27. Sunny
Chapter 27
Sunny
“ I don't know how I feel about not being allowed in my room—uh, your room,” I said, looking at Walker as I paced the kitchen. This morning, Blaze had kicked me out of my room, insisting that he needed the space for an hour or two to sort something out.
I was slowly starting to gain more freedom, but the guys were still hovering with that cute and concerned manner I was quickly getting accustomed to. I was feeling good—all I’d needed was a few hours of sleep, and I was good as new—but the guys, in all their concern, took it to the extreme.
Blaze had been so excited that I did as he wanted, but ever since, the nerves in my chest had been slowly growing.
Opposite Walker, Gil snorted. “Stopped being Walker’s room the minute you stepped foot in this firehouse, darling. Also, these pancakes are amazing!” He looked appreciatively down to his plate, where there was only a bite or two left.
I had prepped some pancake batter with the intention of making pancakes first thing in the morning for everyone, but the guys had been sent on an early morning call, so we were having pancakes for lunch while Luka napped in the portable crib in the den.
When I had offered to dispose of the pancake batter and make an actual lunch, everyone insisted that they wanted pancakes. Gil had already eaten six of them smothered in syrup.
“He’s right, you know. It's your room now,” Walker said.
I glowered at him. “It’s your room. I am merely borrowing it.”
A chuckle escaped Gil. “Sunny girl, with the bite mark on both of your necks, I would think it's safe to say what’s his is yours.”
My face flushed, and I grumbled as I stomped over to the kitchen island to grab another pancake, slamming it onto my plate.
“Come here,” Walker said softly as I returned, holding out his hand. Thinking he was going to pull me close to him, I accepted his hand and yelped in surprise when he dragged me into his lap.
I gave him a startled look, glancing over at Gil. Even though I was getting more used to being in close contact with these alphas, we hadn't really done anything like that around the other members of the firehouse.
The older firefighter didn’t seem phased; he kept eating his pancakes with gusto.
“What's wrong?” Walker asked with a frown, keeping his voice low so only I could hear.
I sighed, my body relaxing into his touch.
How could I explain everything I was feeling without sounding like a completely ungrateful brat? Walker and his pack had done so much for me, and if they knew I was struggling in any way, shape, or form, they would jump to help me, even though they didn’t need to.
“Sunny…”
“I'm just feeling a bit unsettled,” I finally admitted.
Walker nodded. “That's completely understandable. I've already started making inquiries into pack houses, and hopefully we'll be able to get you a proper home soon.”
“No! I don’t need that,” I insisted. Even though the idea of a real home made me vibrate with excitement.
I couldn't help the fact that I was an omega, that decorating and nesting was when I was happiest. Making a home perfect for me and especially my baby just made me want to bounce off the walls with glee.
Across from us, Gil snorted again. “Sunny girl, I may be an old man without much brains, but even I know that omegas need proper homes.” I turned to glare at Gil, who raised his hands in surrender, a grin on his face. “Damn, if looks could kill.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side,” I grumbled.
Walker’s chest moved beneath me as he chuckled, kissing the top of my head. “We are all on your side. It’s just taking you a bit of time to realize that.”
I opened my mouth to insist, once again, that I didn’t need a pack house but was distracted by footsteps thundering throughout the firehouse.
“Sunshine!” Blaze cried happily as he strode into the kitchen, pulling me out of Walker’s lap and in for a hug. His sweet, spicy, chocolate scent infiltrated my senses as I nuzzled into his neck. I had given up on resisting these guys. They were pulling me into hugs and touching me at every opportunity, so the least I could do was huff their scents every now and again. I wasn’t jumping into their laps, but I also wasn’t protesting when they did.
“Can I finally see what you’ve been up to?” I asked, frowning at him.
“Don’t look at me like that, sunshine. You are going to love it.”
“She can withhold judgment until she sees what you've been up to,” Walker said, taking a sip of his coffee before smiling reassuringly at me. “We all pitched in.”
That was somewhat reassuring. I adored how overexuberant Blaze was, but when it came to getting me a gift, I was terrified that there was no one to reel him in. If Walker approved, though, it was probably modest and sensible.
Except, that notion was very quickly shattered when I saw the state of my bedroom.
“What on earth?” I muttered as I took it in. The room was decently sized, but you couldn't tell, due to the bags from a local furniture store stuffed into the room. And there were piles of boxes three or four high. “What is all this stuff?” I asked, taking a tentative step into the room.
Had they decided they wanted to use my space as a storage room? I wouldn't hold it against them if they had. I was sort of an interloper here, but I would have thought they would be a bit clearer when it came to telling me that.
“Open the boxes!” Blaze said, his voice filled with excitement as he bounced on the balls of his feet. His pack mates had followed him and were standing in the doorway with matching smirks.
Taking a step forward, I grabbed one of the bags and opened it.
Blankets.
Fluffy, pretty, and deliciously soft.
“These are for me?” I asked, looking up from the blanket I was fondling to Blaze.
“It’s all for you!”
I took several quick breaths as I tried my best to calm myself. There were so many boxes.
“ALL… are you telling me that every single box and bag in here is filled with nesting supplies?” I asked in a shrill voice.
Blaze nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Before you say it's too much, this is the bare minimum,” Walker said, his voice full of authority.
“Do you need to get your head checked? Did you fall over at work and get a concussion? This is not the bare minimum!” My tone edged toward hysterical as I waved toward the boxes.
None of them seemed fazed by my freak-out. In fact, they were all grinning like lunatics.
“Well, it's not all nesting supplies,” Blaze said. “We did get a new mattress for this room and also got a toddler bed for Luka.”
I gaped at him. “You got him a toddler bed?”
Rune answered. “Yes, but it's one of those beds that can be a crib or a toddler bed, depending on what he needs. This is only a temporary solution. We will get him a much nicer bed once we have our pack house.”
I wanted to reject the gift—not because I didn’t want it. It was quite the opposite, really. My omega wanted nothing more than to start tearing into all the boxes of nesting supplies and setting up the bedroom just right. I had felt so displaced and off-kilter for so long that the prospect had me practically salivating.
There was no way I could ever reject a gift that was for my son’s comfort, though.
The dummies I was in a pack with knew that.
Sneaky alphas.
“So… do you want to set the room up while we put the new mattress on and build Luka’s bed?” Walker asked. “I was tempted to set it up for you, but I know omegas like to do that themselves.”
I nodded, Walker was right. Omegas were very particular when it came to setting up a nest, and I was no different. For weeks, I had been repressing my nesting instincts, trying my best to be content with Walker’s cold, white-brick room. It was bare and chilly and unwelcoming, but it was better than the charred remnants of our previous home.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to the guys. “Get building, then.”