5. Avery
Avery
T he pounding in my head as I woke up was a stark reminder that I was no longer in college and hadn’t drank much since then.
I groaned and shoved out of bed, trudging to the bathroom for a shower like a zombie, feet shuffling and groaning.
Mama always kept the medicine cabinet stocked, so I pulled out a few pain pills and drank them down with water straight from the faucet.
The old farmhouse was slow to heat up the water but once steam started rising in the room I hurried into the shower, hoping to wash away the hangover and stench of the bar from my skin.
Twenty minutes later, I was clean, dressed, but no more ready for my day. The house was quiet as I trudged down the stairs but there was a huge pan of cinnamon rolls waiting and coffee warm in the pot.
I hummed happily as I took a bite of buttery, flaky, cinnamon roll. No one made them like my mom.
After making a coffee and grabbing a plate for my cinnamon roll, I took it out to the porch.
The morning air was cool out here and I could see my mama moving about in the garden. I sat in my favorite chair, slowly chiseling away at the hangover one bite or swallow of coffee at a time.
Finally, Mama spotted me and trudged over, garden shears in hand and a streak of dirt across her freckled cheek.
“Fun night?” The smile on her lips told me she heard about the commotion.
“Just some random alphas who tried to overstep. You know my brothers did not let that slide,” I said with a chuckle. “That ended quickly and no damage, so we’ll call that a win.”
She sat down and let out a hum in answer, rocking and staring off at the mountains in the distance.
A sense of peace washed over me as we sat there in silence. I hadn’t realized just how much a girl could miss her mom.
“Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do about everything? Do you have loose ends back home?”
Her eyes were worried and I shook my head. “They conveniently left me off of the lease and anything ‘we’ owned. I never put them on my account so that’s safe. I have my own phone contract because I was stubborn, but everything else is on them to handle now. I had my lawyer contact them and say any communication is to go through him.”
“Smart,” she said, the pride ringing in her voice. “That’s my girl.”
“Fuck them, they won’t ever get to see me again.”
“No, they won’t,” she agreed. “If they step onto my property then your brothers will be the least of their worries.”
For a small omega she sounded downright deadly. I bit back a smile at her protective ‘mama bear’ streak and let out my own hum of agreement to match her earlier one.
“I have to head into town. Partly to see what’s changed, the other to get a feel for home again. Then, I’m meeting the boys at the bar for lunch to see where I can step in,” I explained.
“Good, I had hoped they’d find a way to work with you,” she said with a distant smile. “They’ve kept that place going and I know it’s only going to get better from here.”
She didn’t say anything else as she patted my knee, stood up, and went back to her garden.
I took my time milling around the house before finally heading in. My brothers hadn’t shown up yet today so I knew I had time.
With my wallet tucked away, I snagged my mom’s keys, and headed into town. I guess I was going to have to get a new car soon. Maybe now I could buy the truck I wanted without the commentary from my former mates.
According to them, “omegas couldn’t drive pickups.” It wasn’t “dainty” enough, I guess.
As every day passed, I realized more and more how much I disliked them now that the fog had lifted.
I parked at the beginning of Main Street and decided to go off on foot. It had been a long time since I simply enjoyed shopping small businesses and taking my time. Thank god I never touched my savings, though it would be a lot bigger if I’d kept on working and hadn’t started depositing the last few checks into the joint account.
At least I had a backup. I’d transferred over enough to get me started, but it was seeming very apparent that I needed to start saving for building a house, maybe even a smaller starter one, and get a car.
The corner bookstore was gone, just like Sidney told me, but there was a new shop in its place. In fact, there was a cafe, a coffee shop, and a tattoo parlor I didn’t recognize.
Some of the storefronts stood empty, but a few of the older ones managed to hang on. The bakery was the same as it always was, so was the diner, the hardware store, and the tiny grocery store.
There was usually a weekend farmers’ market but I wasn’t even sure if that still happened. A lot had changed in the last seven years. Honestly, they were changing before then.
The truth was, that Rockwood Valley just wasn’t the same. The heart and tradition was missing and there wasn’t as much activity on the streets this early.
Wanting to find a bit of the heart of Rockwood Valley, I veered into the new corner shop.
The owners had done well, clearly cleaning up the stone exterior and keeping fresh hanging plants under the awning.
‘Cohen’s Creations’ was painted in fancy script on the window with a few cute jars and herbs drawn around it. It looked like whoever Cohen was, he’d painted it himself.
I pushed open the door and was hit with the most amazing scent. Dried flowers and herbs hung from thick twine behind the desk and around the shelves.
Glittering faux marble tile filled the floor and a sleek black counter rested in the center. It was an open concept except for the desk, the shelving lining every wall stacked with filled jars all labeled with the same cute design as the front window.
There were huge barrels along the bottom of each shelf that were filled with various bulk mixes.
I breathed in the earthy, herb laced scent, picking out the notes of sweet sugared citrus and fresh sage that was the most prominent.
“Hello,” a quiet voice said, not exactly the exuberant volume you expected when walking into a shop, but I would take it over a fake greeting any day.
A handsome man with a sweet smile walked out of the back. He had dark hair that was cut short and layered, gel coaxing it to keep the brushed back look with a few strands laying artfully over his forehead. His pouty lips were tipped just the slightest and his lithe body held a little tension. Clearly, he wasn’t a people person but not everyone was.
“Hello,” I answered back as I tried to look like I wasn’t staring. “Are you Cohen?”
He nodded and his smile grew, the pride in his business evident in his expression. This beta was adorable.
“It’s a beautiful shop. I’m going to peek around a bit,” I said, offering him an out as I snagged a cute silver basket and started at the first shelf.
The bulk on this side were different nut and granola mixes, the jars on the shelves above a various mix of jams and jellies. I snagged a seedless raspberry jam and a hot pepper jelly before moving on.
When I rounded the back wall, I found refrigerated displays with homemade butter and cream cheese mixes, the shelf next to it lined with breads from the local bakery to accompany it.
My basket grew heavier the longer I spent wandering the store, but I couldn’t stop myself. There were too many things I was dying to try. This beta had put more love and attention to detail into his products than I thought possible.
He even had spice mixes for dips and sauces, along with homemade popcorn salts. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a sucker for popcorn. I snagged at least three different ones, but only because I was running out of arm strength to carry my selections and had to hold myself back.
I frowned down at my basket as I reached the final shelf, realizing I had no choice but to stop. With one last longing look at the lotions, I turned, nearly screaming as Cohen stepped closer.
He reached out and caught my basket before I could topple, the scream catching in my throat.
His cheeks flamed red and his voice was even more quiet as he finally spoke.
“Sorry, I was coming to ask if you needed any help or wanted me to set this at the counter.”
“You just startled me a little, no worries,” I rushed out, my hand brushing his as I handed it over. My breath caught as the sweet citrus and herb scent hit me harder, my body reacting with a flood of heat. My heart was thudding like crazy in my chest, the omega in me perking right up.
His own eyes widened and he breathed in before his pupils dilated. He took an involuntary step forward as his skin flushed again.
“Oh my god,” he breathed out, while I had to bite back tears.
This reaction was different than anything I’d ever had. With my exes, the scent had me horny and wanting to climb them, this was something soul deep, an awakening, almost.
My body was on board, but so was my entire soul. Every inch of my body was focused on this man, from my attention, to my gaze. We were both locked in this strange stance, the basket the only thing between us.
“We’re mates,” he finally managed to get out.
“I guess we are,” I said, the panic starting to rise now that the initial shock was wearing off. He seemed to notice the change and stepped back, his words stuttering a bit now.
“We don’t have to, I can just,” He trailed off, panicking a bit now that I was.
“No, I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just complicated and I don’t know how to process this.”
“How about I get all this up there and your order started. You finish looking and meet me up there. No strings, no awkward conversations yet, then I’ll leave you with my number. Use it if you want to, otherwise I’ll give you space.”
It was so fucking sweet that I nearly sobbed. Instead I nodded and blinked the tears away before spinning around. I barely registered what was on the shelf though, my body still on high alert.
Fuck, I needed out of here.
Yet, Cohen was so sweet I couldn’t bring myself to bolt. Instead I let him ring up everything I got, without making eye contact. He waited until I signed the receipt to hand over a card and finally meet my gaze.
“Thank you, Avery. I hope to hear from you soon,” he said gently. I took the business card with a shaky hand before gathering up my bags.
I was still in shock as I loaded the bags in my car. This was not how I expected my day to go.
What I needed was a distraction and time to process, so I headed for the coffee shop next, hoping the caffeine would help more than it would hurt.
As I sat at a booth in the back, trying to process, my fingers wrapped around the small card. I pulled it out and looked at the number a few seconds before entering it into my phone.
I wasn’t ready to send a message, but maybe later.
Leave it to me to find a mate in this tiny town, right after my massive breakup, with no real set future ahead of me.
Yet, somehow, I had a feeling that Cohen wasn’t going to care about any of that. In fact, he might be far more comfortable through messages than in person.
Maybe that was exactly what I needed.
Before I could do anything, the family group chat lit up.
Maverick: See you at the bar in ten minutes.
Nash: What our grumpy brother meant to say was, we’re heading in, can you meet us at the bar now?
Avery: On my way. Anyone want coffee?
Cameron: Is that a trick question?
Biting back a laugh I went up and put in their orders. Even now I knew damn well what each of them would order, from Maverick’s black coffee, to Nash’s fancy latte, and Cameron’s hot chocolate.
When I climbed back into my car, I breathed in, the lingering scent of my mate still clinging to my clothes and the car where the bags had rested.
Now, how do I explain this to my brothers?