Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Belle
The first thing I think about when I wake up is that I’m unbelievably sore . My heat seems to have been a thorough success.
As I lie half-awake with memories playing on a loop behind my eyelids, a warm flush works its way down my body.
“C’mon, sleepy head,” Percy interrupts, appearing at my bedside to gently nudge me the rest of the way awake. “Rhys fixed you a special breakfast. Lots of protein to get your strength back.”
I peek one eye open to make sure we’re alone before I release a soft groan. Sweet Rhys and his odd cooking.
“I know, I know, but what can I say? We all have a soft spot for his dedication.” Percy pats my thigh with a laugh. I don’t have to say the words aloud for him to know I’m thinking that a meal from Rhys isn’t great motivation to rush out of bed.
“What if you came back to bed?” I asked coyly, grabbing a fistful of his shirt to tug him closer.
He plants his hands on the mattress to keep from falling back into the giant bed with me. His mouth twists with regret as he shakes his head.
“I promised the guys I could handle coming up to retrieve you without being tempted. Are you trying to make a liar out of me, Belle?”
Risky joke after finding out recently that they lied to me for days.
The smile on his lips dies as he realizes the unintended second meaning behind his joke. My chest squeezes with sadness for him as his expression shutters. I sit up and roll my eyes with a bright smile so that he doesn’t get a chance to let the guilt build. That’s not how I want things to go this morning while I’m still basking in the afterglow of the best heat an omega could ask for.
“Well, you’ve done such a good job editing my last few romance novels that I guess joining you for breakfast is the least that I can do for you.”
Percy tilts his head in confusion as he tries to make sense of my words. “Your romance novels? Your romance novels?” His eyes go comically wide.
I fight hard to keep a passive expression on my face as I nod like this revelation is no big deal. Inside, I’m positively beaming at being able to reveal to him that I’m the mysterious author he found himself so fascinated by. Funny that I turned out to be the author whose relationship with him I was jealous of.
“Holy shit... I have so many questions.” He gapes at me in awe.
I shrug and teasingly remind him, “We have to get down to breakfast, remember?”
He drops his head back with a groan as I slap my hand over my mouth to muffle my giggles. I’ve managed to get the upper hand over him! He’s too loyal to go back on his word to the guys, so now he’ll have to wait to learn more details about my writing career and my thoughts on him as an editor.
Spoiler Alert: He’s phenomenal.
The only reason he never received that manuscript is that it was due to him the first day I woke up in Knox’s bed. I guess he tried to cover their lie about not having internet by pretending the deadline was a day earlier. My book is basically ready for his eyes the moment I get my hands on my laptop to send the manuscript over.
He’ll have to wait for that a little longer due to the circumstances, too.
I crawl my way over to the edge of the bed with a wince. My legs feel like gelatin, and I don’t feel up to my usual strength. If nothing else is quite right about breakfast, I’m glad Rhys thought ahead to loading up on protein.
“Will you carry me down the stairs?” I ask, biting my bottom lip as I stare up at Percy hopefully.
He gives me a warm smile as he says, “Of course.” He sits on the edge of the bed, offering me his back. “Hop on,” he offers. “This way I don’t risk dropping you walking down the stairs.”
I grin as I throw my arms over his shoulders, clasping my hands in front of his chest. I gasp as he stands with me in tow, and I quickly wrap my legs around his middle and hold on tight.
Percy carries me out of the room, and I look back forlornly as we trudge down the stairs until the door disappears from my view. I do want to join the guys for breakfast, but I’m not thrilled to be leaving the nest so soon.
An odd smell overpowers my mates’ scents as we make it down to the kitchen.
Percy turns his head to whisper to me, “ I recommend breathing through your mouth as much as possible.”
Rhys is lucky he’s so freaking cute.
Percy walks me to the table as Rhys and Knox turn to greet our arrival, both of them with their eyes lighting up at the sight of me. I smile widely back at them, happy for the three of us to be reunited. When we reach my seat, Percy hunkers down to let me slide off his back easily. I wish I could stay clinging to him, but I don’t think the position would be so helpful for eating.
I take my regular seat and watch Rhys walk over with a curious bowl.
“I call this Rhys’s Special Morning Hash ,” he announces, beaming with pride. He sets the bowl in front of me, and I examine the contents with confusion. Scrambled eggs, burnt potatoes, something green that’s otherwise recognizable, and... Is that pineapple?
Knox grunts softly beside me as Rhys turns back to the kitchen to grab his food last.
Percy walks around the table to examine his bowl and murmurs faintly, “Looks great, Rhys,” while he shoots me a look that nearly makes me giggle.
Despite the confusing dish in front of me, my stomach growls to alert me to my near-starving status. I pick up my fork and take my first bite, which turns out to be as weird as expected. The combination is sweet and savory in a way that isn’t great.
I wouldn’t say Rhys’s special hash is the worst thing I’ve ever eaten.
Close, though.
Rhys sits down across from me and dives into his bowl with vigor. He only pauses to take a breath long enough to ask, “Good, right? I worked in peanut butter, cottage cheese, and the eggs for protein. Oh! I also added a scoop of crushed walnuts for texture.”
What the heck? Is he trying to kill us all?
Nothing about that combination sounds appealing. I glance down at my bowl and try to forget the ingredients he listed. I can’t taste half of them, so that helps.
“Thank you so much for cooking us such a great breakfast. The texture is certainly... unique,” I manage to choke out with a smile so that Rhys doesn’t think I hate his meal. I can’t bear to hurt his feelings any more than Percy or Knox can.
Rhys beams as if I’ve given him a five-star review and bestowed upon him a Michelin star.
Knox eats in silence, falling back on his usual stoicism to get away with not commenting as enthusiastically on the meal. I note that he’s avoiding the pineapple chunks as much as possible, which are certainly the most off-putting part of this dish, considering how mushy the pieces are.
Percy sips from his coffee mug to wash down a full mouthful of breakfast.
Oh, coffee!
There’s a mug in front of me, and a quick sniff confirms the concoction Percy has perfected for me is inside. I take a hearty sip to cleanse my palate.
The coffee is breakfast’s saving grace. I carefully take several quick bites, followed by a sip of coffee, and manage to choke down most of my breakfast that way before leaning back in my seat.
“I’m full,” I announce with a genuine groan.
All that protein is genuinely filling, so I don’t even have to lie to get out of finishing my dish.
Rhys’s smile grows impossibly wider. “I’m so glad everyone liked this so much. We have lots of leftovers!”
I fight back my natural reaction, smiling and nodding until Rhys stands and carries my plate and his to the sink. Someone better find a moment to secretly doctor those leftovers up somehow or something. At first, I think of ways I could get away with doing so, but then my mind starts to wander.
Now that I’ve been satiated, I’m hit with a stroke of post-heat clarity.
There are so many things left unresolved. While I can tell the guys are keen for me to make my place here permanent, we haven’t had a real conversation about what the future looks like. And I’m not sure if I’m ready to. Things have changed so fast that I can’t help but feel my heartstrings tugging, reminding me I walked away from my whole life a few days ago, and it’s still waiting for me back at my apartment.
What would it look like to fuse my old life with a new life with the alphas?
I can’t wrap my mind around the concept with them sitting around the table with me, distracting me with their yummy scents and sexy bodies.
A little space to think wouldn’t hurt...
An idea is starting to develop in the back of my mind. One that I know they’re not going to like very much.
“Hey,” I try to keep my voice light to avoid alarming them, “Could I borrow someone’s phone?”
Three sets of eyes turn to stare at me with startled expressions. Despite my attempt to play it casual, I’m sure they can tell something is up. We’ve bonded a lot in the short time since we met. We know each other surprisingly well at this point, despite our less-than-truthful beginnings.
After they lied to keep me here, I worry they won’t make it easy to leave now, either. But after a moment, Percy slips a phone out of his pocket and slides it across the dining room table to me. He looks like he might throw up as he does so, and I don’t think it’s all because of Rhys’s breakfast.
“I want to talk to Mia after we sent her away so abruptly the other day,” I explain myself partially so they don’t worry too much. I have to make sure I don’t give them a chance to do anything else shady to extend my stay here without my express permission.
Deep down, I don’t think they would do anything crazy, but...
Alphas can be unpredictable when their omega is involved, and they certainly think of me as theirs .
I need to do what I have to do to protect my peace, and that means making space for me to think about everything that has happened and how I feel about things before attempting to move forward. A few days alone would do me good, but first I need to smooth things over with Mia, reassure her that I’m genuinely not holding any grudges over Jason.
I pick up Percy’s phone and stand, offering them an apologetic smile. “I’ll just be a few minutes. Can you guys stick around? After I talk to Mia, I think the four of us should talk.”
The three of them nod solemnly. You’d think I just handed them personal invitations to the guillotine.
Even though they might be upset at first, I’m confident that with a little time that things will turn out okay. After all, fate led me straight to them for a reason.