Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
Calder
For the last hour, I’ve been failing to distract myself by reading through previous The Valley Voice blog posts when Janice’s ungodly roar in the driveway alerts me to Hale and Kady’s return.
Their laughter approaches the house, and I peer out the window to see Hale’s arm wrapped around Kady’s shoulder.
Her cheeks are slightly pink from the cold, and her hair looks to be more tousled than usual.
Instead of her typical tailored attire, she’s wearing a baggy flannel that comes down past her knees with mud boots.
Larry leaps down from the sofa, sensing his owner is home.
Poor Otto had scratches covering his arms when I went to pick him up, but Larry’s been as good as gold since returning.
Riven decided to buy him every cat treat in the store, so we’ve all been spoiling him all afternoon like he’s some kind of deity.
Larry prowls over to greet them as they step inside, his tail swishing against my ankles.
I hate to say it but I’m growing fond of the little monster.
“Sorry, we’re a bit late.” Hale claps my shoulder apologetically. “Mom insisted that we stay for dinner, and you know what she’s like. She sends her love.” He raises the Tupperware in his hands. “And she boxed up some of her peach cobbler for you.”
“Meeting the parents on the first date, huh?” I tease Kady. “You move fast.”
She plays with her shirt, her eyes on the ground. It’s unusual to see her being anything other than perfectly composed. “It wasn’t exactly planned.”
“Thank you for putting up with them.” Hale affectionately kisses her cheek. “My parents can be a lot.”
“They were lovely,” she insists. “And your mom’s cooking is amazing.”
“Did someone say cobbler?” Riven scampers in from the living room, eyes lighting up. “Ezra!” He bellows up the stairs. “Winnie baked us cobbler!”
At the mention of Ezra’s name, Kady’s smile dulls a little as she fiddles with the sleeve of Hale’s shirt. Ezra’s locked himself away in his room since he returned, mumbling something about urgent lesson plans.
“He’s probably got his headphones on,” I reason when he doesn’t appear. “Ready for the fair?”
“Uh-huh.” She looks down at her outfit. “I’ll just change really quick.”
I nod as she strolls past, smirking as I get a whiff of Hale’s cedar scent coming from her.
Usually, I’d hate to smell another alpha on an omega I’m interested in, but when it’s my pack leader, it hits differently.
From how her floral fragrance and his woody aroma have mixed, I can only assume their date went well. Very well.
“I’m sorry again for getting back late.” Hale battles to keep the smile off his face. “I didn’t mean to cut into your time together.”
“Don’t sweat it.” Usually, I’m a stickler for punctuality, but it’s the first time Hale has done something fun since taking over Valen Enterprises. He’s passed up on so many day trips and pack outings, spending most of his time glued to his phone or laptop. “The fair stays open late.”
Riven returns, holding a ridiculously large portion on a plate. “Mmm, peach.”
“How’s Ezra?” Hale glances up the stairs, his shoulders holding an extra tension as his scent changes.
“Still hiding away.” I sigh. “He doesn’t want to talk.”
“This was always going to be hard for him with his commitment phobia, but Kady is…” A wide grin breaks out over his face, lighting up his eyes with a spark that I haven’t seen since Nick’s health went downhill. “She’s definitely our omega.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Although I say the words, I can’t stop the tiny shred of hope from swelling in my heart. “This is just a casual weekend trip, remember?”
He nods, but I can tell from his dreamy expression that he’s already too far gone. If Kady decides she wants to call this off, it’ll break him.
“Wow.” Riven’s jaw drops as Kady emerges at the top of the stairs.
“What?” Kady looks down at her jeans and thick cream knit sweater. “Is something wrong?”
“You look,” Riven swallows hard, “really pretty.”
“I prefer you in plaid,” Hale jokes as she walks down.
She swats him playfully on the arm. The way the denim clings to her thighs and frames her shapely ass when she leans over to slip on her boots has me hardening instantly.
“You can take Janice, if you’d like.” Hale offers me his keys.
“It’s okay,” I shake my head. “I’ll take the Jeep.”
Besides, Janice will probably need a long rest before our drive back to Forestville. I still can’t believe that’s the car he insisted we take with us to Forestville.
“All ready to go?” I turn my focus to her.
When she nods, Hale kisses her on the cheek, making her glow, then says, “Have fun.”
“Make sure to look out for Kady in the sky on your way back,” Riven quips around a bite of cobbler.
I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but a soft smile spreads over Kady’s face. His cheeks turn pink when she reaches out to squeeze his arm. “I will.”
I hold open the cabin door for her then lead her around to the waiting Jeep, one of our many pack cars. The big four-by-four is perfect for the twisty and uneven roads of Rose Harbor, easily able to breeze over most terrain.
“I know the fair may not be super exciting.” I put on my seat belt. “But there’s not a lot to do in Rose Harbor.”
“Actually,” she snatches her lip with her teeth, “I’ve never been to a fair before.”
“What?” I gape at her. “It’s a childhood rite of passage.”
“My father was always too busy to take me to things like that.” She looks out of the window as we head away from the cabin, the Jeep swaying over the bumpy road. “Or too afraid to let me out in crowds in case I was abducted and held for ransom.”
She says this so nonchalantly, but I can’t imagine how a child would have felt to be told they’re at constant risk of being kidnapped.
“You’ll be safe with me.”
“I’m trained in self-defense.” She flicks her wrist. “I don’t need any alpha protection.”
She may not need it, but it doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking out for her.
I switch on the radio, a cheerful pop song playing as we drive. The fair sits on the edge of town, so we arrive in no time.
“Let’s do this” Anticipation sizzles through me as we get out of the car, eager to take her to her first fair.
Colorful flashing lights fill the night sky in front of us.
Euphoric children bundled in many layers clutch onto their parents’ palms with their chubby hands, taking wobbly steps through the crowds and hooting whenever they spot something of interest. The smell of greasy corndogs mixes with the sweetness of cotton candy hanging in the air.
“Whoa!” Kady’s eyes widen as she takes in the view. “This is huge.”
“One of the best fairs around.” My words are almost drowned out by the guy hollering at the ring-toss stall. “Where do you want to start?”
We’re engulfed in the metallic clang of machinery and tinny music as we head into the chaos. Kady’s blonde hair escapes from the edges of Riven’s beanie, the tip of her nose turning pink from the chilly breeze which makes her look even cuter.
She points enthusiastically at the hook-a-duck stall. “I thought those only existed in movies!”
I want to slip my fingers through hers, show her off to everyone here, but we’re not on that level yet.
Sure, we’ve been affectionate before—well, more than affectionate—but not publicly, and I don’t want to make her uncomfortable one of the first times we’re alone together and not arguing about something.
“This way.” I lead her over to a row of different booths—balloon pop darts, bottle up, and a face painting stand.
“Wanna try your hand at winning your lovely lady a prize?” The voice belonging to the loud guy at the ring-toss booth booms over.
“Oh, she’s not.” Surprise steals my thought, seeing Kady pointing at a stuffed animal.
It’s a monstrous orange creature with wonky eyes and different shaped ears. It’s impossible to tell exactly what kind of animal it’s supposed to be.
“It looks just like Larry,” she croons.
Thankfully, Larry isn’t here to see his stuffed double, or he’d be mortally offended. But after seeing her reaction, how can I not try to win it for her?
“Okay, we’ll play!”
I hand over some coins then concentrate on my aim. After three tries, all my colorful rings lay on the ground.
“Nice try,” Kady smirks. “But not good enough.”
I harrumph, handing over more money and ending up missing the target by an inch.
“So close but not close enough.” Kady’s teasing spurs on my determination.
“No!” I bellow as my final ring misses and Kady chuckles. Frustrated, I buy more tickets. “Let’s go again.”
She leans against the booth, watching on with mild bemusement. “Are you trying to impress me, Mr. Hotshot Editor?”
I grind my molars, missing again. “Okay, you totally threw me off on purpose that time.”
She holds out her hand. “Let me try.”
“It’s rigged.” I glare at the guy manning the stall. “There’s no way those rings even fit on those poles.”
Kady shoves me out of the way to get a good position then throws a ring. It glides through the air then falls straight onto the post. She cheers, clapping her hands enthusiastically. “Yay!”
The guy scoffs, seeming a little miffed by her getting it on her first attempt. “What’ll it be, princess?”
“That one.” After handing her Larry 2.0, she gives it a big squeeze before offering it to me. “You can have it.”
“I’m supposed to be the one winning you prizes,” I grumble.
“Omegas can give alphas gifts too, you know.”
I take Larry 2.0 into my arms. One of his button eyes looks like it’s about to fall off from poor stitching, but it already smells of her. I stuff it into my backpack, its head out as we continue exploring.
We play a few more games, Kady being better than me at every one of them.
“Are you sure you’ve never played these games before?” I narrow my eyes in suspicion after she pops her third balloon in a row, winning us reams of tickets.