21. Meadow
Chapter 21
Meadow
July, Seattle to Minneapolis
T here was a sadness to packing my things. I loved my home nest, but it was for the best. I didn’t have boxes or plastic bins to put my nesting materials in, so I had to make do with trash bags and old luggage.
“Here, let me take that,” Hendrix said, taking a small purple suitcase full of blankets out of my hand.
“How far away are the others?” I asked. They had left an hour after we did, and I had been packing for almost two hours, so they should have arrived already.
“According to my location app, they’re only a few minutes away,” he said, checking his phone.
“You track everyone’s location? Aren’t you always together?”
“Most of the time, but we like to keep tabs on each other for safety. Can we add you to the group?”
“Uh, sure, if you want to.”
“I don’t like the idea of letting you out of my sight anytime soon, but I know I can’t keep you around every second of the day.” His smile was small and tentative, a lingering sweetness I hadn’t expected from him. I passed over my phone, watching as he got everything set up and added me to their location group.
“Maybe not every second—” I stuck my tongue out. “—but I’ll be around for most. You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to trigger the bonding sickness again. How long do you think this will last?”
“Beck did a bunch of research on it, and it sounds like, as long as we stick close until the baby is born, it should settle down. The pregnancy makes it a million times worse, apparently. It’s not ideal,” he said with a sigh. “I’m sorry I couldn’t find you sooner so this could’ve ended before we hit the point of wanting to hurl our guts out constantly from being apart.”
I groaned. “Avoiding it would’ve been great. I should’ve tried a bit harder to get in contact, but it was all so fucking weird and I didn’t know what to do.”
Hendrix put the suitcase down on my bed and pulled me into a hug. I breathed in his woodsmoke and citrus scent, letting it loosen the knots of tension in my shoulders. It was genuinely unfair how perfect being in his arms felt, when I knew absolutely nothing about our lifestyles was remotely compatible.
“We’ll make this work,” he promised, kissing the top of my head lightly as I melted into the embrace, nuzzling his chest.
We stayed there for a moment, simply enjoying the feel of being in each other’s arms. The world had felt off balance for weeks, and it was finally right again, even if it would only last a short time.
“As much as I want to stay here, I think we’d better get moving.” I sighed. “It’s time for me to become a tour girl.”
Hendrix smiled that stupidly perfect smile down at me. “Best tour girl ever. I’ll take this outside to meet the guys.” The look he gave me as he made his way out of the room was so full of longing it made my breath catch.
Turning back to what was left of my nest, I rested my hands on my hip and started plotting. I didn’t have that many bags, so I couldn’t pack everything and needed to be somewhat frugal in my choices.
I was deliberating whether I wanted to bring the lavender throw pillows I’d bought last month when Hendrix came back into the room, eyes wide.
“What’s wrong?”
“So, the guys are here, and it seems they brought the tour bus to us.”
“I thought they were coming in cars?”
Hendrix nodded. “I thought so, too, but a giant, two-level tour bus I’ve never seen before just pulled up outside, and Arlo is driving it.”
I burst into laughter. “This, I have to see.”
I grabbed Hendrix’s hand as I swept past him and led him out of my place to the sidewalk outside where, sure enough, a gargantuan RV was parked with Arlo waving excitedly at the sight of me.
Beckett and Phineas tumbled out the door when it opened, Arlo bounding after them to pull me in for a bruising kiss.
“What’s this?”
“Our new home! At least, for now. Do you like it? It’s got an awesome nesting space.”
“What happened to our old tour bus?” Hendrix asked. “That thing was less than a year old.”
“There was no way we could clean it well enough. Too many lingering scents, so I decided it was easier to get something new. Burn it down!”
“You didn’t actually burn the old tour bus, did you?”
Arlo pouted. “No, we sent it ahead to Minneapolis so Gary wouldn’t notice we were missing.”
“This way, you can get all your things straight into your new nest,” Beckett said. “We don’t have much time if we’re going to make it to Minneapolis in time for the show. I don’t want to rush you, but…”
“No, it makes sense. The tour schedule is tight. Can you guys help me strip the nest? We can throw everything in the new nest, and I can organize it while we’re on the road.”
Arlo nuzzled my hair. “Sounds like a plan!”
It was amazing how quickly most of my worldly possessions could be moved when six pairs of hands were on the job.
I strictly handled the underwear myself, despite Arlo’s best efforts to “help,” and Clover stocked the mini fridge and cabinets with all of the food Hendrix had ordered earlier so we wouldn’t starve on the road.
“Now, make sure you text me every day,” Clover insisted as she hugged me goodbye on the sidewalk outside the dorms. “If I don’t hear from you for twenty-four hours, I will send out a search party, okay?”
“I will. I promise!”
“I’m going to be worrying about you and my little niece in there.”
“Or nephew.”
“But girls are so much better than boys,” she pouted, a smile in her eyes. “You can’t be eternally outnumbered by dicks!”
I snorted. Pack life in general usually meant there was an excess of testosterone around.
Clover pulled back, turning to Arlo with a sickening smile. “Remember our talk? It still applies.”
Arlo nodded, a shit-eating grin on his face. “I’ll keep our girl safe! I promise you.”
“Don’t you forget it!” Clover gave me an extra-tight squeeze and kissed my cheek. “Don’t let those boys push you around. And let me know when and where you want me to fly out to, so we can hang if you get lonely.”
“Come on,” Beckett said softly. “We have thirty-six hours of driving ahead of us, at least.”
Arlo went in first, settling into the driver’s seat. “Everyone, buckle up. I’ll get us as far as Missoula, and then we’ll have flat enough road that the rest of you can handle it. No stops until then, except for gas, but we’ve got road trip snacks and an onboard bathroom. Let’s rock!”
I waved goodbye to Clover as we pulled away. Arlo had insisted I sit up front with him until we were at least out of Seattle, and the others were buckled in behind us. The guys didn’t give me time to dwell on the sadness of leaving my best friend. Arlo made me give them a tour of my home city on the way out of town while there was still daylight. It was a shame it would be dark through the mountains, but it couldn’t be helped.
They played my favorite music without having to ask what it was, and when I raised my eyebrow in question, Phin told me, “Hen sent us the songs you put on during your road trip, and we downloaded all the albums.”
“That’s surprisingly sweet.”
Hendrix shrugged, his cheeks flushed. “It’s a long drive. I wanted you to enjoy yourself.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you want to organize the nest?” he asked. “I could come help?”
I chewed on my lip for a moment. “I think I want to do this alone. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is, sweets.” Phin gave me an easy smile. “We should get some rest, anyway, so we can take over for Arlo with the driving.”
I went up to the nest, relieved that it looked perfect to snuggle into and everything smelled brand new. There were no lingering scents, which meant that once I started assembling my nest, the only scents would be my own, my new pack members’, and a hint of Clover’s to remind me of home.
Left to my own devices, I quickly started rearranging all the blankets and pillows I had brought with me. The nesting space was larger than what I had back in the dormitory, so it felt a bit sparser than I was used to. My preference was to have at least ten inches of various squishy items to cushion me when I jumped into the pile.
Maybe they’d take me to buy more nesting materials…
As I arranged and rearranged the items, making a perfect little semicircle space to nestle into, I became lost in my own world where time was irrelevant. The pack scents slowly drifted up to the nest as the hours passed and I drifted in and out of sleep, curled up around my pillows.
I woke to woodsmoke and citrus, and Hendrix tapping my ankle. “Hey, dream girl.”
I raised a questioning eyebrow. “Dream girl?”
“I mean, that’s kind of what you are. Disappeared when I woke up, half remembered, no matter how much you want to recall it.”
“I’m sorry I bailed,” I muttered. “The random beta woman freaked me out.”
“I don’t blame you for running off.” Hendrix sighed. “It was fucked all around. I only have multiple people in my bed if they all agree to be there from the start. I wouldn’t add someone after the fact, I swear.”
Climbing across the nest, I pressed my hand to his mouth. “I don’t ever want to hear about anyone else you’ve had in your bed, even in passing. So, shush. I believe you, it’s over with, and we’re both here now.”
Relief shone in his eyes, and he tugged my hand down. “We’re going to stop to pick up some real dinner. Are burgers okay for you? If that doesn’t sound good, we can get something else. There’s just not many options this late.”
Before I could answer, my stomach growled. I hadn’t eaten much all day, other than snacks. “Burgers sound perfect.”
“What’s your order?”
“Double bacon cheeseburger with extra pickles, fries, strawberry shake, and a cola, too, please.”
“Big appetite. Good, you’re growing a whole-ass human.” He smiled and added everything to the order on his phone. “Okay, submitted. We’ll have some real food for you in about ten minutes. How are you liking the nest?”
“Good enough to sleep in,” I replied, “but I definitely need to get some more things to fill it out.”
“We have a couple of days off when we’re in Massachusetts. I’ll take you shopping, if you want. Or you can order online and have it shipped to the venue for pickup.”
“That sounds perfect, thank you.”
His smile would’ve taken me out at the knees if I weren’t already sitting down. “Your nest is looking great, even if you think it needs some extra plush.”
My entire body tingled with that praise. An alpha complimenting an omega on the state of her nest was almost pornographic in a way. At least, that was how my body was reacting to it.
Stupid pregnancy hormones.
Hendrix helped me up and got me to the main level of the RV, ensuring I was safely buckled in before putting on his own seat belt.
Arlo carefully navigated us into a nearly empty lot and groaned when he could finally stand. “One of you, come with me. It’s too much for just me to carry.”
“I’ll go,” said Beckett, leaving me with Phin and Hendrix.
I shot Phin a smile. “How are you guys finding the new tour bus?”
“I like it,” Phin declared. “The bunks are way better than in the last one.”
“I’m glad. You guys should be comfortable when you travel so much.”
Hendrix snorted. “When we first started out, we only had a van, and it was a nightmare. We were two to a bunk. I got free chiropractic every night from Phin shoving his fucking knee into my spine, but we were just so happy to be touring that we didn’t complain.”
Phin grimaced. “Those were interesting days. We would go up to a week without a shower, and with four young alphas, the van reeked.”
I wrinkled my nose at that idea.
“You don’t have to worry, though, dream girl.” Hendrix laughed. “This place is fitted out with a fully working shower, and we shower a lot more often. No ripe alphas in your vicinity.”
Considering how I reacted to their scents normally, I could only imagine what my body would do if they were even more potent. Sweaty bond-mate alpha would probably be an aphrodisiac to me.
I had no intention of finding out if that was the case.
The tour bus door opened and Arlo skipped in, Beckett trailing behind them, both of them carrying brown take-out bags and cupholders laden with drinks.
My mouth watered at the smell of greasy, delicious burgers and fries.
“We have food!” Arlo declared, placing the bags on the kitchenette counter. He took his sweet time pulling items out, and I was seconds away from snapping at him to hurry up when he passed me a foil-wrapped burger.
The pregnancy hangries were no joke.
I dove right in like a feral raccoon who hadn’t eaten in weeks, not waiting an extra second for the others to get started, and moaned at the first bite of greasy deliciousness.
“Princess, you can’t be moaning like that and expect me to leave you alone.” Arlo chuckled, a fry halfway to his mouth.
My face heated, and I avoided his gaze, embarrassed.
“Ignore the dumbass.” Hendrix growled at his— our —pack mate.
“Let’s change the subject,” Beckett said, piercing the lid of his drink with a straw and taking a deep swig. “Meadow, let me know what sort of healthy snacks you like. The fridge won’t stay stocked for long, so if there’s anything you end up disliking or want to add, let me know…We don’t have any ranch, though.”
I snorted. Was the lack of ranch intentional? “Add the ranch.” I smirked around a mouthful of cheeseburger. “It’s one of my favorites.”
His cheeks reddened, and he bit his lip, shaking his head ever so slightly.
“I promise I won’t throw it at you if you promise not to do anything to deserve it.”
“Why would she throw it at you?” Hendrix asked with a frown.
Beckett sighed. “I was an ass. She acted accordingly.”
Dinner passed with ease. It was late, and we could only stop for a short while before getting on the road again, Phin offering to take the next driving shift.
“I can’t wait until we can show you our real home,” Arlo said, crumpling up his burger wrapper.
“We have a tour break in a few weeks. We could go home, or maybe back to Seattle, if that’s what you want?” Phin asked.
It would be nice to see Clover, but then again, I was curious about the life these alphas led when they weren’t on tour. We were going to have a baby sooner rather than later, and seeing their daily life felt important.
Would the baby and I live with them in LA? I imagined an omega and newborn would probably put a dampener on their rock-star lifestyle.
Then again, they seemed eager for me to be part of their lives. Getting a new tour bus that wouldn’t offend my hypersensitive pregnant omega nose had been a sweet, and probably costly, gesture.
Phin took his spot in the driver’s seat and we set off.
“Wake me up as soon as you start getting tired, and I’ll take over, okay?” Beckett said, stretching his arms overhead. “I’ll grab a few hours of sleep now.”
“I’ll be up for a bit longer, so I can keep Phin company,” Hendrix said.
With a yawn, I stood up, rubbing my eyes. “I should also sleep. Something more substantial than a nap, anyway. Are you going to want me to drive?”
“No driving for you,” Arlo replied. “At least, not until it’s daylight and I’m awake enough to co-pilot while you get comfortable.”
“Fair enough,” I said with a nod.
“Good night.” Beckett yawned and disappeared in the direction of the bunks.
I ventured back up to my nest to change into a simple shirt and shorts sleep set before taking over the bathroom for my nightly routine. While I was throwing my hair into a loose braid to avoid it getting tangled throughout the night, the bus started moving under me, a gentle, constant sway that only made me sleepier.
When I finished, I waved to Hendrix before ascending the stairs and clambering into my nest. My nest space was dimly lit by a small lamp built into the wall. Nestling into the blankets, I lay on my side, one of the soft, fluffy cushions clutched in my arms. I was skirting the edge of sleep when I felt the mattress under me give way as someone entered the nest. Apple cider hit my nose as Arlo slid behind me, his arm wrapping around my midsection. Grumbling, I went to turn over, but the arm around me tightened, his body molding against my back.
“Sleep, princess,” he whispered sleepily. “If you’re good, I’ll wake you up with my tongue.”
Desire curled through me. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” I admitted in a sleepy mumble, just as my exhaustion started to take over, pulling me under. Even in my half-asleep state, I could feel his hardness pressing against my ass.
“I’ll remember that.” He chuckled lightly, kissing the top of my head.
I shifted, heat snaking through my body. My dreams were a mess of half-formed images flowing through a mental movie of Arlo fucking me into the mattress.
A whimper escaped me as pleasure coiled tight, my fingers curling into the sheets. I burst awake as electricity arced from between my thighs, and I cried out, sensation washing over me in a wave, the source of the pleasure never ceasing. Apple cider filled every breath, and I lifted heavy-lidded eyes to see Arlo’s dark hair tucked between my thighs.
“Oh, fuck.”
Arlo nipped the tender skin on my lower belly. “That’s the idea, princess.”
I whined sharply as he went right back to my clit, tucking a finger into me and curling it until I saw stars, rocking my hips against his mouth with growing desperation.
I had never been woken like this, but fuck me if this wasn’t the best way to start the day. Even though I had already had him, and knew a little bit of what to expect, his voraciousness was still surprising as he tongue-fucked me through another rise and carried right on.
“Arlo, please.” I squirmed, locking my fingers into his hair as I chased my pleasure.
His purr slipped into my consciousness, a soothing delight, even as he unraveled me. The faint vibration in his tongue as he purred for me sent me over the edge again, and this time, I tugged him away by his hair, panting and shivering.
“Too much.”
Arlo crawled up the nest to lie next to me, drawing me into a delicious kiss, my lilac and white rose tangled with his apple cider. “It’s not too much, but we’ll work you up to more.”
“I didn’t think you were serious about waking me up like that.”
“You’ll learn very quickly not to give me permission for things you don’t actually want me to do.”
I laughed, my body still twitching from the aftershocks of my orgasm. “Noted.”
“We have all day on the road. You going to spend it in your nest?”
“Probably.”
“Can I hang out here, too, when I’m not driving?”
His cheeks and chin still glistened from my wake-up call, and my whole body pulsed with desire. “I’d be okay with that, but we need to actually rest.”
“So little trust.”
I rolled my eyes and snuggled back into my pillows. I spent almost all of that day tucked away, reading, emerging to acquire food and use the bathroom. The others greeted me warmly but mostly left me to my own devices whenever I retreated. Arlo was the only one brave enough to follow, and I made a mental note that, if I wanted to spend time with the rest of them, I’d probably have to be the one to reach out. There was plenty of time for that, and I wasn’t in a huge rush. Arlo was about all I could handle for now.
Especially when he woke me from a nap the same way he had that morning.
He grinned up at me from between my thighs. “We’re here, by the way.”
“In Minneapolis?”
“Yep. You should probably get dressed sooner rather than later because I don’t imagine Gary is going to be pleased with us. Don’t want him barging in here and seeing you looking freshly fucked.”
I flushed head to toe, my skin warming. “Also noted. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Arlo kissed me again before crawling off the nest. “Don’t take too long, or I’ll start to miss you.”
I chucked a pillow at him and immediately dug through my suitcase to find something appropriate to wear for the day. What did one wear to accommodate a manager on a rampage?