Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hayes
“ H ow was your date?” Hael asks as Morris comes into the kitchen the next morning.
The big fucker blushes. His cheeks turn full-on pink as he chuckles, crossing the room and handing Gracie to Hael. “It was a great night.” He shrugs. “Arbor seemed to enjoy herself. You should have seen her in The Divine Omega. We’ll have to make a plan to take her back for birthdays and such.”
He grabs the tie from his wrist and gathers his hair.
The overwhelming urge to stab him with the spatula I’m using to flip the eggs washes over me from nowhere.
That’s a bad sign.
He finally goes on, saying, “I could tell she held back. She only picked two things. We also got a bottle of pheromone-enhancing cologne.” The big bastard chuckles again.
He’s never this jolly.
My eye twitches, and I turn back to the stove to redirect myself.
“I recommend dabbing a few drops on your wrist,” Morris says. “Arbor was a big fan, and we almost didn’t buy it. It’s expensive as hell but worth it.”
“So, does that mean she’s healed from her stitches?” Hael asks as Gracie begins to fuss.
“We didn’t have sex, if that’s what you’re asking,” Morris replies, heading to the dish rack. “You’ll have to ask Arbor yourself.”
“I wasn’t being a dick,” Hael says, sounding defensive. “I’m happy for you. When the two of you got in last night, she seemed lighter than I’ve seen her yet.”
“Mine tonight,” I grunt like a caveman. Dropping the spatula on the plate next to the stove, I swipe a hand over my face. Ever since I scented Arbor’s arousal last night, my vision keeps going foggy—at least, any time I recall the smell.
“I’m not sure she’ll be willing to be away from Gracie two nights in a row,” Hael says thoughtfully. “But I’d be happy to keep the baby.”
Fuck.
That’s a good point.
“Shit,” I mutter, snatching the spatula to pull the eggs out of the pan. “Fine, I’m claiming Arbor today. I’ll take her on our date after my training session. Then maybe you can keep an eye on the baby around the house tonight while we watch a movie or something.” I shrug. “Or Gracie can stay with us. Whatever, I just need some one-on-one time with Arbor before I end up completely feral.”
“Hey, I’m a person, too, you know,” Hael says, mimicking a child’s voice. He returns to his own tone before going on. “Morris and I should probably keep Gracie. You don’t want to scar her for life or anything.”
Morris snorts. “She’s not even two months old. In a lot of countries, babies and even kids sleep in the room with their parents until preschool.”
Yeah, but that’s weird. Unless she’s sleeping, I guess.
I point at Hael. “I’ll let you know, but be ready to keep an eye on her.”
My twin laughs. “Mission understood and accepted.”
My client calls as I’m getting out of the shower. He wants to swap his session to later in the day, which is fine. It just means I’ll have all day to take Arbor out for our date.
Am I desperate enough to dab on a few drops of the cologne Morris mentioned while getting dressed?
Yes.
Yes, I am.
It’s supposed to be catnip for omegas.
It’s omega-nip.
Fuck my life…I sound like Hael.
That’s a sobering realization.
Getting out of the house with a six-week old baby is a whole process, but I relish every second of it.
Arbor has a pretty dark blue dress on with black leggings and a dark gray peacoat with black buttons. She’s quiet during the drive, and I’m surprised when she sits up front next to me rather than in the back with Gracie. Not that I would mind if she wanted to sit with the baby. It’s always hard when the little one starts fussing while we’re moving. The only plus side is that Gracie often knocks out as soon as the truck is in motion.
We make it to downtown, and I park the truck, turning to Arbor. “I’ll get the stroller set up and grab Gracie.”
She smiles, moving to unclip her seat belt, and I can’t help myself.
My hand slides around the side of her neck, tugging her toward me just a little as I meet her in the middle. It’s a quick kiss, chaste enough to not be inappropriate if anyone is peeking in the windows, but so fucking satisfying.
I pull back, and I can feel the curve of her smile as our lips brush.
She whispers, “Whoa.”
Some fluttery feeling I’ve never experienced hits me square in the chest.
She’s incredible.
Now I just have to woo her into wanting to be mine.
Bringing Arbor to the baby store seemed like a perfect courting gift. Honestly, I thought I knocked it out of the park with this idea. I’m no longer convinced I made a home-run decision, and it’s making me itchy.
The little omega wanders around with wide eyes, occasionally examining a price tag before grimacing and scurrying off. She actually ran from me when I tried to catch her by the cribs… And I’m the one pushing Gracie in her stroller, so that says a lot.
We bought most of the smaller necessities when Gracie came home from the hospital. Hell, we even caved and got a second bassinet. One stays in Arbor’s bedroom and a second camps out in the living room.
What we didn’t handle was any permanent furniture.
Gracie is still comfortable sleeping in the bassinet, but she’s growing fast. She’s going to need a crib before we know it, and having an actual changing table would do wonders for all of our backs. The portable one we use is more like the pad meant to go on top of the changing table.
Getting crafty, I do an about-face and head back the way I came. My height is an advantage, making it easy to see over the aisles to locate where Arbor scurries off to next. She ends up near the rocking chair and glider display. I turn down that aisle and make my way toward her.
She glances over her shoulder, like she’s checking if I’m about to catch up, and her gaze refocuses on me just as I come to a stop in front of her.
Being a sneaky fuck, I wheel the stroller around her with a stretch of my arm and block her in by turning it sideways. Our height difference is always a little staggering when I’m in shoes. She barely comes up to my damn shoulder.
I quirk an eyebrow and grin to offset the anxiety I see written all over her face. “Did you just run from me?”
She scoffs. “N-No.”
“You big, giant fibber.”
“I’m just browsing.” She shrugs.
Sliding my freehand around her lower back, I pull her closer to my chest and bend to speak into her ear.
“Naughty girls get put over their alpha’s knee, but I know you’re normally a sweet little omega. So, how about instead, you tell me what’s bothering you?” I nip at her neck, sliding my tongue over her skin.
Arbor whimpers and buries her fingers in my shirt as she melts against my front. Her face wallows around until she’s under the open flap of my jacket with her nose in my armpit. “You always smell good, but today I have a dangerous level of attraction to your scent.”
I chuckle, soothing my hand down her back. “That’s not a bad thing. I told you earlier, you’re mine today .”
Arbor groans. “You’re a tease.”
“You’re adorable, but I’m not going to let you distract me.” I nuzzle my cheek to the top of her head and step back before pulling the stroller out of the way. The set of tester rocking chairs are just a few feet away, and I guide Arbor to take a seat. Once she’s settled, I pull the stroller to my other side and make sure Gracie is still sleeping. She’s fine, so I refocus on her stressed-out mom. “I thought this would be a fun date and a good opportunity to knock out a courting gift, but I should have talked to you about it. If you’re not ready for her to be away from you, I completely understand.”
Arbor’s head tilts, and she stretches over, patting my arm. “It’s a lovely date. I enjoy spending time with you. I just want you to know that I don’t need expensive gifts. You could buy me a photo album for Gracie or take me out to dinner, and that would count as a courting gift.”
“Nah, I don’t want to sound old-fashioned, but that doesn’t work for me. Dinner might count as a courting date , but courting gifts are meant to show our ability to provide a good life for you in the future.”
Arbor slides her fingers down, interlocking them with mine where they rest on the arm of the rocking chair. “You’re already providing an amazing quality of life for me…” She nods to my other hand, which is still gently pushing Gracie, so she’ll stay asleep. “And my daughter.”
“Our daughter,” I growl and freeze. “I mean?—”
She leans over, kissing my cheek. “I know exactly what you meant. And see, that’s another perfect gift , and it didn’t cost a penny. My dads weren’t wealthy, but I never realized it. They showered me with love and attention rather than gifts. When times were tough, they did things like organize a scavenger hunt to find presents on Christmas morning because Santa Claus was”—she does air quotes—“ quite the trickster . We had so much fun following the clues and hunting around for hidden candy that I never noticed I didn’t get lavish gifts.”
My heart races.
She’s so fucking sweet.
My damn chest gets tight as my stomach flip-flops.
What is that feeling?
It can’t be the beginning of falling in love, can it? It’s been less than two months… That’s not long enough to fall in love, right?
Only, you’ve been in love with Gracie since the moment she took her first breath…
But that’s a fatherly love .
Is it possible I’ve fallen in love with Arbor?
She laughs, bumping her shoulder against mine. “Are you okay over there?”
Her eyes sparkle as little crinkles appear at the edges and around her mouth.
Fucking hell. There goes my heart again, beating all funny.
I finally abandon pushing Gracie to twist, caressing Arbor’s cheek. “You’re beautiful.” My thumb teases over her lower lip, and my cock throbs. “Can I at least buy the changing table? Getting down on the floor is killing my back.”
She snorts. “As long as you know I’m here for you and not the gifts, you can buy whatever your heart desires.”
I dive for her and push my lips to hers to keep from blurting out that she’s what my heart desires.