Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sage
I wake up to the smell of coffee wafting into the living room and attempt to wiggle out of Vee’s arms so I can make breakfast for everyone, but Vee immediately tightens her hold on me.
“Where do you think you’re going?” she whispers, ruffling the hair along my neck.
I shiver and bite my lip, all too aware of how every inch of my body is pressed against hers.
“I was going to make you breakfast,” I whisper back.
“Hmm.” She nuzzles the top of my head, scent marking me, and my perfume spikes, swirling into the air around us.
“Do you want to make us breakfast?” she asks.
“I—” I frown. Does it matter?
“Sage,” Vee says, sensing the shift in my demeanor. She angles herself above me on one elbow, looking down at me as she strokes the hair back from my face. “Why are you offering to make breakfast?”
“Because it’s what I’m supposed to… do…” I trail off at the look on her face. “Or… Um.”
My scent starts to flatten, muddying with my confusion and resulting stress. If I can’t do the very basic things and omega is supposed to do, then what am I even here for? What good am I?
“From now on,” Vee says, her tone gentle but hard with command. “You’re only going to do things that you actually want to do.”
My breathing picks up as my fists clench, my chest tightening so I can only take shallow breaths.
“Hey,” Vee says, softening her voice even more. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“What if…” I stop, feeling absolutely pathetic.
Vee bends down and presses a kiss to the top of my head, then scoops me into her side as she settles next to me again, tucking my head under her chin. Her purr takes me by surprise, but immediately my muscles loosen, and I melt into her.
“What if, what?”
“What if I don’t know what I want?” I whisper, glad I don’t have to face her for it.
“Then we’ll help you figure it out,” she says, so matter of fact it takes me by surprise. “And until then, no more cooking for you. If you decide you want to cook for fun, have at it, but for now, let us take care of you, okay?”
That’s… impossible to imagine.
But I’m not yet brave enough to say no to an alpha, so I nod my head against her chest. She squeezes me to her, purr rumbling through us, and we stay like that until Riley saunters in with a plate of toast and eggs for each of us.
I nibble at my food, trying not to gobble it down as the others chat in between bites. No one pays much attention to me—other than Brooks nodding approvingly every time I finish something—but the stress of eating with them makes it hard to enjoy the food. I wish I could relax.
I wish I knew what was expected of me.
For now, I’ll just take it one step at a time.
After we eventually get up, I spend the day with Vee, following her around like a lost puppy while she works.
I think I’m a little out of it, dissociated from all the changes so nothing has quite hit me yet.
She gives me a brief tour of the employee areas of the shop, and then lets me explore.
I don’t want to be around other people though, and lavender season is still going strong, so I hang out in her office and watch her work.
I’m constantly on the lookout, convinced Steve and Josh will somehow know where I am and show up at the farm to snatch me away.
They don’t though, because how would they know?
They didn’t know I had a phone, so there’s not even a way for them to try to contact me.
A visual of them screaming when they realize I’m not there hits my brain, and it plays like a terrible movie.
Josh throwing whatever is in his hands at the wall, Steve stomping from room to room and slamming doors.
I shudder, forcing my thoughts away.
I admire Vee as she reviews some sort of paperwork at her desk.
I can’t imagine what it takes to run a business, but she makes it seem easy.
Her long fingers type and scroll through spreadsheets, and occasionally she’ll run a hand along her chin or jaw in thought. Her neck is elegant and looks so soft.
The longer I stare at it, the more I want to bite into that delicate skin.
My hands itch to stroke along her arms, to feel the strength of her lean muscles and sink into her curly hair.
Am I allowed to touch her hair? I don’t know where or how much touching—or looking—I’m allowed to do, now that I think about it.
I can’t stop my eyes from being drawn to her though, and I think she knows it.
Every time she catches me, she smiles. It’s a knowing, slightly devious smile that hints at future promises.
My skin flushes as heat builds low in my belly and slick soaks into my panties.
I know they’re all being cautious with me, careful not to cross any boundaries or trigger me, but I sometimes wish they wouldn’t.
Sometimes a girl just wants to be ravaged by a sexy alpha with the longest eyelashes she’s ever seen.
I sigh, and Vee turns to me, her nostrils flaring as she smirks. I have no doubt I’m perfuming like mad, broadcasting how attracted I am to her.
“What do you want to do tomorrow? I know Riley has been coming apart at the seams, he’s so impatient to take you on a date. Think you’re feeling up to it?”
“What does he want to do?”
I haven’t thought about going on dates. I mean, I know they said they want to court me, but I didn’t actually think about what that meant.
Vee laughs. “A better question would be what doesn’t he want to do?” Then she rolls her chair over to the open doorway and raises her voice. “Riley! Come in here when you get a sec.”
They pop their head in a couple minutes later, blue-green eyes lighting up and darting between us. “What’s up, pretty ladies?”
Vee huffs a laugh, winking at me as she turns to him. “What did you have in mind for your date with Sage?”
Riley’s mood turns into the equivalent of a bouncy ball. They literally jump up and down, clasping their hands together as they dash to Vee’s side. “Oh my god, do I finally get to take her out?”
He turns to me, excitement lining their tone. “What do you want to do? I have so many ideas, but I was thinking maybe we head into town? Our town, Hillside, not your old town. I can show you around all the cute little shops and we can get candy and coffee and hang out. What do you think?”
I don’t know how he got all that out without pausing for breath, but I can’t say no to that face. Plus, his excitement is infectious.
“That sounds great,” I say. “Will it be safe, though?”
“Did Steve or Josh ever come over to Hillside?” Vee asks.
“I really have no idea. They almost never told me where they were going.”
“Hmm,” she says. “Let’s check with Brooks later to see what he thinks, but really, I think it’ll be fine. It’s a small town, and there’s no reason to be on main street unless you’re popping in and out of the shops. From what you’ve said, they don’t strike me as the type.”
I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so.”
When we run the plan by Brooks later, he agrees. “I’m happy to play bodyguard though, if you want.”
Any tension I was holding releases with his words, but then I glance at Riley. This is supposed to be his date, but when I sneak a look at his expression, he’s grinning.
“Oh, excellent. I’ve always wanted a hunky bodyguard,” Riley says.
Brooks sighs with fake exasperation, but there’s a tender look in his eye as he smiles at us. “Alright, then. Tomorrow it is.”
I frown at my closet the next morning as I try to decide what to wear. Blue, yellow, purple. All pastels. All skirts or dresses. All frilly, and childish, and gross. I brought only a couple outfits with me because I hate them, but I have nothing else to wear.
“What’s wrong, Petal?” Brooks ducks his head in to check on me and somehow picks up on my distress. Probably my scent giving me away.
“I don’t want to wear any of this,” I say, a whine nearly crawling up my throat.
He steps further into the room so he can see around the corner of my closet, taking in the muted colors.
“Why not? You don’t like those colors?”
“I’ve never liked them,” I grumble under my breath. “Never had much choice, though. Unless,” I pause, a hitch of concern rising in my chest. “I mean, if you like them, then—”
“Nope, don’t even go there. I’d like you in a burlap sack just as well as a sparkling ballgown.”
My cheeks pink and butterflies take off in my stomach. I look back at the pastel assortment and wrinkle my nose.
“I have an idea,” Brooks says, snagging my hand. “Come on.”
He tugs me out into the hallway, then knocks on Riley’s door.
They pull it open, greeting us with a toothbrush hanging out of their mouth and their hair in spiky disarray. I grin, loving that I get to see this side of them.
“Hey,” they mumble around the toothbrush. “What’s up?”
“Sage has nothing to wear. All her clothes are from the old place and she hates them.”
“I don’t—” I say.
“You do, and that’s perfectly acceptable,” Brooks cuts me off, and I narrow my eyes at him. “Please, let us help you,” he says, voice softening.
I nod, and he strokes the backs of his knuckles down my cheek.
“Now, you two aren’t all that different in size. Think we can make anything of yours work?” he asks Riley.
“Oh, yeah!” A glob of toothpaste drips onto their shirt and they grimace, then wave us in as they head to the bathroom.
When Riley comes back out, he starts pulling things out of his drawers. Sweatpants, t-shirts and cropped tops, workout shorts and baggy pants.
“Wow, um. I think just a pair of shorts and a shirt will be fine. Is that okay?” I’m not sure who I’m asking, only that I’ve never been allowed pants or shorts before.
“Yeah, take whatever. Try some on and see what works. Maybe we’ll find something you like while we’re in town today,” Riley says as they finish up in the bathroom.
I slip into the shorts, having to cinch them as tight as they’ll go to keep them on my narrow hips. Then I pull on one of his baggier t-shirts, loving how it drapes across my frame and covers me in Riley’s fresh, lemon scent.
Brooks plies me with food before we leave, even though Riley says we’ll be stopping at a bakery, a cafe, and a coffee shop. Three opportunities for food, and yet Brooks still won’t let us leave the house until I’ve eaten more breakfast than I ever have before.
And I’m not used to being the one getting served.
Brooks and Vee dote on Riley and me, filling our plates and ensuring we don’t want seconds or thirds before polishing off whatever food is left.
Brooks, understandably, eats more than Riley and me combined.
It’s kind of insane how much food he can pack away.
When we finally get downtown, it’s the cutest little main street I’ve ever seen. Old brick buildings line both sides of the road, flanked by old-timey lamp posts with baskets of flowers hanging from them. Bright pops of violet and magenta, white and red and sunshine yellow.
I twist and turn, trying to take it all in as Riley tugs on my hand, pulling me along to his favorite coffee shop. Brooks lets us go on ahead, and when I glance back, I see him trailing about fifty feet behind, his eyes locked onto me.
Butterflies take off in my stomach again and warmth flows through my veins. I’m not sure what the feeling is, but it makes me smile. I wave, and he raises a hand in acknowledgement.
Then Riley is pushing open a glass door and the smell of freshly brewed coffee hits me in the face. It smells much better than what I’ve made for Steve and Josh, and I hum in appreciation.
“What do you like?” Riley asks. “My treat.”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“Hmm,” they look up at the menu board, eyes scanning across it. “Probably best to start with something sweet. The Milky Way Mocha is one of my favorites, let’s try that. Iced, though, because summer. Duh.”
Riley orders for both of us, and I’m thrilled when it tastes even better than it smells. We take our to-go cups and head back outside, Riley taking my hand again as he grins at me.
“You like?”
“I love it!”
“Good, because we’re just getting started.”