Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
There’s nothing like the smell of meat and spices cooking over an open fire.
When I found out that Ezra and Adam were coming over for dinner, I’d volunteered to cook tonight.
I love Adley’s cooking, but our Omega deserves a rest. And I’m not sure either of those fellas knows how to cook. Luckily, I’m pretty good at making campsite grub.
It didn’t take me long to head to the store and get all the ingredients I needed, then start up a controlled fire at a safe distance from the trailer. I put up my cooking tripod over the fire, hook ready at the center, and admired my handiwork for a minute before moving on.
After setting up a couple of tables and some chairs, I got to work, gloves on, chopping and slicing, seasoning, and then filling my cast iron Dutch oven a few ingredients at a time before hanging it over the fire by a thick chain hooked to the handles.
When I return to my prep table, there’s rustling behind me.
“I brought bowls and spoons like you asked.”
I turn to find Adley smiling brightly at me, and my chest does that little flutter thing I’m still not used to.
Like something inside of me is as happy as one of the dogs to see her, and is wagging its tail with delight.
Kind of like the gaggle of canines right now, as they all sit expectantly and stare up at me.
Adley’s little entourage.
“Thanks, hun.” I take the bowls from her and put them on the end of the table.
“I’ll get drinks later and bring the dog bowls out.”
Turning back to her, I take Adley’s hand and pull her into my chest. She looks up at me with those big, brown eyes, and I take her orange blossom scent deep into my lungs.
This woman is absolutely everything to me.
And as I claim her lips with mine, light and gentle, she hums, and it sends a thrill down my spine.
She leans back with a grin and pats my chest. “Back to work, you.”
Adley winks playfully, and I laugh as I turn back to my prep, receiving a sharp smack to the ass in return before she hustles off to the house.
Chuckling to myself, I return to chopping. Not a second later, there’s a little whine at my feet. I peer down at Danko, his little brown and black face looking up at me, eyes big and pleading.
“No raw meat for you, bud,” I tell him.
When he whines again, I look at my cutting board and at the yellow peppers I’ve chopped.
There’s no way. Right?
On the off chance I’m wrong, and it isn’t the scent of peppers making him cry, I take a larger slice in hand, bend down and offer it to the little dog. He immediately stands and swipes the slice from my gasp, running off like he’s stolen something precious.
“You’re welcome,” I call after him, head shaking.
It takes about thirty more minutes before the guys—my pack brothers—arrive.
Once they do, they get to work helping Adley bring the rest of our setup outside.
Not long after that’s all ready, my chili is done, as is the small pot of plain meat and vegetables I made for the dogs and cats.
For Gator and Pie, we have some sweet treats, namely carrots and apples.
I go to the fence just yards from where we sit and feed them both some of their treats, saving the rest for later.
“Bro, this is so good,” Adam tells me, mouth full of chili and eyes wide, not a minute after we sit together.
“It really is,” Adley croons. “Good work, cowboy.”
I grin in spite of myself whenever she calls me that.
Jasper is humming to himself as he eats, then stops to look up at each of us, still chewing. “Oh, I’m sorry. Were we praising or devouring this delicious grub?”
After another laugh, Adley starts feeding Nikki pieces of carrot and Danko another bit of pepper.
“Did you know he’s a pepper-holic?”
She smiles. “I did only because my uncle left a note about it in his ledger.”
I sneak Remy an extra chunk of pork, and she lies on top of my foot for the rest of the time we’re seated to eat, just to be sure I don’t move without her knowing about it.
When we’re all finished, Adley helps pack the leftovers, and the furry pack follows her inside when she puts them away. I go back to Pie and Gator, patting them and feeding them more snacks. Jasper and Adam follow.
“I’ve always loved horses,” Jasper says. “To look at, anyway. I don’t think I could handle riding one anymore.” He reaches down to his left knee, and I realize he’s been limping a bit more than usual since he mated with Adley.
I didn’t need to hear them the other night to know they’d bonded, though I definitely had. Their scents mingle now, just like hers and mine do.
“This little guy has attitude. I like that.” Adam is crouched down and petting Gator through the fence. Gator seems to like the attention, which makes me happy. He’s been a bit standoffish in general.
Adley eventually joins us, reaching her hand out slowly to pat Pie on the side of his neck, then bending to scratch Gator on his fluffy head.
When she looks at me, there’s something beautiful shining in her eyes.
“I can’t wait until we can expand their little sanctuary.
We need to work on a plan together for what you think will be best for them, since you’d know.
I definitely don’t.” She laughs and Pie whinnies, shaking his head to get Adley’s attention.
It works, of course, and she pets his forehead gently with a loving gaze.
“I have a lot of ideas, actually. When we get to the planning phase, we’ll go over it all together.”
After dark, Jasper and Adam leave, and I’m surprised at how strange it feels that they don’t stay on the property with us.
We haven’t spent as much time together as I think we should, but I know we’re still finding our way, and soon enough, we’ll all be living together in the house once it’s finished.
“I have something for you.”
Adley sounds and looks shy as she says it, then extends an envelope to me. Confusion courses through me as I take it. Opening the flap, I pull out a gift certificate, old school style, handwritten and really fancy. It’s for the local craft and art supply store, Hobby Haunt.
Warmth overwhelms my entire body, my heart pounding in my chest.
No one has ever given me something to support my art. No one. But here’s Adley, doing just that.
Part of me feels like I don’t deserve it, but she’s given me this, knowing how I came to start painting in the first place, not caring that it was in jail.
My vision swims as I nod my head at her, voice hoarse as I whisper, “Thank you.”
She leans in and presses her lips to my cheek. “I didn’t know what you needed and didn’t want to get you something you didn’t, so I figured the gift certificate was a good call. The owner is really great. It seems like she knows a lot.”
I wrap my arms around Adley, holding her tight, running my fingers through her hair.
She may have given me a gift, but Adley’s the most precious gift of all.