Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Sage
I’m waiting at the front door, keeping an eye out for Brooks’ truck.
He said he’d wait for my message and then park in the same spot as last time to take me to the park where we’re meeting Riley and Neveah.
I think he senses I don’t like being around a lot of people, and I appreciate his consideration, but I’m also kind of freaking out about meeting Neveah for the first time.
I don’t want to disappoint anyone.
I hurry out and hop in when he pulls up, and he greets me with a smile.
“There’s my girl,” he says, reaching out to take my hand.
I don’t hesitate to place my palm in his, already sinking into his comforting presence.
“You ready?” he asks as he puts the truck in drive.
I nod, and he pauses, putting it back in park, and then turns to look at me with one eyebrow up.
Stupid rules.
I roll my eyes and both of his brows go up, but instead of getting mad, he quirks a crooked smile.
“Yes, Brooks,” I mutter. “I’m ready.”
“Good girl,” he says, putting the truck back in drive.
My face flushes when he says those words, just like last time. I don’t know why it affects me so strongly, but it’s nice to hear I’m doing something right for once.
We pull up to the park and I look around warily, knowing this is the last place Steve and Josh would be, but on edge nonetheless.
“They’re not here, it’s okay,” Brooks says. “But the second you want to leave, you tell me, and we’ll leave. Yeah?”
“Okay,” I say, taking his hand and walking around the truck toward the open grassy area.
It’s evening, but the sun sets late in summer, so it’s still light out. I spot Riley’s bright blue hair first, and he comes bounding toward us with his arms out. I stop and pull back, letting Brooks intercept and hug him as my heartstrings pull tight in my chest.
We still have to be careful about their scents on me, though I want to cover myself in them. Riley frowns, drooping for a moment when he remembers we can’t touch. But my attention is swiftly diverted when a tall, statuesque woman comes striding up behind him.
I freeze, staring at her. She’s the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen. I blink, expecting her to disappear or change or… something, but she doesn’t. She moves closer, and then she’s holding out one long-fingered hand.
“Sage,” she says, her voice husky and almost too sexy for me to handle. “I’m Neveah, but please call me Vee, if you’d like.”
“Vee,” I say, placing my hand in hers automatically.
Her grip is strong but gentle as she shakes my hand, then smiles at me. I suck in a deep breath, trying to catch her eucalyptus scent, but they’ve all worn scent dampeners today.
“I’d like you to know that if we weren’t being so careful about our scents, I’d ask if I could hug you.”
I nod, at a loss for words, and she tilts her head. My stomach flutters, butterflies taking off erratically inside me as I stare at her, and my scent sweetens slightly between us. The look in her eyes is hard to read, and she turns to Brooks before I can try to figure it out.
“Brooks,” she says, and he dips his head in greeting. “Shall we?”
Vee waves her hand to the side, holding her arm out for us to head toward a picnic set up on a blanket in the grass.
I follow Riley, his boisterous, excited energy giving me a boost of confidence.
“Isn’t this so cute?” he says, kicking his shoes off and flopping onto the blanket. “I think I drove Vee half-mad shopping for everything, but it was totally worth it.”
“It’s really cute,” I say, taking in the wicker picnic basket, then a pile of fluffy purple pillows I wish I could dive into.
Vee and Brooks settle next to us, chatting lightly about the weather and how it’s impacted their jobs as Vee opens the picnic basket.
She passes items to Riley, who arranges them in the middle of the blanket.
A platter of cheeses and meats, a bowl of nuts, glasses and a bottle of sparkling water, fruits—including apples and grapes—as well as three different kinds of crackers.
I’ve never seen anything like this.
Riley digs in, loading up a plate, and I hesitate, unsure if I should serve the alphas, and if so, how to go about doing so. Before I can figure it out, Vee snags a plate and fills it up, then passes it to me.
I blink at her in confusion.
“For you,” she says, nodding at it.
Riley has frozen with a loaded cracker halfway to his mouth, and I shift uncomfortably under their combined gazes.
“Oh, um. Thank you,” I say.
Brooks clears his throat and Riley startles, then shoves the entire cracker in his mouth with an awkward grin. I set the plate in my lap, sure that Riley is going about eating it wrong, and wait to see what the alphas do.
They eat the same way as Riley, though. Cheese and meat on a cracker. Cheese and nuts on an apple slice. A grape on a piece of cheese.
I guess this is how you eat at picnics.
I tentatively take a slice of apple and pair it with the cheese Brooks put on his.
“Oh,” I say, surprised. “That’s good.”
Riley grins and shoves another cracker with what I’m pretty sure is one of everything on it into his mouth.
I choose a new combination to try, taking small bites while trying to ignore the fact that they’re all very obviously not watching me eat.
I don’t know if it’s because I eat weird or something, but I appreciate their attention not being on me all the same.
I hope the combinations I’m choosing for my crackers and fruit are acceptable.
It all tastes delicious, and I think I have a new favorite food: whatever this platter is.
Vee pours water into glasses and passes them around while Riley and Brooks chat about their work days.
“I brought cards to play,” Riley says as everyone slows down on their eating. “What does everyone know?”
They all look at me for some reason, and I shrug as my face heats.
“I don’t really know any games, but you all can play. I’m happy to watch.”
Brooks’ arms twitch toward me and he frowns, but Riley is already waving their hand and talking again.
“Nah, we’ll do an easy one. How about Go, Fish?”
Vee nods in approval, a small smile on her lips as she gazes at Riley. My heart skips a beat at the stark affection she shows for them. They explain the rules, and to my surprise I pick it up in no time.
Next thing I know, I’m smiling.
I think I’m having fun. I think this might be my new best day ever.
As we play another round, Brooks introduces a new rule. “How about in the spirit of getting to know each other, we have to share a random fact about ourselves each time we get a match.”
“Oooooh, yes!” Riley says. “Love that rule, alpha daddy.”
Brooks startles, doing a double take at the nickname, and I snort a laugh. Horrified, I cover my mouth and nose with one hand, sure they’re going to scold me for how awful that noise was.
But to my consternation, Vee lets out a husky chuckle in response. Brooks’ face turns from a confused mix of concerned intrigue into soft amusement, and Riley starts laughing outright. A big, rolling laughter that has them falling onto their back and kicking their feet in the air.
This only serves to rile Brooks up more, as he looks between me and Riley and rolls his eyes, a deep chuckle coming from his chest. Vee gazes at Riley fondly, who is still cackling with tears starting to form in their eyes, then back to me.
“That was the cutest laugh-snort I’ve ever heard,” she says.
Wait. What?
“Your… Face!” Riley gasps through their laughter, one hand pointing at Brooks. “Oh my god. I can’t—” he starts and stops, giggles interrupting his words. “I think… you liked it… and then when she laughed…”
Riley manages to pull themself together enough to sit up and wipe the tears from their eyes, looking between the three of us.
“Phew. Wow. That’s going down in the memory banks as a top five fav moment. For sure.”
I finally drop my hand from my mouth and smile, although my insides are so confused. These alphas are not normal, and although I haven’t met many betas, Riley isn’t what I would expect either. My thoughts swirl as I wonder what it means.