Chapter Nineteen – Noelle
Though the guys keep me up well into the night, somehow I’m awake, showered, and ready to talk to my parents when seven-thirty rolls around. The guys are ready, too—they’re waiting in the hallway. I have the door closed so I’ll have a bit of privacy when I speak to them.
I just don’t want them to be upset with me. I hope they’re not angry I didn’t call and tell them right away that the guys were here. I am fully prepared to blame Miranda if necessary.
It’s Christmas. The last thing I want to do with anyone today is fight.
A festive Christmas shirt clings to my chest, one I’ve always loved, with garden gnomes celebrating the holiday.
As lame as it is, I’m a sucker for those stupid little things.
Once we have a place of our own, the guys will have to get used to the gnomes being everywhere outside. They’re so stinking cute.
I sit on the edge of my bed, swinging my legs back and forth as I wait for the call. I wonder if, perhaps, I should be the one to call them, but right when I have that thought, my phone screen comes to life and a picture of my parents replaces my lock screen.
It’s a videocall. Before I answer it, I take a deep breath and do my best to settle my nerves, then I hit the button on the screen and my parents pop up.
Both wear wide smiles. My mom wears her waitressing uniform, while my dad wears what he always wears when he’s about to go plow: whatever clothes he wants since he’ll be in his truck most of the time, and when he’s not in his truck he’s bundled up and manually shoveling sidewalks and all that.
My mom looks a lot like me, only she has light brown hair.
My dad’s where I get the blond locks from, same with the brilliant blue eyes.
A pair of betas, I always felt bad for presenting as an omega.
They were clearly not ready for their only child to be anything but a beta like them.
It’s gotten better over the years, but, well, there are some things they will never understand, like how it feels to be an omega, and all that comes with it.
I mean, they dated for over a year before my dad proposed. A freaking year. That’s a long time, so long it’s practically unheard of where omegas and alphas are concerned.
“Merry Christmas!” my parents say in unison.
I grin at them. “Merry Christmas.”
“We miss you,” my mom says. My parents sit side by side in what looks like the kitchen, their chairs pulled as close together as possible. “Are you having fun with Miranda?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good. What have you guys been doing all week?”
“Well, we tried building a snowman.” I remember getting into that snowball fight with the guys and have to stop myself from grinning too hard. “We did a little bit of ice skating on the lake, but I kind of suck, so…” I shrug. “Oh! We also built gingerbread houses.”
My dad gives me a warm smile as he says, “Sounds like you’ve been having lots of fun.”
“Yep.” I fiddle with the hand not currently holding up the phone on my lap. My palms are sweaty. I’m beyond nervous for what I’m about to say. “There is something I want to talk to you two about, something important.”
My mom leans forward a bit, her face now blocking out half of my dad’s. “What’s the matter, honey?”
“I want to start this by saying I had no idea Miranda was doing this, but… her brothers came.” The moment I say it, my parents exchange a quick look. “And her parents’ flight got pushed back thanks to some bad blizzard-slash-ice storm out east, so for a while it was just the five of us here.”
Man, my throat is dry, and it feels suddenly ten degrees hotter in this room than it did a minute ago. I need some water. I feel like I’m going to explode in a sweaty bubble. Gross, I know.
“I didn’t know they were coming, and they didn’t know I’d be here, either,” I say, emphasizing that point. “The only one who planned this was Miranda. Um, don’t be mad, but… they asked me to join their pack and be their omega.”
The silence stretches on for infinity, even though it’s only a few seconds before I ramble onward: “They said they don’t need any dowry or anything, either.
And before you ask, no, they didn’t push me into it.
” My cheeks flush. “I’ve liked them for years, and I guess they felt the same.
We couldn’t pretend anymore, so… we’re not.
Pretending, I mean. Please don’t be mad. ”
My dad looks like he’s having an existential crisis, but my mom finds her voice sooner and asks, “Why would we be mad?”
“Because… you wouldn’t have let me come if you knew her brothers would be here?”
My mom shakes her head. “Is that what you think? Honey, we love you and we want what’s best for you, that’s it.
You’ve known these boys for practically your whole life, so it’s not exactly surprising—” She glances at Dad.
“—even if your father’s acting like it. Your whole life, we’ve only wanted to protect you, to keep you safe.
This world… they don’t like showing it on TV, but sometimes it’s not safe for omegas.
If your father and I ever gave you the impression that we don’t trust you, that we won’t be by your side no matter what, I’m sorry.
If you care for these boys and they care for you, then that’s all I need to know. ”
The more my mom speaks, the better I feel. I can’t believe I was worried they’d be upset. I feel silly now, but I’d take that silly feeling over its opposite. The relief is a soothing balm on my soul.
Dad breaks his silence and points to Mom, muttering, “What she said. Your mom’s always been better at this stuff than me. As long as they take care of you, those guys and I won’t have any problems.”
When he says that, I can’t help but smile.
My dad would never be able to take on three alphas by himself, but I have the feeling that, since he’s my dad, the guys would let him, if it ever came to it—but it won’t.
It won’t ever come to that. I know it in my heart.
Matteo, Nico, and Felix are not the kind of alphas who’d ever hurt me.
“Can I bring them in?” I ask. “They want to talk to you.” When my parents nod, I get up and let them in. We sit on the bed together, the guys arranging themselves behind me so they’re still in the frame. It’s a tight fit, but I manage to get the four of us in, so my parents can see us all.
“Mr. and Mrs. Winter,” Matteo says with a nod. “Merry Christmas.” Nico and Felix mimic the holiday greeting.
“Merry Christmas to you, too,” my mom says, while my dad mumbles the same.
“I take it Noelle told you?” Matteo is the one who takes the reins, the über alpha in him showing off. He’s not afraid to be in situations that might make other people full of anxiety, that’s for sure. His confidence is kind of sexy, I’ll admit.
My mom says, “She told us you asked her to be your omega, and she agreed. I know her father and I are just betas, but that makes us family now, doesn’t it?”
With a solemn nod, the über declares, “It does. I want you both to know that this isn’t something we did lightly. My brothers and I have cared for your daughter for years. We’ll take good care of her, and I hope we have your blessing.”
Wow, my parents’ blessing? I had no idea Matteo was going to ask for that.
My parents clearly didn’t anticipate him saying that, either, because both of them are speechless for a little while.
Eventually, my dad speaks, “You’re good kids.
If there’s any pack of alphas I trust with my daughter, it’s you three.
Of course you have our blessing.” When he says that, I see my mom reach for his hand and squeeze it.
We’re each out of our comfort zones here. This is new to all of us.
“Thank you,” Matteo says.
“Yes, thank you,” Felix tells them, and then he glances at his twin and elbows him.
“Oh, uh, yeah, thank you.” And then, because Nico is Nico, he asks something totally not appropriate for a quick call: “Is now a good time to talk about whether we want an old-fashioned wedding or a pack ceremony?”
“Maybe,” my mom answers without skipping a beat, “we should all sit down together once you’re back, after the holidays, so we can talk about it.
For now, your father and I have to get to work, and I’m sure you four have other things you’d rather be doing on Christmas morning than talking to us.
” Her eyes focus on me. “We’ll see you soon. I love you. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, Noelle. Love you,” my dad says.
“I love you guys, too. Merry Christmas.” Behind me, the guys echo the holiday sentiment, and I end the call.
Nico gasps dramatically. “Hey! You ended it before I got to say I love them too—”
Beside him, Felix rolls his eyes and shakes his head, then he says to me, “It sounded like they took it well. They didn’t seem upset.”
“No,” I say, “they weren’t.”
It’s Matteo who says, “Maybe you didn’t give your parents enough credit.”
Maybe he’s right. Maybe, all these years, I was a little too hard on my parents.
As a kid, you think your parents are all-knowing, or that they should be, and when the truth peeks inside, when you find out they don’t know nearly enough about everything you thought they did, you think they’re not good parents.
Alas, when you get older, you find out that nobody knows everything. Everyone’s just trying their best.
As an omega born to two beta parents, I really did have it good.
We might not have been rich, not like the Holloways, but they took care of me.
They kept me safe. They didn’t sell me or auction me off like some parents do once their omega turns eighteen.
There are much worse fates one can have as an omega; I never really appreciated it until now, as spoiled as that sounds.
Not all parents are loving. Not all parents try their best. My parents love me, which is more than some can say. They love me and they trust me, so of course they weren’t going to be upset with me over this. I was silly for thinking they would be.