“Everything she wants.” He nods toward Willa. “We’re building a nest from scratch.”
The woman’s face lights up exactly like I knew it would. “A new nest! How exciting. Is this your first one?”
Willa nods, still looking unsure. This girl. I have to stop myself from pulling her into my arms. The urge to hold her, to keep her close, is becoming almost ridiculous.
“Well, you’re in for a treat. Let me grab you a cart—actually, several carts—and we’ll get started.”
She disappears, and Willa turns to me, eyes wide. “This is too much.”
“No such thing.” I cup her face, making sure she’s looking at me. Really hearing me. “You deserve this. You deserve everything. And we’re going to give it to you.”
Her scent floods the space between us—sweet and warm and wanting and mine.
The associate returns with three shopping carts, and I take the handles of one, nodding to Jake and Beau to take the others.
Time to spoil our Omega.