Chapter 11 #3
“You tell us two truths and a lie, then we guess the lie,” Benson says. “So for example, we’d say something like… I’m a virgin, my favorite thing to do is sing, and I’m scared of the fuckass roosters.”
“Sounds easy enough, but no cheating," I reply, pausing to think for a second.
I chose to ignore his turn, because I’ve seen him being chased across the farm by a rooster, but he was ten, so things have no doubt changed.
He can't still be afraid of them. I also don't for a second believe his favorite thing to do is sing. His efforts at karaoke the one time they had an open mic at Taron’s bar were abysmal, and he’s obviously not a virgin.
Three lies, the damn cheat.
“I've never seen the ocean, Christmas is my least favorite holiday, and I can wrap my ankles around the back of my head,” I say once I've made my picks.
“I'm going to guess the lie is that Christmas is your least favorite holiday,” Benson says, like it's the most obvious answer, which of course it was.
“Correct.” I nod. “But my lie was too obvious, so no more obvious lies, and you have to tell two truths, not three lies.” I point an accusing glare at Benson before turning to Nick.
“Your turn.” I’m done coring all the apples, so I grab a knife and mimic Benson’s slices, smug when he gives me a nod of approval.
“I can’t ride a bike. I fucking hate the asshole roosters, even though I admire their tenacity.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “And I’ve never knotted someone I’m in love with.”
“Too easy!” I complain. “The lie is that you can’t ride a bike.” I swear I must have seen him riding one at some point over the years…
“Wrong.” Nick smirks, and I glare at the alpha. “I’ve never knotted anyone at all, love or otherwise. Though I technically lied twice. I don’t truly hate the roosters.”
“That's cheating!” I complain, snapping my head toward Benson, who is glaring at his brother. I’m not going to acknowledge the weight of that confession or the fact that Nick has never knotted anyone before.
“Can you just follow the rules next time?” Benson grumbles, shaking his head like he didn't also cheat. “Actually, let's play something else; I can tell he’s going to be difficult.”
“Truth or dare time?” I offer with a shrug, and Benson nods.
“Yeah. Easier rules. You do the dare, or you answer someone’s question truthfully. If someone doesn’t want to answer or do the dare, then you just say ‘pass.’”
“Oh. Well okay, that doesn’t sound too bad.” I shrug, even though I wasn’t serious.
“But this is supposed to help you be more comfortable with us, and us with you. So as long as it’s not something that crosses a personal boundary, then we should all try to be honest,” he says, taking the bowl of sliced apples, covering it with plastic wrap, and then sticking it into the rather massive fridge.
“Fair.” I nod. I’m grateful that they gave me their clothes to wear.
The soft fabric makes me feel a little more at ease, since I’m bundled up and cozy in the much too large layers.
Almost like I’m hiding without really hiding.
“Who wants to go first?” I ask, watching Nick as he crosses his arms over his chest, and Benson grabs the platter of wrapped dough and puts it in the fridge too.
“Me.” Benson nods to me as he takes his apron off and hangs it on its wall hook, walking back over to us. “We still need to prepare the sweet potatoes, but we can take a little break.”
“Are you hungry, Plum?” Nick asks, and I shake my head. Honestly, I think I’m too anxious to eat right now.
“Okay. Benson—” I start to say, but he jerks forward, pressing a finger to my lips.
“First, let's get comfortable in the den.”
“We won’t be interrupted, since no one will be here until Wednesday,” Nick adds, as I follow them out of the kitchen and into the den.
This room, like most of the house, is very different than I remember.
There's a massive couch with pillows and blankets, and the fireplace is already lit.
I bet this room would look magical if it were decorated for Christmas.
I love putting up Christmas decorations. Normally I have them up in my apartment the second November hits, but this year has been a shit show. I wonder if they’ll let me take over this room next Sunday, since they’re going to keep me prisoner until after decorating is done.
“Sit wherever you like, omega,” Nick offers gently, and the alphas wait for me to pick my spot before joining me. I’m on the edge of the couch closest to the fireplace.
Warm, snuggly, cozy. Honestly this room could rival a nest with how amazing it is. I’m a little obsessed.
I wiggle into the cushions, and a quiet purr escapes my chest. Something I haven’t done in a long time.
Both alphas’ scents react to the sound, as their own chests rumble with low alpha purrs.
The sound of them purring for me combined with their delicious scents and the heat of the fire all sink into my bones, setting me further at ease.
They said I could stay in a guest room tonight, but I think I’ll just sleep in here instead. They have to stay in here too, though. Their scents are crucial to maintain the vibe.
“So what will it be, Benny? Truth or dare?” I ask, grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch. I’m about to unfold it, but Nick takes it from my hands, standing in front of me. He shakes it out and then drapes it over me before tucking the edges in around my body.
“That was hot,” I tease, making the alpha smirk. I can’t explain why, but this feels like the first time the three of us are really seeing each other.
It’s all an illusion, but it’s nice to enjoy the moment, even if it’s not meant to last.
“Truth.”
“I’m going to be honest, I suck at this game and thinking of questions or dares.” I sigh after at least thirty seconds of silence while I try to think of something.
“That’s alright, Sugarplum. What about you, Nick? Anything you’ve been dying to know about me?”
“I already know everything about you,” Nick says, shrugging one shoulder. He leans back against the couch and stretches his arms out across the back. “As you and my siblings like to point out every chance you get—particularly when you fuck something up—I helped take care of you.”
“Papa bear,” I tease, nudging his leg with my foot since that's the closest thing to him.
“Bet you don’t know who stole your truck the night of their eighteenth birthday…” Benson taunts, to which Nick snorts.
“You think I wasn’t out there on that tiny-ass four-wheeler you got for your thirteenth, following your ass?”
“Four-wheeler?” I ask, lifting a brow.
“Yeah. Before the Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Village took off, before Dad died, honestly, we didn’t have a lot of money.
Nick was the only one with a vehicle, but I would complain about walking around the farm so much that when I turned thirteen, Nick got me the four-wheeler.
It was a tiny thing with a max speed of like thirty, but it did its job.
” Benson chuckles, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you rode that thing around town, and I never noticed you. ”
“Okay, I think I have a question now,” I say, when it reminds me of something I heard once. “Benson, is it true that you got kicked out of Taron’s bar the night it opened three years ago?”
“Yes. But in my defense I was only curious about it and not trying to drink,” Benson answers.
“You got tossed out after Taron snatched the beer out of your hand…” Nick chuckles. “Rhian was literally there.”
“It wasn’t my beer! Okay, technically it was given to me, but I swear I was just holding it for Rhian while he double-fisted two other drinks!”
“Right.” Nick shakes his head, clearly not believing him.
“Keep it up, and I’m going to ask you how you used to earn money just after you graduated high school, for your truth,” Benson warns, and now Nick is the one glaring.
“Oooh, I’m definitely asking that next.”
“Nah, it’s your turn,” Nick says to me, but I shake my head.
“No way! I want to hear how you made money after you graduated, Alpha.”
“I mowed lawns.” Nick shrugs, but Benson scoffs.
“Oh, he mowed lawns alright. Shirtless. Sometimes in nothing but boxers.”
“It was one summer, and only because I wanted to go to college. It paid well, and it gets hot as fuck when you spend all damn day in the sun,” Nick grumbles, looking more aggravated than I expect for something like that.
I’ve seen women in our town mow lawns in their bikinis, and it’s not like Nick was the last guy in town to have the same idea.
So why is he so… upset?
He said he only did it because he wanted to go to college, but I already know that’s not something he ever did.
Is he embarrassed that he wanted to go to school but didn’t?
There’s a small community college in town, as well as a popular online school a lot of people go with pretty often. Why would any of this upset him?
“I’m going to go get us drinks,” Benson says quietly, jumping up and then hustling out of the den.
I sit here quietly for a long moment, trying to piece the puzzle together in my mind, when Nick huffs loudly, startling me.
“Shit, sorry,” he says as I sit up further, turning to face him fully.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.
“Nothing to talk about. I wanted to go to school even though it was stupid. It was never going to happen, and I knew that, but I got my hopes up anyway. I thought I could be something more than I am.” Nick shrugs.
“I don’t think it’s stupid to want something just because it's hard to obtain,” I say gently. “I don’t think having a dream is a bad thing or something to look down on yourself for. It doesn’t make you stupid, or whatever mean shit you’re thinking about yourself right now.”
Nick tips his head to the side, glancing at me. There’s a vulnerability in his green eyes as we watch each other, the furrow between his brows softening.