23. Bailey-Rose
When I woke up, I found myself still in the pile of pillows, but there was no noise like I would expect if we were still in the store.
Stretching, I knocked a bunch of pillows off and discovered I was in our home.
I had no recollection of us leaving The Snuggery or arriving home, where I had been unloaded and placed in this mountain of fluff.
Wiggling out of the nest, I reached the edge of whatever was holding the pillows, and it buckled under my weight.
This caused me to ungracefully roll out into the middle of the floor.
I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting for someone to comment about my entrance. When I didn’t hear anything, I glanced around to discover I was in one of the side rooms that didn’t have a purpose yet. All the items we bought were in boxes and bags along one wall waiting to be given a home.
Vili entered with a mug in his hands and a charming smile on his lips that had me remembering just how soft they were. “My kitten is awake.”
Combing my fingers through my hair, I tried to get it to calm down after all the static buildup from the pillows. “How long was I asleep?”
“About two hours,” he answered, offering me a hand. “I came to wake you. If you keep sleeping, then you not sleep tonight.”
I let him pull me to my feet and accepted the sweet-smelling tea. “Good call. I’ve been known to overdo it on the naps and throw my whole sleep schedule off. Although I’m not sure what schedule I really have these days.”
Vili cocked his head. “Why is that?”
I quickly covered my mouth as a yawn overtook me. “Sorry,” I mumbled, sipping on the tea, hoping it would help clear my head.
“Come, let’s sit with the others,” Vili suggested as he grasped my hand.
Like a duckling to its mother, I followed along, shuffling my feet as I tried to drink and walk.
I hissed as some of the tea sloshed over the side and ran down my arm, but it didn’t stop me from getting another taste.
Vili clicked his tongue disapprovingly at me and snatched the mug away, causing me to pout.
“I will give back once sitting,” he assured me.
“What kind of tea is it? I don’t think I’ve had anything quite like it,” I asked.
“Serenity is the name I gave it,” Vili shared.
Shocked, I dug my heels in, which had Vili jerking to a stop. “Wait, it’s a blend you came up with? Meaning I can’t find it in a store?”
He smiled and hummed his acknowledgment. “I love tea, so I experiment. This is a favorite, and I only share with you.”
That had me grinning like a fool as we joined the others, relaxing in the living room and watching some sports game.
“Well, look who finally woke up,” Gareth teased, patting the spot next to him. “Seems like that nap did you wonders, baby girl.”
Slipping my hand from Vili’s, I joined Gareth who apparently decided against me sitting next to him.
Instead, I was snatched up and curled into a ball to be cradled on his lap.
He nuzzled his nose into my hair, breathing in my scent.
“God, I love how small you are. It’s like you’re our own personal Omega teddy bear to snuggle. ”
I preened under the affection, loving every second of it.
Why Omegas were built to thrive off this sort of interaction, I’ll never know.
What I do know is now that I was getting major doses of it every day, I felt complete.
It was as if I was a flower, and my Alphas were the sun which gave me vital nutrients I needed to grow.
To my delight, the soft vibrations of my purr echoed in my chest as I nestled into a more comfortable position.
Gareth kissed my head a few times before he sat back and returned to watching the game.
It was hard to stay awake when I felt so content, but the aroma of the tea had me cracking an eye.
There was Vili offering the enticing drink he’d made just for me.
Admitting defeat, I sat up, but Gareth wasn’t having that.
He widened his legs and settled me between them so I could lean back against his chest. This way, I could sit up to drink my tea safely and continue to cuddle.
“Are you hungry?” Warrick asked, scooching forward so I could see him. “You didn’t really get any lunch.”
I grabbed Gareth’s wrist and looked at his watch. “Dinner should be happening shortly, right? I think I can wait until then.”
“That’s why I’m asking, Care Bear. It’s ready when you are,” Warrick explained. “We can relax and eat in here unless you want to sit at the table?”
“Nah, here is great,” I said, but a yawn caught me halfway through. The guys looked at me skeptically. “What? Can’t a girl be tired? We did a lot today.”
Ulysses frowned. “Would you say today was too much?”
Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have said that. Of course, they would read into it, believing I pushed myself too hard.
“No, today wasn’t too much,” I argued, but they weren’t buying that story.
“Honestly, it’s because I didn’t get a good night’s sleep.
It might have been a little too much for that reason, but normally, this would be no trouble at all.
Personally, I think it has more to do with the fact that so many changes have happened in the past few days.
Think about it. I moved, met all of you, and my normal routine has been blown sky-high, which is why they give us this two-week leave, right?
Remember what Dr. Arbour said? I know what I can handle and how to care for myself. I’ll just go to bed early.”
Ulysses didn’t seem convinced and surprised me when he set my phone on the coffee table. “Then could it be that you didn’t sleep well because Randall has been blowing up your phone?”
Even as he asked the question, the damn thing buzzed with Randall’s name appearing on the screen. “He’s still texting?”
“Texting, calling, leaving voicemails… the whole deal,” Gareth added. “Baby girl, why didn’t you tell us this was happening?”
I looked at the phone then my guys. “I-I didn’t think he’d keep trying. Last night, I turned it off so I didn’t have to deal with them. We just broke up, and everyone processes that differently, so I figured he’d wear himself out when I never responded.”
“Rosie, this is harassment,” Ulysses stated. “I’m of the mind to call the police about what’s happening.”
“They won’t do much,” Yun-Sun interjected. “We certainly can make them aware of the problem, but for right now, he hasn’t done anything.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?” Gareth demanded.
Yun scratched his jaw as he stared at the phone.
“I think Bailey-Rose has a point about this being a new revelation for him. My thought is we turn off her phone and leave it be for a few days. There’s no reason for her to need the phone while we are all with her, and for that same reason, I don’t think Randall will be a danger to her.
He’s mad and lashing out, but if he persists, we will absolutely go to the police.
However, as I said, that is my opinion, sweetheart.
If you want us to go to the police about this now, then that’s what we’ll do.
This is your life, and you know this man better than us. ”
Chewing on my lip, I thought over everything I knew about Randall.
The person I saw in the bar was unlike anything I’d experienced over the time we were dating.
While I realized now that I didn’t love Randall, he’d been the closest thing to it.
He’d always been understanding about my condition, or so I thought.
Nothing in our time together gave me any reason to believe he’d hurt me.
Yes, the moment at the bar had been scary, but I put myself in his shoes.
If I’d shown up somewhere not expecting to see him, and he was acting strange and telling me we weren’t together anymore, then I’d be equally as upset.
“Let’s go with Yun’s plan,” I decided. “I would feel awful if I brought in the police and made a big deal out of this when there was nothing to be concerned about. Let the man cool off while we forget all about him and enjoy the time we have together. We’ll just let my brothers know they need to reach out to you guys if they need me since they’d be the only people who call me. ”
Ulysses picked up my phone, turned it off, and tossed it to Yun-Sun. “Tuck that away someplace safe, and for now, we’ll forget all about this.”
This seemed to settle everyone’s concerns enough for Yun-Sun and Warrick to get up and head to the kitchen.
Moments later, they came back with bowls of food and handed them out.
I gazed down at what looked like a cross between a pasta salad and a regular salad.
Kale wasn’t my favorite, and this dish was loaded with it.
Stabbing a twirly noodle, I popped it into my mouth.
I was delighted to find whatever dressing they used was flavorful and had a good kick.
As subtle as I could, I ate around all the greenery in the bowl, just going for the bits I liked.
“Baby girl,” Gareth whispered in my ear. “Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing.”
I froze and slowly peered up at him. He cocked a brow, looking from me to the bowl, then back to me again before he narrowed his eyes.
“I really don’t like kale,” I mumbled, dropping my gaze and poking at the stuff. “Everything else is really tasty, but there’s so much kale in my bowl.”
“You know that kale is good for your heart, right?” Warrick interjected. “I’ve been studying what foods are best for those who have cardiac issues, which is why I made this dish. Slowly, I want to add more things to the restaurant menu, so I know you have things to eat and drink there.”
Hearing him say that made me feel like a dick for not eating the meal as is, but there were some foods that no matter how good they were for me, I didn’t like. “I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart, but I really can’t stand kale.”
Warrick gave me a sweet, understanding smile and pulled out his phone. “That’s totally fine, Care Bear. I’ll just add it to the list of things you don’t like.”