Chapter 25
Teddy
“What do you think of this?” Dove looks up at me, tilting her phone in my direction.
I use my finger to scroll up, looking at the house listing she's found. Five bedrooms, a pool…but it’s not near any schools. I frown. Schools? Where did that thought come from? I don’t care about schools.
Instead of answering, I press a kiss to her head. “I thought you were gonna look at ‘ouses wiff Ethan?”
She smiles, snuggling closer into my side.
I really love being able to just sit on the couch with her like this, with some cheesy show called “Extreme Nest Makeover” playing in the background.
“I am. He just ran upstairs to grab his laptop. I thought I’d get a head start though. Having a phone is so handy.”
“That it is,” I agree, breathing her in. Apple and allspice swirls in the air, reminding me of my favorite winter drink—
“You ready, Little Bird?” Ethan nearly prances into the room, the smug bastard. Not only did I have to retreat to my room to rub one out after he followed her to the bathroom last night, but then he didn’t fucking wash up after, and I had to scent her delectable slick all over his face.
I have no doubt he did it on purpose—payback for when Dove and I kept everyone up all night.
Her expression lights up. “I am!” She looks up at me again. “Do you want to look with us, Teddy?”
I can never say no to her. “O’course, Dove.”
My girl smiles, pressing a kiss to my cheek before patting the spot on her other side. “Come sit! I can hold the computer?”
Ethan gives her a soft smile as he sits down next to her. She sinks slightly, but her smile doesn’t falter as she sits snug in the middle.
“Oh,” she giggles as Ethan opens his laptop. “I like being between you two.”
“Do you, now?” I purr, knowing full well that’s not what she meant, but loving the way her cheeks flush crimson and her scent swirls further in the air.
“I…I mean,” she stammers, looking between the two of us.
She’s been blushing a hell of a lot less since she and I had our night together, but it’s hard to remember how inexperienced she is with all of this.
But then, the damndest thing happens. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and then opens them again.
She shrugs, feigning nonchalance in an Oscar-worthy performance. “I do.”
My brows shoot up. “Dove…?” I say slowly, looking at my omega who pointedly keeps her eyes off me. “Did you just turn casual on me about sex?”
“Were we talking about sex?” She looks at me innocently. “I didn’t realize.”
Ethan shakes his head at us before gently putting the laptop on Wren’s legs. He points to the keyboard and trackpad. “You can use these arrow buttons to scroll the page, or you can use the trackpad like this.” He demonstrates, and her eyes follow him intently.
Fuck, that’s right. If she was never allowed a phone, she sure as hell wasn’t allowed a computer. She nods. “Thank you. I…I’ve used a desktop for schoolwork, but I’ve never used a laptop before.”
Ethan’s jaw ticks once, and we exchange a look over her head. Just one more thing her dear old parents will have to pay for.
“What about this one?” She opens a listing. “Wait…this is in our price range?” Her eyes are wide at the sticker price on the website, and Ethan shrugs.
“Both Brennan and Maverick own their homes, and this figure is based on our incomes, plus Maverick selling his house and using the money for a down payment. Brennan would keep his property and rent it out, adding to our monthly cash flow.”
Dove’s mouth forms a little “o” as she looks through the listings, and I find myself watching her more than the screen. The way her eyes light up when she comes across a little reading nook, or a house with a literal white picket fence.
“This is so cute,” she fawns, pointing at a photo of a fireplace with stockings hung up from Christmas. “We never hung stockings. Mother said it was tacky.”
Ethan frowns. “Did you at least have a Christmas tree?”
“Oh, yes.” She nods enthusiastically. “A huge one for decoration when we would have our annual Christmas party. I wasn’t allowed to get near it, though.”
It’s my turn to frown. “What about opening prezzies?”
Wren tilts her head at me. “What do you mean?
Ethan looks at her. “Presents…under the tree?”
“Oh,” she gives a nervous laugh, “we…didn’t do that. If I got a present, it would be left outside my door. And…well, it wasn’t ever from my parents.”
A brutal, unforgiving fist reaches into my chest and squeezes my heart. “Who were they from?”
“Um…I think Freida, to be honest.” She shivers, rubbing her arms. “The house manager. She had a soft spot for me—but the presents never had a tag.”
“Then how do you know they weren’t from your parents?” Ethan’s brows furrow.
“Because…because they were always things I actually liked or wanted. I’d get the occasional birthday gift from my parents—but it was always things they thought I needed, like etiquette lessons or something. Christmas…that’s when I would get new paints, or a book of famous art pieces.”
Gods, it is taking everything in me to not go rip her parents limb-from-limb right now.
And I’m the least violent one of us.
“I promise,” the words leave me solemnly as I lean forward, pressing a kiss to her head, “that we’re gonna give you the best damn Christmas you’ve ever seen, Dove. I’m gonna start plannin’ now, so be ready to ‘ave your mind blown.”
She giggles, the sweetest sound I’ve ever heard in my life. “I’m going to hold you to that, Teddy.”
“And I’m gonna hold you to me,” I wink.
Her breath catches. “And Ethan?”
My dove’s cheeks flush as she says the words, but she doesn’t shy away.
Leaning forward, I press a kiss to her lips. “If that’s what you want.” Her little gasp has me opening my eyes just in time to see my pack brother feathering soft kisses across her neck.
Our eyes meet, and based on the mirth twinkling in his eyes, I know we’re thinking the same thing.
As soon as our little omega is ready, she can be between us any time she wants.
Suddenly, Ethan’s phone goes off, and frowning, he pulls it out of his pocket. His expression quickly shifts though, and he grins maniacally. “Yes!”
Wren jumps, and my brows shoot up. “Wot?”
Ethan, still grinning, flips his phone around to us. “I set up an alert for any news stories featuring Alessandro or the Messina family. They’ve officially been searched.”
Wren’s eyes go wide as she takes the phone, her gaze scanning the headline. “Oh my gods…we did this?”
“You did, Little Bird,” Ethan presses a kiss to her hair as she passes the phone to me.
The headline reads, “Nearly 113 Kilograms of Cocaine (248 lbs) Seized from Delivery Shipment.” I scan the rest of the article.
The shipment was on its way to a warehouse owned by the Visonte family, who regularly handle redistribution of Alessandro goods.
It is unclear at the moment if they were aware of the contents of the winter coats.
“Enough to scare ‘em,” I grin, my heart racing. Serves the assholes right for treating my mate how they have her whole life. By the time we’re done with them, they’ll wish we had simply turned them into the police.