20. Nash
Chapter 20
Nash
“T he porch is ready to stain, and we got everything loaded into the rooms we think you’ll want them in,” Dane tells Quinn.
“Bet the grill is already set up,” Quinn teases.
Dane laughs at how quickly Quinn has us pegged. He’s not wrong. It was the first thing we did after unloading. I hate living off takeout.
“The pool deck is gonna be nice once we get it all set up,” Dane adds, going into his plans for the space.
I know they’re trying to lighten the heavy mood by talking about the new house. Normally, I would be in the thick of it. I love remodeling homes. Even though I’ve flipped dozens, it’s never been one of my own. Right now, I can’t find the energy to join the conversation.
“Almost there,” Dane says as we turn onto our street.
The road here is brick, bordered by ancient moss-covered trees on large lots. Many of the old homes have fallen into disrepair, but I can see their former glory. If I wasn’t so pissed and confused about all this, I would love the location.
Flashing red lights flare the closer we get to our new house, and my body freezes as Dane slows the truck. A small crowd has gathered in the street, blocking the road. The pounding urge to run to her overwhelms me when I realize an ambulance is parked in front of Rosie’s house.
I jump from the truck before we’ve stopped. It isn’t Rosie. Please don’t let it be Rosie.
“Wait!” Dane calls. But I can’t.
Quinn’s voice rises above Dane’s, urging me to go.
Pushing through the small crowd of neighbors, I come up against two alphas in EMS gear holding out their raised hands to stop me. The red vision of my alpha tries to take me, but before I totally lose it, I spot Rosie. My heart squeezes painfully.
She’s at the back of an ambulance, watching as they load an older woman into the back.
“That’s my mate,” I say to the closest alpha, the words coming out more growl than speech.
One of the emergency responders nods and lets me pass. Smart man, because I was getting to her either way.
“Rosie!” I call. Her head snaps my way when she hears me, and I close the distance. “What happened?”
Her eyes are vacant and her voice wooden. She’s dripping wet, and I can’t tell if it’s tears on her face. “My grandma… She fell and got hurt. A pipe burst upstairs…We’re on our own, andI didn’t know what to do or how to turn off the water?—”
She’s on her own. That fact guts me and gives me a surge of hope.
Before I can respond, one of the emergency workers interrupts. “Miss, we’re taking her to County General now.” He gives her directions for how to reconnect at the emergency room and climbs into the back.
She watches as they drive away, her voice still eerily empty. “Why are you here? I thought you were staying away.”
“Didn’t you read the fine print? An ambulance nullifies the contract.” I shrug. If I’m real with myself, I don’t know how I’ll ever stay away. Even on this gloomy night, she’s like a ray of sunshine. I force myself to do the right thing even though the words taste vile. “I can go if you want,” I offer, nodding toward my new house. “I just—I needed to see that you were okay.”
She looks at me, her shoulders relaxing the longer I hold her gaze. “I’m not okay.” Her watery smile hits me right in the chest. “I could use a ride to the hospital. I don’t think I’m in any shape to drive.”
The nod I give her is all I can manage, my throat too tight to speak.
“And maybe a hug?” she asks, so quiet I’m almost convinced I imagined it.
I open my arms anyway, and she clings to me. I’m an absolute asshole because no matter why she’s leaning on me, I don’t want it to end. She feels right here—as though this is where she’s meant to be.
“It’s all right. I'm here,” I reassure her.
She nuzzles her cheek against my chest, breathing deeply. Instinct guides me, and my purr rises, beating into the night my desire to care for and soothe my mate.It feels good to hold her, her scent and softness so comforting my heart hums.
Startled, Rosie jumps back, her eyes wide.“Nash?” she asks.
The sound of my name on her lips strikes like a blow to the gut. Nash is a desperate plea. In one word, she’s asked me a thousand questions. All of them boil down to “Are you going to hurt me?”
I pray to gods I don’t believe in that I won’t. Before I can find the words to tell her I’ll be by her side for as long as she lets me, Dane’s deep voice pops our bubble.
“What happened? Are you okay?” he asks as he and Quinn jog toward us.
Rosie stiffens, her gaze snapping their way, mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like “fuck.”
Her little slip causes me to give an inappropriate smile, but I swallow it and call out to my pack, “Her grandma took a bad fall after a pipe burst. I’m gonna drive her to the hospital.” Dane opens his mouth, no doubt to say he’s coming too, but I cut him off. “Rosie, if it’s okay with you, maybe my pack can see about the flooding while you and I check on your grandma?”
I can tell by Rosies’s souring scent we’re overwhelming her. We’re a complicated mess of knots, but this isn’t about us.
She gives a jerky shake of her head. “You don’t have to?—”
“We want to,” Dane says, his eyes flashing with his alpha.
I’m sure Dane’s instincts are riding him as hard as mine, and there is zero chance I could walk away from Rosie right now. But I can see he realizes this is all too much and we’re making her nervous.
Rosie chews her lip, then sighs. “Okay. Thank you.”
Quinn gives me a surge of reassurance in the bond. “It’s settled. We’ll see what we can do about the house. You guys go check on her grandma. Let us know if you need anything.” He loops his arm through Dane’s and drags him toward the house. Over his shoulder, he calls, “Feel better, Rosie.”
She whips her head toward me, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What is happening right now?”
“It’s Knotty Pines. Isn’t everyone neighborly and shit?” I ask sarcastically.
Her lips twitch, and her eyes water. “It’s definitely been my experience with you. Let me get shoes.”
* * *
A beta nurse waves us toward her through the open door. “She’s in room 17A, that way.” She points us in the right direction, and I follow Rosie, a palm on the small of her back.
The trip here was quiet, and despite all the complications between us, she let me purr until the silence turned into a white flag.
At the door, Rosie stops, hand on the handle. “Thank you for the ride. You don’t have to stay?—"
“Unless you tell me to go, I’m here,” I promise, my words holding more of my growl than I’d like.
She shakes her head, and I have no idea what that means, but she opens the door, so I’m taking it.
“Did you bring it?” a soft voice calls.
“You better have more of an update for me than to pester me about your nail.” Rosie steps toward the older omega lying in the hospital bed.
Even if she hadn’t said this was her grandma, I would have known. Rosie shares the same unusual shade of green eyes, almost like the color of water.
Rosie digs around in her purse and produces a small bag before sitting on the edge of the bed. “You spill. I’ll file.”
Her grandmother looks pointedly at me, her expression full of too much mischief for someone sitting in an ER. “Not before someone tells me who your mystery escort is.”
My alpha instincts like that Rosie’s neck splotches pink. I bet I could make a sport out of getting her to blush in all kinds of ways.
“Nash Wells, ma’am. I’m your new neighbor. I know Rosie from high school,” I explain, stepping forward when she urges me closer.
“Nash, is it? And why have you returned?” Her grandmother’s playful gaze morphs into a laser of death. It’s this look only omegas get, and I know she sees right through me.
I fiddle with my hat, taking my own turn of embarrassment.
“I’m not dying, not yet, but you best make it quick because my hip hurts like a son of a bitch, and as soon as the nurse comes back, I’m asking for something strong enough to knock out a horse.”
Damn. These two share more than eyes.
“We’re here because Dane wanted to come back home to settle, but I didn’t know Rosie was next door. I promise to respect Rosie’s wishes and stay out of her way if that’s what she wants.”
Her grandmother lifts her brow, calling my bluff. “Well then, I guess I’m lucky you seem to have trouble keeping that promise.”
A surprised chuckle escapes. “No, ma’am. I’m not very good at keeping it at all.”
Rosie looks between us as if she’s trying to crack a secret code, but I have no more clue than her what her grandma is up to.
“How about you make me a promise you can actually keep?” I nod for Rosie’s grandma to continue, and she holds my gaze, her eyes boring into mine with the weight of her words. “Promise me you’ll look after my home. Rosie can’t do it alone.”
I swallow around the rocks in my throat. “Done.” I mean my word—I will do my best to ease this worry for her.
Rosie gapes at the two of us. “Grandma! I’m not the one we’re worrying about, and Nash doesn’t need to do that.” She raises the nailfile like a weapon, pointing it at her grandmother. “What did the doctor say? Have they seen you yet?”
Her grandma sighs as though she’s put out by the question. “Aging is a bitch. X-ray says I broke my hip, and the nurse says I need some fancy scan to see how bad.” Rosie gasps, but her grandma keeps barreling on. “They’re saying I need surgery. Now, see about getting this nail to stop snagging and your alpha to find me those pain meds.”
“Got it.” I nod on another chuckle, slipping out the door while Rosie continues bantering with her grandma.
The omega is all sass, and it’s easy to see how much the two of them love each other.
I find my way to the nurses’ station and let them know her grandma is ready for pain meds. Before heading back to them, I text the pack group chat with an update. Quinn sends back an audio note with a host of medical questions he wants me to ask while Dane uploads pictures of the damage to the house.
Dane: Heading home. Keep us updated and take care of our mate.
That idea is a mindfuck I still haven’t wrapped my head around. I’m used to sharing, but Rosie has always felt like she was mine. The idea of adding her to the pack sparks a strange flare of jealousy I immediately shut down. If she ever lets us get close enough, I know my pack will be good for her. Dane’s so steady and even. Nothing ruffles him. And Quinn is so thoughtful it’s hard not to be sucked into his orbit of comfort.
By the time I make it back to the room, the nurses have taken over and her grandma is asleep. I settle into the chair by the window while Rosie speaks with the hospital staff. There is pleasure and awe in seeing her up close again, like if I blink, I’ll miss it.
I memorize every detail, from her curves to her unruly curls. She’s wearing one of my old LU sweatshirts that I grabbed from the backseat of my truck, and the sight of her in it does something to me. I want to know what she looks like after she gets ready for a date or in my sweatshirt at home after dinner when we’re getting ready to snuggle on the couch. I wish getting to see it was simple.
When the nurse leaves, Rosie turns to me and her face falls. I open my arms, and hesitantly, she comes to me. My purr rumbles back to life, an invitation for her to seek comfort even though I’m scared shitless that she’s going to turn me away.
She doesn’t. Rosie crawls into my lap and buries her head into the crook of my neck. I take it for the gift it is, my purr working to soothe her as my hands rub her back. Her tears drip down onto the neck of my T-shirt. It’s a bittersweet moment because having her in my arms is something I’ve dreamed of for so long, but I never imagined it like this.
“I’ve got you,” I manage to say, hoping it will be forever.