Chapter 32 Lia
Lia
The knocking drags me out of sleep.
Pickles lifts his head first, a low woof rumbling through his chest before he hops up from his bed next to mine and trots toward the front door. My brain feels wrapped in cotton as I push myself upright, the nest of blankets and pillows shifting around me.
Someone knocks again.
“Hold on,” I croak.
My throat feels dry, but the rest of me feels… surprisingly okay. Better than yesterday, at least.
I shove away the reminder that my heat is closing in.
Pickles dances impatiently by the door while I stumble across the apartment, rubbing sleep from my eyes before unlocking the knob. When I pull the door open, a man in a delivery jacket is standing there with a brown paper bag in his hand.
“Delivery for Lia?” he asks.
I blink at him. “I… didn’t order anything.”
He shows me his phone. “This is your address, yes?”
I squint to look at his phone and, sure enough, it’s my address with my name on it.
“Well, that’s weird,” I mutter as I take the bag. “Hold on, let me grab a tip.”
“Already covered,” he says with a polite nod. “Have a good morning.”
Before I can protest, he’s already walking away from my front door.
I stand there for a moment, completely baffled, before shutting the door and carrying the bag back to my nest. Pickles follows closely, his nose booping against the back of my calf while I hear his tail slapping against the floor.
“Guess we got breakfast,” I tell him as I set the bag on my kitchen counter. “I wonder who this is from?”
I look down at Pickles, but he just stares back up at me, his head tilting to the side.
I abandon the bag long enough to get Pickles some fresh food and water in his bowls. Then my attention turns back to the brown paper bag. The smells draw me in, and when I unravel the top of it, I can’t help but flutter my eyes closed.
It smells like bacon and eggs.
Inside is a neatly wrapped sandwich that I pull out and set onto the countertop. A small Styrofoam container in the bag underneath it smells very much like hashbrowns. And down at the bottom of the bag? A folded-up piece of paper.
“What the…?”
My curiosity is piqued as I reach for the piece of paper and unfold it. When I read the note that’s come with my breakfast, I can’t help the smile that crosses my face.
I also can’t help the yearning ache that seems to have made its home in my gut.
Good morning, beautiful. Eat, and make sure you drink your tea from Dr. Quinn.
– Walker
Of course this is from him.
I reach for one of my tea bags sitting beside my stove and drop it into the hot water. The smell of herbs rises almost instantly as I unwrap the sandwich.
I was right. Bacon, egg, and cheese.
Ugh, I love melty cheese.
“Okay,” I murmur as my stomach growls. “Maybe I needed this after all.”
I’ve just taken my first bite when my phone dings. Pickles’ ears perk up and he lets out a little woof, like I didn’t just hear the same sound he did. I wipe my fingers off on some napkins that came with my breakfast and retrieve my phone from my purse.
I’m honestly shocked it’s still got battery left after not being plugged in all night.
Eli: Morning, Alley Cat. How you feeling?
My fingers tap against the keyboard as I make my way back into the kitchen.
Lia: Better, actually. How are you? How’s Amber doing?
Three dots appear almost immediately.
Eli: That’s good. I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’m doing okay, but Amber’s not feeling well.
My heart sinks a little.
Lia: Oh, no! What’s going on? Is she sick? Running a fever?
Eli: Not a fever, no. She says her stomach hurts and she’s moving pretty slow this morning. I told her I’d call her off school so she could rest for the day, but I still have to go in for work.
I’m not able to pop off a response before another message rolls through.
Eli: Walker’s dropping off some soup for her before he gets to work.
That makes me smile as another message arrives.
Eli: Knox said he’ll swing by on his lunch break to check in.
I feel like he’s building to something, so I finally get a message in.
Lia: Anything I can do to make her feel better?
Eli: Well, actually, Amber was wondering… if you really are feeling better… she wanted to know if you’d come hang out with her today.
I blink at the screen. Amber wants to hang out with me? The thought makes me smile. I must be taking too long to respond, though, because another messages pours in quickly.
Eli: No pressure at all, by the way. But if you’re tired, you two can crash in the guest room. There’s a TV in there. Or you can use the kitchen if you need to do any baking stuff today. I’m sure Amber would love to be your taste-tester.
My gaze drifts to my planner sitting on the counter. But I already know what my schedule is: empty. The next week and a half is blocked off for one reason and one reason only.
My heat.
I text back before I can overthink it.
Lia: Of course. Let me eat this breakfast Walker sent me and I’ll get over there.
Three dots appear immediately.
Eli: She’ll be thrilled. And take your time, I’ve got someone covering my first period, so I don’t have to be at the school until 9:45.
I glance down at Pickles.
“Field trip?” I ask him.
His tail thumps against the floor as his mouth quirks into something resembling a smile.
An hour later, I’m knocking on Eli’s front door with Pickles sitting patiently beside me. The door opens almost immediately, and I can’t help but notice that Eli looks tired.
Relieved, but tired.
“Hey,” he says quietly. “Glad you could make it.”
Pickles barks as he squeezes himself into the house like he owns the place.
“Hey,” I say with a smile as I release Pickles’ leash.
“Pickles!” Amber squeals.
I can hear the tiredness in her voice, though.
“Come on in, Amber’s tucked into the guest bedroom,” he says as he steps to the side. “She’s already got her favorite movie queued up and waiting.”
“Sounds like the perfect place for an icky-feeling Omega to be,” I say as I make my way inside.
“She’s been asking every five minutes if you’re here yet,” he says as he closes the door behind me.
I giggle as I slip my purse up my shoulder. “You get out of here and get to work. I’ve got it from here. Has Walker already come by with the soup?”
He nods. “She didn’t want much of it, but Knox said he’d warm her up some more when he comes by to check on her during his lunch break.”
Eli points me in the direction of the guest bedroom even though I already know where it is, and the door’s already cracked open.
I see Pickles on the bed, his head settled into Amber’s lap while she strokes her hand down the length of his neck. Amber’s curled up in a mound of blankets with a stuffed animal clutched under her arm.
The scene makes me smile. “I hear someone’s not feeling well.”
Amber whips her head up. She looks a bit pale, but those eyes of hers brighten when she sees me.
“You came.”
I walk into the room and inch the door a bit more closed behind me. “Of course I did. It’s no fun to be sick alone.”
Amber pats the bed next to her. “Wanna come watch a movie with me?”
I waste no time pulling out my charging cable for my phone and finding somewhere to plug it in on that side of the bed. “I’d love to. What are we watching?”
“My favorite: The Little Mermaid.”
“Ohhh, that’s a good one,” I say as I inch beneath the covers. “What’s your favorite song?”
“Unda da seeeeea,” she begins singing. “Unda da seeeea!”
I giggle as I lean back against some pillows. “Good taste.”
Amber lays her cold hand on my forearm. “Daddy said you’re sick, too?”
“I was,” I admit, “but I’m better today. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.”
“Maybe I’ll be better tomorrow like you.”
The room is quiet, except for the sounds of The Little Mermaid coming through the television. I hear Eli leave just as we get to her favorite song, and I sing it with her. Pickles rests in between us, his head in Amber’s lap while my hand pets aimlessly down his spine.
I’m not sure how much time has passed before Amber’s croaky little voice speaks up.
“Lia?”
“Yeah, sweet pea?”
She pauses the movie and it makes me turn my attention to her.
“You okay? You need something?” I ask.
I could never have anticipated the question she hits me with, though.
“Do you think my mom would be mad at me for being born because of what it did to her?”