45. Meadow
Chapter 45
Meadow
P eeking through the window, I saw them all standing in the parking lot, hovering around a sleek, pink, sparkly sports car, Arlo sitting on the hood. I watched Clover arrive, the entire fucking football team in tow. I loved her, but her ability to get alphas to do whatever she wanted was, frankly, a little terrifying. In a protective circle of uniformed jocks, my pack was hustled into the dorm, Clover at the lead.
I held my breath once they had all disappeared inside, waiting for their inevitable arrival.
Clover slipped inside first, shutting the door behind her. “You ready?”
“Nervous, but yes.”
“Okay. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” Clover gave me a quick hug before opening the door for my pack to enter and closing it after them, so she could wait in the hall with the football team.
What was I supposed to say to them? My brain turned instantly into mush at the sight of my alphas, and the only thing that came out was “Uhhh, what is that pink monstrosity in the parking lot?”
Hendrix chuckled. “ That is how Arlo chose to bribe your best friend.”
“Oh.” I nodded. That did sound like Arlo.
With that explanation, my attention settled on my pack. We had only been apart for a few days, but somehow, I had forgotten how devastatingly handsome they were.
They were wearing the same clothing they’d had on in the press conference, so they must have come to me right away. I resisted the urge to laugh at the bizarre situation I found myself in. A year ago, I hadn’t the hope of a relationship, and now I stood with four alphas in front of me, who just happened to be rich and famous and had announced to the world they were madly in love with me.
When my gaze landed on Hendrix, tears welled in my eyes. I threw myself into his arms, breathing in his woodsmoke and citrus scent. “I’m sorry. I should have talked to you instead of running!”
Hendrix held me tightly. “No! You don’t owe me shit. I saw how those photos looked, and I can’t blame you for not trusting me after we failed so spectacularly to protect you.” The scent of him overwhelmed me, and I buried my nose into his chest, inhaling deeply. I’d missed that scent so much.
“Are you okay?” I asked, pulling back and looking up at him, tears hot on my cheeks.
“I’m fine. Well, as fine as I can be, given everything,” he assured me, laying his palm on my stomach. “How about you and Nugget?”
“We’re both okay,” I promised. “Clover’s been taking good care of us.”
“Good.”
“Are you feeling okay after the detox?”
“I’ve definitely felt better,” he confessed. “I’ve got a lot of appointments to keep up with to make sure I stay healthy, but all the doctors and therapists know I want to be here for you. I’ll wrangle as many schedules as I need to, so I can be the person you and Nugget need me to be.”
A fresh wave of tears filled my eyes.
“If I try telling you that I love you, will you yell at me again?” Hendrix asked.
I shook my head, the tears making their escape down my cheeks.
“Good, because you’re my omega, and I love you, everything about you, and I want to be with you forever.”
I kissed him deeply, whispering against his lips, “I love you too.”
Hendrix sighed, hugging me tightly. “Fuck, Meadow, we’re never going to let any of this shit happen, ever again. The second you get a bad vibe about someone, they’re gone. We’re not taking the risk. We’ll figure it out, no matter how complicated it gets.”
I burst into full sobs, and the rest of the pack crowded around, Beckett rubbing my back lightly. I must have looked like a teary mess. Oakmoss and fresh leaves hit my nose, and I couldn’t stop myself from leaning over, rubbing my face along his chest, scent marking him.
He rested a gentle hand on the back of my head, scratching my scalp lightly in the most soothing motion. My muscles felt instantly gooey.
“We wanted the whole world to know you’re ours, but we didn’t share your name, so you could maintain your privacy.” Beckett smiled down at me, which only made me cry harder. How could they be so sweet? “If you want to do an interview later and give the world an insight into the most perfect omega ever, then that can be arranged, but we needed them to know we were spoken for, that you’re what matters most to us.”
An interview was the last thing on my mind, but maybe, in a few months, when Nugget was here and I was feeling secure again, that was a possibility. “I’m so sorry you had to come all the way here.”
Beckett shook his head. “We would have traveled a hell of a lot farther for you. I hope you know that.”
Before I could answer Beckett, Phin wedged his way in and claimed me for himself, kissing the top of my head. “Stop hogging our omega. I missed you, sweets. Scared the shit out of us when you bolted. I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“I missed you too.” I sighed into his chest. Vanilla and black tea. I was huffing all my pack’s scents; the only one missing was Arlo’s. “I’m sorry I freaked out. I wasn’t the most rational at the time.”
“Don’t even worry about it. We’ll make sure you feel so fucking safe going forward that running won’t even enter your mind.” Phin’s rumbling purr melted my anxiety, and he nuzzled my cheek.
“Speaking of hogging, I haven’t gotten my hug yet,” Arlo pointed out. He beamed at me as he strode over. “Have you been blocking my texts, princess?”
“Not blocking, no.” I let him sandwich me with Phin, a perfect mix of their scents filling my nose. “I had my phone on silent.”
Arlo kissed the top of my head, both alphas nuzzling me. “Clover kept me up to date, hence the car. I’m just glad to see you.”
Now that his apple cider scent was nearby, a weight in my chest lifted. Having all my alphas’ scents in close proximity settled my omega instincts that had kept me on edge while being apart from them, and our pack being fractured when Hendrix had gone for treatment.
How did I ever think I could live without them?
“So…” Arlo trailed off for a moment. “Do you want to go back to California, or do you want to stay here? Normally, I wouldn’t push you to choose this quickly, but Nugget is going to be showing up very soon.”
Phin hummed in agreement. “If you want to stay here, we’re going to have to make some arrangements, because we aren’t going anywhere without you.”
“Well, I can’t exactly have a baby in my dorm room.” I sniffed. “That wouldn’t be fair to Clover.”
“I wouldn’t mind!” Clover shouted through the door.
Nosy omega.
Luckily, I adored her.
“We could rent a place in Seattle,” Hendrix offered. “We have a hotel suite nearby, but that’s no place for a baby.”
I shook my head. “Just take me home.”
Their faces all broke out into matching grins as they enveloped me in a crushing group hug. No hug had ever made me feel so safe and secure.
“Not to be a party pooper,” Phin said, his face buried in my hair, “but how do we get you home? Aren’t you too far along to fly?”
“Train?” I suggested. “It wasn’t that uncomfortable, and you can book a fancy cabin for the trip.”
“I’ll book it now!” Beckett said, quickly leaning forward to kiss me before taking out his phone. I whined when he pulled back, but his lips were quickly replaced with Phin’s. I tuned out the world for a few brief moments as Phin devoured me, until their conversation forced its way back into my attention.
“What about the car?” Hendrix asked.
Beckett laughed. “Arlo will just have to drive it home.”
“No fair!” Arlo cried. As I pulled back, I could see him pouting.
That plan didn’t last long.
After Clover and I hugged goodbye and promised to see each other soon after the baby arrived, the guys and I made our way to the train station. It would have been nice to spend a few extra days with Clover, but I was getting close to my due date, and public transportation around the holidays was difficult at the best of times.
Beckett had gotten us the fanciest private cabins, which had overly stuffed armchairs that easily reclined for ultimate rest. They were even combined, so I could spend the trip snuggled into one of my alphas. As I sat down and got myself situated, Arlo appeared in the doorway, a smug grin on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Phin asked. “Shouldn’t you be driving back?”
“Oh yeah, I sold the car.” He shrugged, his grin never slipping as he plopped down into the recliner next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “I didn’t want to be apart from the pack. I’ll just buy a new car back home.”
Beckett sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, though, so I knew he didn’t mind too much.
“Let’s go home.” I smiled.
Arlo chuckled as he lightly kissed my forehead, a hand resting on the top of my bump. “My home is right here.”