Chapter 4
Chapter Four
NICHOLAS
It felt so good to wrap myself around my alpha and to just feel his warmth and his strength radiating.
The wreck had been terrifying, even though I'd been on the other side of the car from where the SUV hit.
I'd seen my whole life flash before my eyes as I'd spun through the intersection, and when I'd hit my head, I'd thought it might all be over.
I didn’t want it to be over. I had an amazing life with an amazing family, and most of all, I had the absolute best alpha mate that any omega could have asked for.
“I’m sorry if I was such a pill to you earlier,” I said, leaning into the broad, solid plain of Sal’s torso and closing my eyes for a second. “If it helps, I was being a pain today on purpose.”
“You…what?” Sal asked, enveloping me in his arms.
“It’s kind of a long story, but yes, I was poking the bear for a reason.”
“It better have been a really good reason,” Sal said in his growly voice.
I’d never found that voice to be intimidating, though. Quite the opposite.
I was saved from having to explain further when the ER doctor who had patched up my bruised head stepped into my little cubby, Xavier, of all people, with him.
“Papa,” Xavier said, rushing to my bedside. “I came down as soon as they told me. Are you okay? Dad, is he okay?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” I said, laughing. I pulled away from my darling alpha long enough to give my youngest a quick hug and a kiss, all while still sitting on the hospital bed.
“It was just a bump on the head. The jackass who ran the red light better have good insurance, though, because he totaled my car.”
“Thank God you’re alright,” Xavier said, ignoring the bit about the car to hug me again. “You’re the only papa I have, after all.”
I chuckled and gave him one last hug before taking Sal’s hand.
I was blessed to be surrounded by overprotective alphas.
As soon as my other kids found out what happened, they’d start fussing, too.
I wasn’t going to be able to do any of the things I usually did to take care of my brood this Christmas.
They would insist on doing it all for me, even though I was perfectly capable.
“Mr. Mash just has a bump on the head,” the ER doctor said.
“It could have been much worse. He had just started driving into the intersection, and despite the speed at which the driver of the SUV was traveling, he hit the best possible place on his car, if there is such a thing. Mr. Mash was wearing his seatbelt, too, which prevented a more serious injury. I’ve treated his abrasion with antiseptic and bandaged it, and since there are no signs of concussion or brain injury, you’re free to go. ”
“Are you sure?” Xavier asked as I hopped down from the table. Sal looped an arm around my back and I leaned into him. “Have you done a CT scan? Checked for internal hemorrhaging? Should my papa stay at the hospital overnight for observation?”
“That absolutely won’t be necessary,” I said before the doctor could. I had plans for tonight. I wasn’t about to give those plans up for anything.
“Mr. Mash is fine,” the doctor said, grinning at Xavier’s enthusiasm. “I’ve run every test that I needed to, and I can safely say there will be no lasting damage. Just keep an eye on him for the next twenty-four hours, and if anything changes, let us know.”
“Alright, if you’re sure,” Xavier said, clearly doubting the much more experienced doctor. He really didn’t have to, though. The only thing that was really injured was my pride to have so many people fussing over me.
Well, there was nothing wrong with me now that I could touch and cling to Sal.
“Let me walk you out to your car at least,” Xavier said, following us when we left the cubicle.
I let my son follow because I knew it would make him happy.
All I needed was to be close to my alpha mate and to open up my bond with him as wide as I could.
That in itself was far more healing than any bandage on my head or the painkillers they’d given me.
All I needed to be perfectly content in life was Sal.
That didn’t stop Xavier from double-checking all the instructions we were given as we checked out, or from walking us into the parking lot, even though I was certain he needed to get back to work.
“No strenuous activities until after Christmas,” Xavier ordered me, even though I thought it was overkill. “I’m coming over tomorrow to check on you. In the meantime, I’m putting the word out to the others to come check on you as well.”
“You really don’t have to do that, sweetie,” I said as Sal helped me into the passenger seat of his car, despite me trying to bat him away. I was glad someone other than me would call Phillip and the others to let them know what had happened. I just wanted to go home with my alpha and rest.
And plan for the gift I still intended to give him that night.
“Everything will be fine, I’ll see to it,” Sal said, thumping Xavier’s back before walking around to the driver’s side of the car.
The two of them exchanged a few words out of my earshot, which was plotting to “take care” of me against my will, I was sure, then Xavier headed back into the hospital and Sal got in the car and started it.
“I really am okay,” I said as he pulled out of his parking space and got onto the road. “My car isn’t, though. That’s for sure.”
“I’ll get you another one for Christmas,” Sal said gruffly. He radiated more emotion than he would ever show outwardly, poor thing. He’d been terrified and heartbroken in advance of the worst-case scenario. I was glad for his sake as much as mine that it hadn’t come to that.
“You don’t have to get me a car for Christmas, dear,” I told him, reaching over to touch his thigh.
Sal twitched, and I could feel another emotion radiate from his bond.
He was restless and feeling possessive, and that always made him horny.
I had to hide my smile and work to suppress my emotions so he wouldn’t feel through our bond that I loved how he was an open book.
Him being ramped up on alpha hormones would work perfectly for what I had in mind tonight.
It was just a shame that we would have to skip the whole scavenger hunt part I’d worked out and jump straight to my gift.
Or maybe it wouldn’t be such a shame after all.
A surprise was waiting for us when we got back to our house at the edge of Barrington, in the high-end suburbs.
We had a second house inside the Mash Institute compound up on Blue Knob Mountain, our first house, really, but ever since the kids had grown and some of them moved into Barrington proper, we’d bought a second house to be closer to them.
The surprise that was waiting on the doorstep for us was a large box with the logo for Sweet Dreams are Made of Yeast.
Sal grunted as he picked the box up while I unlocked the front door. “Crispin must have delivered this when he got off work,” he said.
“You remembered,” I said with a rush of affection.
“Yeah, I remembered,” Sal said, cheeks flushing and love flowing from him as we walked into the kitchen. He put the box down and started to unpack it. “Fuck, he put everything in here.”
I laughed and went over to take a look. Sure enough, Crispin Merriweather had loaded my alpha up with chocolate cake, donuts, muffins, and a few tarts with “Get Well Soon” hastily scribbled across the top in icing.
“That was sweet of him,” I said as we looked at the wealth of sugar spread across the kitchen counter. “But it was even sweeter for you to remember to ask for them.”
Sal grunted again, a pleased feeling radiating from him.
“Let’s pack these up so they’ll last until Christmas day, grab a quick supper, and then I have a surprise for you afterwards.”
“A surprise?” Sal asked, one eyebrow arched.
I just gave him a cheeky look in return, then headed for the fridge to see what there was to eat.
Dinner ended up being a light, quick affair.
I really was feeling better, but Sal insisted on doing everything for me.
That meant we ended up heating up some leftovers from a few days before instead of me cooking something new.
I didn’t have much of an appetite, to be honest, unless it was an appetite for my mate’s touch.
“Should we watch a Christmas movie or something?” Sal asked once supper was done, we’d cleaned up, and I’d fielded a call from every single one of my children, who were checking to make sure I was alright.
“I’ve got something different in mind,” I told Sal, wiggling my eyebrows.
“Uh oh,” Sal said, letting me lead him toward our bedroom once I took his hand. “Do I like the sound of that or not?”
“You’re definitely going to like the sound of this,” I told him.
“Hmm.”
I laughed at his dubious hum, mostly because it was coupled with a burst of childlike excitement through our bond.
Once we reached the bedroom, I let go of his hand and walked to our bureau, opening the top drawer on my side. I took out a smallish wrapped gift, then gave it to him.
“Merry Christmas, Sal,” I said, beaming and giddy.
Sal took the gift, stared at it, then shook it. It rattled, which made him raise his eyebrows. “What’s this?” he asked.
I huffed and rested my weight on one hip. “It’s a new car,” I said, deadpan.
He smirked at me, a slight, wolfish gleam in his eyes. Then he tore into the wrapping. He was even more confused when he unwrapped a box which held a small bottle of pills. “Silver Lightning?” he read from the hand-printed label.
I inched closer to him. “It’s a little secret something I’ve been having the team in the lab work on for the last year or so.”
Sal arched one eyebrow at me. “You’ve had the lab working on something that I didn’t know about?”
“Of course,” I said, shrugging one shoulder, then glancing up at him with bedroom eyes. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Our little surprise. Consider it my Christmas gift to you.”