Chapter 45 Summer
SUMMER
Most of August slipped through my fingers. Sticky heat and the thick buzz of insects that long overstayed its welcome.
I accompanied my parents on follow-up doctor’s appointments.
Checking how Ba was adjusting to his new meds with Dr.Cheng and physical therapy for his shoulder.
Now that Ba was past the worst of it without the stress of the hospital, they were much more prepared.
Má scribbled notes furiously, and I suspected she was going to run everything by her brain trust of Vietnamese aunties.
Even though they needed my help less, it still eased my worries to be there in case they misinterpreted or forgot something important.
I eventually reopened Suns Out Bánhs Out to much fanfare, the muscle memory of my old routine reawakening. Except I added new rituals—ducking next door, or grinning as Mercer wandered over to steal kisses.
Twenty-four hours in a day was supposed to be finite. Yet the relationships I once claimed I had no time for built a home among the life I already had. Sitting at my family’s dinner table, appearing at closing time to walk me home, and handing me coffee in the mornings.
The pack house continued to transform. Pieces from my old apartment—my velvety green couch, that vintage table I’d thrifted a couple of years ago—replaced the temporary furniture permanently.
Má was just happy I was no longer taking up precious garage space and she could buy dishwashing liquid in bulk again.
We even went on a group date with my friends. Four packs, taking up an obnoxious number of rows at Starlight Grove’s Hollywood Cinema. I conveniently didn’t tell my guys that the proprietors, Missy and Herbert, had eclectic taste.
“Wow…that was…”
“A movie. It was a movie.”
“I was surprised when they said the name of the film right there in the dialogue like that.”
All three of them were navigating how much they hated A Delightful Frolic at Sea so skillfully.
“Oh no, it’s not good . Missy and Herbert pick the worst films to show,” Lucy piped up. “None of us enjoy them.”
“Then why did we spend two and a half hours of our lives on it?” Mercer demanded.
I latched an arm around his elbow. “Trauma bonding,” I sighed happily. “Now let’s go discuss it over pie at Rosie’s.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Our nights ended all together in the nest. Usually Mercer and I found our way there first, tired from the early mornings. But Jae and Lucien adjusted, not wanting to miss out on that sleepy chat and cuddle before I drifted off.
Nothing more happened. My omega craved a different type of intimacy right now, and they gave it to me in spades. I lived for the way they would scent-mark me. On my wrists, my neck, and my cheek. Leaving me reminders all day that I was theirs. It settled me like nothing else.
It struck me all at once, how easy everything was, when I was bringing over Ba’s prescription from the pharmacy and saw Jae already there. Humming to himself the way he always did now while he worked. Felix was crouched low, ready to pounce on the pile of weeds.
“Is this weird for you?” I blurted.
Jae removed his gloves and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Weird how?”
“I dunno…tending to a veggie patch instead of writing award-winning albums.”
“Still on that, Summer?” he asked lightly. “That’s all right, I can tell you as many times as you need. The answer isn’t going to change.”
Every thought in my brain promptly shut off as his singular dimple appeared. He stood close enough to cloud me in his scent. Sweat made his shirt cling to the hard planes of his abdomen, and I remembered how it felt to trace his tattoos beneath with my tongue.
“First, I have been working on music. I’ve been very inspired lately.”
All I could muster was a small “Oh.” The intensity of his gaze was making my stomach perform somersaults.
“None of this is weird. Or a chore.” He was reading my damn mind. “It feels exactly like where I’m supposed to be. You want proof?”
“Uhh…how would you do that?”
The last thing I expected him to do was to pick Felix up by his round middle.
“Look!”
Felix’s legs dangled helplessly as he blinked SOS to me in Morse code.
My hand flew to my mouth, appearing concerned, conveniently hiding my laugh. “What are you doing?”
“He’s letting me hold him without running away,” Jae explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “That means I’m a Starlight Grovian. A Starlight Grover? What is the official term?” He really was tempting fate now, cradling Felix like a baby. “Either way, I have been accepted.”
Jae completed his trust exercise by holding Felix aloft, like he was presenting him over Pride Rock. Mayor approved , his power stance said. Felix meowed, his tail swishing urgently.
“Point made. I think you can put him down now,” I managed to say without giggling.
Felix shook out his whole body when his paws finally touched the ground. I approve, but don’t do that again , his injured expression said as he plodded off.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
I turned to face Jae, struck all over again by just how beautiful he was. Aglow in the low-hanging afternoon sun, looking at me like no one else existed.
“I love you.”
Oh.
He cupped my cheek and I melted. “If the rest of my life only consisted of the music in my heart, this town, and you, I would be happy.” His lips pursed as he thought about it. “Definitely need you, though. That’s nonnegotiable.”
“You have me,” I said softly. Heart skipping, my soul illuminated. “I love you, too.”
He leaned down, his kiss so full of promise. “I never dreamed I would get this lucky.”
I almost forgot extravagant gifts were a part of courtship until I came home to the three of them waiting expectantly outside my nest.
“What have you done?” I asked suspiciously.
Jae grinned knowingly. “Presents.”
“Plural?”
“Definitely.”
An involuntary squeal slipped out of me, and I pushed open the door.
Oh my god.
The pile of new bedding was enormous . There were comforters in prints that were exactly my taste.
Throws with pom-poms and fringe. A stack of velvet jewel-toned pillows.
And the centerpiece—a giant plushie shaped like a dumpling, complete with a proportionately tiny smiley face stitched on the front.
“Did you raid Nest Wonderland?” I gaped.
“You think Nest Wonderland has a range like this? None of that stuff was good enough,” Mercer scoffed. “We’ve spent the last few weeks picking these out online and waiting for them to arrive.”
My god, their standards for my nest were even higher than mine.
Jae nestled his chin on my shoulder. “Is it okay?” he asked earnestly.
“Are you kidding me?” I dove into the pile greedily. Where to start? I gasped, noticing that one of the comforters wasn’t a polka-dotted print like I thought, but tiny fried eggs .
They knew me. They really knew me.
I would be spending the next two hours at least rearranging my nest. And then I would of course need cuddles to get their scents on all the new items.
“I love it, thank you.” I hugged the dumpling plushie to my chest. “So much so that I’m going to be in here forever getting my nest perfect.”
Lucien placed a kiss on my hair, careful not to get between me and my courtship presents. “Take all the time you need. This nest is yours. This home is yours.”
Hearing him say that gave me a jolt of realization. “Hey! Do you think this means the curse is broken?”
“Definitely.” He massaged the top of my spine, turning me into putty. “We were always meant to find our way back to you.”
So romantic. However …
My eyes snapped back open. “ Or …maybe it was broken by John Smith.”
They stared blankly at me.
“He landed that great job, right? That’s not a curse at all. He was blessed by his stay in this house with a big fat paycheck. And then you guys moved in after and look at us now. John Smith broke the curse,” I said solemnly.
“Hell no.”
Mercer was so outraged over my dumb joke. I smudged a giggle between my lips. “You’re very passionate about this, Mercer.”
“Fuck him! We became a pack here and made this house a home again. We belong here with you. I’m not letting some guy take credit for this.”
“You might be onto something there,” I conceded. “Maybe.”
“Make your nest, troublemaker.”