Chapter 26 - Craig
I pulled into Randy’s driveway with a relieved sigh—noting the ice and small piles of fresh snow already accumulating along the edges.
I’d never understood the weird ways that retail could be draining until I started working at the mill.
Part of me had thought nothing could be more exhausting than manning a chainsaw all day—then I found myself behind a register.
Customer service might have been physically easier, but was mentally taxing.
The day had started off slammed with hobbyists picking up supplies for weekend projects, but the customers had practically evaporated as a severe storm started to roll in. It left me in that weird state of being prepared to help the next person, only for them to not be there.
I’d even tested the accursed ‘slow’ and ‘quiet’ in an attempt to get more people to come in—and promptly learned that the forbidden words only worked if you were enjoying the peace. They didn’t magically summon customers on their own.
The only result of speaking them was an eye roll from Harrison.
We’d already finished all the closing tasks by the time we turned off the open sign and taped a paper to the window that we’d be closed on Saturday due to the storm.
I hated driving in the dark in winter, and it was worse as the wind whipped snow across the highway. But it was worth it, because Randy was at my destination.
I pulled my truck beside my omega’s beater, engaged the parking brake, and killed the engine. Then I scurried through the abysmal weather up the side steps and made my way inside.
The tension of the day practically melted as the warmth of Randy’s cabin surrounded me. A fire crackled and popped in the woodstove, and filling the air underneath the scents of wood and food—was that of my omega.
I smiled when I spotted him at the stove. I strode over and wrapped my arms around him from behind.
Randy let out a soft sigh and relaxed against me. “Welcome home.”
“Home?” I hummed as I kissed his shoulder. “Is that an invitation to move in with you?”
He squeaked, then let out a soft chuckle. “Maybe?”
“Maybe?” I echoed with a tease.
He turned in my arms and pulled me into a kiss.
“Mmmm,” I said, tipping my forehead against his as we parted. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of those.”
“Me neither.”
My heart fluttered at his words.
“Speaking of kisses,” he started. “I have a question.”
“Hmm?”
“You always kiss the same spot on my shoulder. Why?”
I started laughing. “You have a freckle.”
“What?” he asked, jaw slack and head cocked to one side.
I pecked the side of his lips. “I saw it after our first night together. There’s a freckle on your shoulder. It seemed like the perfect spot to kiss.”
“And you know where it is even when I’m wearing clothes?”
I smiled. “Part of me wants to say something romantic about how I’ve memorized every bit of you. But really… it’s just in an easy-to-remember spot.”
His expression softened, and a gentle smile crossed his lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too, omega-mine.”
The words hit just as I wanted, and a shiver went through him.
“What’s for dinner?” I asked, running my hands up and down his arms. “It smells almost as delicious as you.”
“Nothing fancy, just a beef stew,” he replied, his cheeks tinting pink
“It might not be fancy, but it’ll be perfect with that storm outside.”
“That’s what I thought too.”
“Do you need any help finishing it?”
He shook his head. “It’s done.”
“Mind if I go change out of my work clothes then?”
He smiled. “Hurry back down?”
I grinned. “Of course.”
I made a quick detour to the couch to scratch between Russy’s ears, then headed upstairs. I changed into sweatpants and a long-sleeve T-shirt, then returned to where Randy waited in the kitchen.
Bowls of soup were on the table, as was a can of my favorite soda.
“How was your day?” I asked as I took a seat. “You had that meeting about a wedding today, right?”
He nodded and sighed.
“That bad?”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “It’ll be good work and will get me a healthy payout, but… I almost turned it down because the planner is a nightmare.”
“Let the venting begin!” I declared.
He laughed and gave me a smile. Then he summarized the meeting highlights: from how Simon and Ollie had warned him about the client, to the decision to gift a customized charcuterie board.
He seemed about to continue to something else, then paused and asked me about how my day went.
We finished eating as I told him about my day, then I washed the dishes as he put the leftovers away.
It was the sort of soft domesticity I couldn’t wait to share with him every night.
“Aaron says that he’ll still host a playoff watch party if the roads are clear on Sunday,” I said as we moved from the kitchen toward the couch. “Do we wanna go?”
He hummed. “Maybe. I really don’t want to cook something for it, though.”
“I can cook, or we can pick up something from the store.”
“What would you make? We’re going to be snowed in tomorrow, so it would have to be whatever we have on hand.”
I glanced over to the counter, where the egg basket wasn’t as full as in the summer, but had more than enough for my needs. “Deviled eggs, probably. They’re easy, make a bunch, and I’m pretty sure you have everything.”
He nodded. “Ok. I guess it’ll depend on the weather then. I don’t want to have to plow a bunch of times.”
I smiled as I pulled him into my arms. “Fair enough.”
We spent a moment sharing soft kisses, then we sat.
“What do you want to do tonight?” I asked. “Watch a movie? Play that game Jessie bought you for Christmas?”
“Actually…” he sat forward and clasped his hands between his knees.
I blinked and scooted closer on the couch to run my hand up and down his back. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. Just… nervous.”
“Hmm?”
He took a deep breath. “Yes…”
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
It was then that I noticed him fidgeting with the ring, and what he was trying to say sank in.
I pulled him against me. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying? You’ll be my mate—my husband?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
I reached over and tipped up his chin so that I could kiss him. I relished the way he melted against me, and the soft sigh that escaped when we finally parted.
“I’m so happy,” I murmured against his lips. “Is it too much if I dance around your living room in joy?”
He let out a chuckle. “There’s more.”
“You mean it gets better?”
I felt his smile more than I saw it. “Remember when I said ‘Welcome home’?
“Mm-hmm.”
He shifted to relax against me. “I mean it. I do want you to move in, whenever you’re ready. But hopefully sooner than later.”
I chuckled. “I’ll pay the lease on an empty apartment. Let’s pick a day with nice weather, and I’m sure that for the mandatory pizza and beer, the guys will help.”
He hummed. “That sounds good. I’d like to have you settled before…” he paused. “Before…”
He swallowed.
“Before?” I asked.
He took a deep breath, and I kissed his hair.
“I’m here,” I murmured.
“You know omegas have to cycle off suppressants… usually once a year… right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
A pause, then, “I usually cycle off at the beginning of February.”
It took me a couple seconds to realize what he was saying. “Your heat?”
He nodded into my chest.
“You want me to bond you during your heat?”
Another nod. Then, in a whisper so soft I could barely hear it over the fire, “And…”
A smile spread across my face. “Sweetheart. Are you asking me to breed you?”
“Yes.”
I pulled him tight as tears started gathering in my eyes. “I get to have you, and babies too?”
“You want kids?”
I hiccupped as tears rolled down my cheeks. “As many as you want. I want everything with you.”
He shook in my arms, and I realized he was crying too. I pulled him up so that he could see the tears on my face, then I tugged him into a fierce kiss.
“I love you, Beautiful Randy. I love you more than I could ever express with just words. I know it’s cliché, but you just made me the happiest alpha—the happiest man—in the world.”
“Really?”
I kissed him again. “You just said I get to spend the rest of my life with you; have a family with you. Of course I’m happy.”
A tear dropped onto his cheek, and I wiped it away with my thumb.
“Part of me is still scared,” he whispered.
I smiled and rubbed my thumb back and forth over his cheek. “Then be scared, and I’ll be here to hold you through it.”
He smiled even as more tears began to fall, then he shifted to nuzzle my chest.
“My alpha…” he whispered.
I shuddered at how good it felt to hear those words. “Say it again,” I breathed.
“My alpha…”
“My omega,” I answered, wrapping my arms around him and holding him tight. “My beautiful omega.”
He wriggled up again, and we spent several minutes exchanging lazy kisses.
“I still want to dance around your living room with excitement,” I admitted as we finally parted.
He hummed. “How about… we just dance.”
“You dance?”
“Do you?”
“Touché. Shall we sway?”
He laughed against me, then sat up. He scrolled his phone for a moment and set it on the coffee table, where the soft music coming from the tiny speaker bounced off the wood.
He stood first and pulled me into his arms.
We swayed through several songs—his head on my shoulder—as Russy watched us from the couch. Firelight bounced and danced on my omega’s skin.
“Alpha?” he finally asked.
“Yes, Beautiful Randy?”
“When we go to bed tonight, I don’t want gentle.”
“Hmm?”
He chuckled. “I want a preview of how you’ll breed me—how you’ll bond me. I need you to make it clear with your cock that I belong to you.”
I couldn’t stop the low growl that bubbled up from my throat. “I’ll make you scream with pleasure.”
He hummed. “Perfect.”
We swayed through another song before returning to the couch—him settling into my arms.
Even as we watched a movie, I couldn’t keep my nose from his neck, inhaling the happiest scent I’d ever smelled from him.
He was my omega, and soon would be my mate.
∞∞∞