Chapter 5
Aspen
Cole was punctual. I watched out the window that overlooked the street in front of my building. He pulled up at exactly ten o’clock on the dot. I half expected him to simply wait for me to come down, but he climbed out quickly.
I stepped away from the window and gathered my bags.
He’d promised he already had the things his assistant picked out for me, none of which I was privy to.
At least I was able to explain my style, favorite colors and looks, and sizes.
So, I only put my essentials in my luggage.
Makeup, jewlery, and a few books to keep me busy in case the quiet life was a bit too quiet for my liking.
When he finally knocked, I opened the door to find Cole waiting.
Unsurprisingly, he was as put-together as ever, outfit meticulous, pants pressed, wearing his usual suit and tie.
He still stank of chemical de-scenting but I didn’t call him on why.
We were still strangers and it wasn’t exactly my business.
Yet. It wouldn’t take long for curiosity to win.
“Am I going to get to see the elusive Cole Hawthorne in sweatpants at all during this trip? If not, I’m not going,” I teased.
He almost cracked a smile. He might not realize it, but that was now my goal this trip. To help him smile, laugh, and maybe give him a taste of the life his mom wanted him to find.
“We’ll see,” he said, taking my bags from me without being asked.
It was strange to be around someone who was decently chivalrous. My former pack was not well-practiced in that regard.
To my surprise, the car Cole led me to was not the same one as before. This one was a sleek coupe.
“You have more than one car?” I asked.
He looked almost embarrassed but didn’t deny it. “I have two, and you’ve seen them both now. This one gets better gas mileage. Generally, I’d take the SUV, but this one’s more fun.”
He smiled then, an actual, unprovoked smile. It lit up his face, his brown eyes brighter now and his features losing some of their harsh angles. His eyes crinkled at the edges, a little reminiscent of his mom.
“Oh look, he does smile,” I teased again. It was too easy to give this man grief. For now, he was going to have to get used to my brand of sarcasm if we were going to survive this trip.
Cole put my things in the trunk, then opened my door and helped me inside. He started to reach for my seatbelt but hesitated, closed my door, and let me do it myself.
When he was in the driver’s seat, he started the car, classical music filling the air. He moved so quickly to shut it off he practically smacked the dashboard, then gave me a sheepish smile.
“It helps calm my nerves,” he admitted.
“One thing you should learn about me quickly,” I said, “is that I’m not going to judge anyone. I’m a big believer in staying true to yourself. That’s one of the things my pack did wrong, they were forever trying to fit me into a box I didn’t fit in, so I’m careful not to do that to anyone else.”
“You know, not to comment on your judgment or anything,” he said, giving me a look out of the corner of his eye as he pulled into traffic.
“He says before he most definitely questions my judgment,” I narrated for him.
“It’s just that I haven’t heard a single thing about your exes that could be counted as a positive,” he said. “You’re a gorgeous, unapologetically unique omega, and yet, you somehow ended up with a pack like that.”
“They weren’t always like that,” I admitted.
“I know it sounds stupid. That classic ‘oh, they changed when they finally locked you down’, but they truly did. For the first part of our relationship, we were fine... until we weren’t.
It was never a loud, in-your-face argument.
It was enough small comments to break me down over time.
Between that and cheating with their little sister’s best friend.
.. well, they weren’t the best pack at the end of the day. ”
“And how did moving your things out of their place go? I was a bit nervous when you said you had to get the omega clinic involved.”
“It wasn’t bad because I got them involved. I just didn’t want to interact with them. Nothing good would’ve come from it. They sent me some shitty voicemails already. It just wasn’t worth the headache.”
His jaw was tense again as he listened. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough.
“Those assholes had no idea why you left, did they?”
“No, and they didn’t really care. It was all about how I embarrassed them and ruined my chance at a real pack. Oh, and a pointed comment about me always being alone.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel and he took a deep breath, nodding once. “That’s behind you now.”
“It is,” I said definitively. “I’m looking forward to a few weeks of getting my life together. I’m going to take deep breaths and live in the moment, experience new things, find peace in the quiet life, reignite my passion. It feels like nothing excites me anymore.”
“We’ll find that spark again.”
“You said Pine Ridge is only about an hour outside the city?” We needed a subject change and I wanted to actively put this conversation behind us.
“Traffic willing,” he confirmed. “And that’s once we’re outside the city. We have to get through it first.”
He still seemed tense as we wound our way through the congestion, so I eventually reached over and turned his classical music back on. His shoulders relaxed slightly the moment the lilting piano and violin filled the car.
“How do you feel about snacks for the road?” he asked once we finally hit the outskirts.
“Oh, I’m definitely pro-snack,” I reassured him.
“Good, because there’s this little general store up the road. I tend to stop there every time I leave town. It’s a bit of a routine of mine.”
“Then we don’t want to get in the way of that,” I said, grinning. “So, out of curiosity, what’s with the lack of scent?”
“Scent spray,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you in the car.”
He glanced at me, not even needing to voice the question out loud.
“I took a temporary scent blocker,” I admitted. “It was mandatory for the venue. They said the binding ceremony and wedding would be too much. They didn’t want us to overwhelm guests and create an unsafe environment.”
“Oh, please,” he muttered. “Remind me not to have our company holiday party there next year.”
“Speaking of the company party, that’s not the one I was invited to, was it?”
“Again, you are correct,” he said. “The higher-ups and the board love to be wined and dined, and they would’ve taken it as an insult to have it with the rest of you.”
I couldn’t really complain. We always got Christmas bonuses and plenty of vacation time. Hence why I was able to take this time off.
But there is something very classist about the way businesses run once they hit a certain level of success, and it was clear Pack & Co. had reached it.
“Hmm,” was all I offered.
“What do you mean by ‘hmm?’” he asked. It wasn’t defensive, which was refreshing.
“Maybe I have a different perspective because I’m an employee versus someone at your level.
A company is only as strong as its foundation, and that foundation isn’t the leadership.
It’s all the people who put in the work to make things happen.
You can set standards, but you’re not the ones filling in the blanks to make those standards a reality.
You can tell us what to cover in our section, but again, we are the ones covering it.
It’s just... interesting when a company treats the employees who are the backbone of its success like they aren’t worthy of the same treatment as those slinging money around and having their pockets filled. ”
“I’ve tried my best to make sure my employees are well taken care of. In fact, I take a lot of nationwide standards and double them.”
“You do,” I agreed. “But I think there’s something to be said for a company that personally knows who they’re working for. How can there be loyalty when you’re this ambiguous figurehead? Heck, I’ve been with Pack & Co. for seven years, and this is the first time I’ve met you.
He frowned. Clearly, I wasn’t what he expected, and for a second I wondered if I’d overstepped. This wasn’t exactly the thing you say freely to your boss.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “I shouldn’t have said that. It was over the line.”
“No, you actually should have said that,” he admitted with a sigh. “There’s always this divide. We rely on our board, our investors, the brands that support us, that’s just a fact. But I’ve always tried to be a company that respects its employees.”
“I’m not saying you don’t, Cole. We have it better than any other company I’ve worked for. But there’s room for improvement if you’re aiming to be known for caring about your staff.”
“I’ll take that into consideration,” he said. “But we’re going to have to put a pin in this conversation.”
“I totally understand. That was a lot I threw at you and it really wasn’t my place,” I agreed.
“No, it’s definitely your place. You’re literally one of my employees… which does make it highly inappropriate that we’re doing this whole fake engagement.”
“No one will know. It’s fine.”
“Regardless,” he interrupted, flicking on his blinker. “We’re here.”
“When you called it a ‘mom and pop,’ I didn’t expect that to be its name,” I said, eyeing the sign that read Mom & Pops. “We’re definitely not in the city anymore,” I joked as I climbed out.
The small general store looked like a log cabin with a few upgrades. Shiny glass doors, big windows, and more neon signs than I could count. Colorful Christmas lights twinkled along the eaves, circling the windows and door. A large wreath hung on the wooden wall, wrapped in ribbons and tinsel.
“I almost forgot Christmas is only a week and a half away,” I admitted, hating that I’d missed out on one of my favorite seasons.
“Are you a big Christmas person?” he asked as he joined me, holding the door open so I could go in first.
“Generally, yes. I’ve always found a sort of magic in Christmas.
My family, like I said, was fairly cold.
My parents were wealthy, and, of course, our house was decorated beautifully and we got a few top-of-the-line presents.
But Christmas dinner was one of the only times we were all together with no interruptions.
It wasn’t exactly the cozy standard, but it’s one of the few good memories I have of home.
After that, I always tried to make sure Christmas was magical, even if it was just for me. ”
“I have a feeling this Christmas will be magical,” he said softly.
“Oh man, listen to me being dramatic,” I laughed, blowing out a breath and shaking my head. “Come on, show me what kind of snacks my big, bad boss indulges in when no one’s watching.”
“You have no idea,” he teased, placing a hand on my lower back and guiding me inside.
“Cole, my boy! I knew we’d be seeing you soon. It’s been a while,” an older woman called out. Her hair was gray, wild curls hanging nearly to her waist. She was dressed like Mrs. Claus in a candy-cane-striped apron and red dress.
He turned to me and gave me a wink that had my knees going a little weak. How was everything he did attractive and not creepy in the least?!
“Aspen, this is the Mom to Mom & Pops,” he said.
Her nametag said Carol, but it was clear she didn’t go by that with her regulars.
“Admittedly, when I first came to the city, and for a long time after, I made frequent stops out here just to get a moment of peace. It reminded me of home, but it wasn’t too far from work. ”
“Yes, and his visits have slowed down over the years,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Are you taking care of yourself in that big, ivory tower of yours, Prince Cole?”
“Always,” he said.
What a liar. According to his mom, he had no work-life balance whatsoever.
She clicked her tongue at him in disapproval before throwing up her hands. “Looks like it’s my job once again to make sure this alpha is eating. I swear, they’d never get by without us, would they?” She shot me a grin full of mischief.
“You’ll hear no arguments from me,” an older alpha said as he walked out with a large box in his hands. His nametag read Calvin, a beta walking in behind him with Chris on his.
“We all know she’s the reason we’re alive this long,” Chris agreed, walking in behind him. “Hello there, good to see you, my boy. Oh, and who is this? I’ve not seen her before.”
“My fiancée, Aspen,” Cole answered for me, tugging me a little closer as if to prove his point. “Aspen, these are the Pops to Mom & Pops.”
“Guilty,” the alpha chuckled, unloading the box onto a nearby shelf, restocking what looked like gaudy bobbleheads of Santa and his elves.
“A fiancée?” Carol squealed. “I guess I don’t need to worry about you anymore. Oh, the boy’s grown up, hasn’t he, dears?”
“He was bound to at some point,” Chris agreed. “Now quit pestering and let him shop. He’s here for a reason.”
“Yes. I’m taking Aspen home to Pine Ridge. Mom’s been on me about visiting.”
“Then it’s about time you did. There’s nothing like family,” Carol said firmly, before shooing us away. “Go load up on all those snacks you like.”
She grabbed a basket from a nearby stack and all but shoved it into his arms. Cole snagged it and shook his head as he led me down an aisle.
Even as he looked exasperated, he was happy. CEO Cole was left behind in the city, and I had a feeling I was glimpsing the man behind the mask.
Cole was rigid and structured. It seemed he’d built his life around schedules and meticulous choices, but I had a feeling there was more to him than that.
Maybe he used the structure as a way to cope and focus on success.
Yet with all his structure, not once since we met did he make me feel like I was causing a scene by simply existing.
I really had to stop comparing him in my head. Maybe it was just because the wedding, and everything that happened, was literally a few days ago.
But Cole was right. We left all of that in the city. Now it was time to focus on the holiday.
I had a feeling I was about to find the magic of the season in Pine Ridge, and maybe even in Cole.