Chapter 16
FRANKLIN
We decided to take it slow with the physical aspect of our relationship with Dawn, despite having to fight the urge to take her to my den and bury my face between her thighs every time I caught a hint of her desire.
She’d been through a lot, and I didn’t want her to rush into this and regret it later.
Over the next few days, the three of us set about wooing her. I brought her food and snuggled her all the time. She hadn’t spent a single night in her own bed, but no one pushed anything more than some spooning.
Talbot had gotten a lead on the pups, but he hadn’t told her yet.
He wanted to confirm it was true before he got her hopes up, but the guy was doubling down on his own wooing efforts.
He brought her a plant that only grew in these mountains, and when he saw how much she loved it, we went about creating her a slightly bigger surprise.
Being in the crowded den still seemed to overwhelm her, although I couldn’t fault my den mates. They’d been so fucking gentle with her, it made my heart full. Still, she needed her own space, and I’d been working with the guys over the last couple of days to make it for her.
It felt like a courting gift, and that was how I hoped she saw it.
As I drilled the final crossbar on the wooden bench, I thanked the goddess she was short because this space had been perfect, but not really made for full-grown bear betas.
We’d created her a greenhouse in a small rock overhang eighty feet from the den.
It got the warm morning sun, but the natural formations of the mountain would block the harsher afternoon heat come summer.
I’d managed to ship up a bunch of old windows from town, and along with a basic frame, created a glass roof, pitched just enough so the snow wouldn’t stick.
I wasn’t an Alpha like Vance, or some kind of tech genius like Talbot, but I was good with my hands.
I could make her anything her heart desired, and if she wanted me to build her a dozen more greenhouses, I would.
We had a hydroponics setup to grow vegetables farther in the den, but it was purely for efficiency.
The vegetables were grown in hydroponic towers, and the lights were a harsh color that grated on my enhanced senses, but we harvested enough supplemental fresh food for the sleuth over the year that I could appreciate the hard work that went into their growth.
It was just a practical farm. Maybe eventually, when she’d healed and was looking for her place in our sleuth, our Omega would enjoy working there—if she wanted to work. I was happy for her to just exist in happiness forever.
This greenhouse wasn’t for practicality. It was for joy, and I hoped she loved it. I’d grabbed more plants from town as well, plus some seed packets for flowers and herbs and whatever else she might like.
Pressing the talk button on the radio, I informed the guys it was done.
They’d bring Dawn down. I was nervous. Was it weird to be nervous?
I’d walked gun first into firefights. I’d taken out evil people from half a mile away.
I’d been in hand-to-hand combat with supernaturals who wanted to gut me.
All those things had barely made me flinch, but the idea of disappointing my Omega? My stomach churned.
I looked around once more. Long, wooden benches lined the edges of the rough stone walls, cut to fit the natural undulations.
A large box sat in the corner, filled with potting soil.
There were trays and plants and everything I could think of that she’d need.
If there was anything else she wanted, I’d get it for her.
I’d give her the world.
My Dawn. It was hard to believe she was here, in my arms, after so many years of pining after her. She was here with us, where she belonged.
I could hear soft voices coming down the trail, and I straightened a few last-minute things and ducked to get out the short door.
I waited outside like a nervous human on prom night.
Vance appeared, his hand wrapped around Dawn’s, and I waited to feel jealous, but I got nothing but happiness.
I loved Vance, Talbot, and Dawn—or at least the idea of her from all those years ago.
We were going slowly and learning each other again, but I was falling fast, and I wasn’t reaching for the ripcord anytime soon.
When I saw her, bracketed by Vance and Talbot with a soft smile on her face, I knew Vance was correct. She did deserve the world, and at the very least, the three of us. She was wearing a blindfold, and the trust she had in us was a heady and solemn thing.
“This is mysterious,” she teased, and all I wanted to do was bundle her up in my arms and kiss her again. And again. And then some more, until we grew old together. Instead, I leaned down and brushed my lips across her cheek.
“We’ve been over this, sunrise. I am a man of many mysterious facets.” I maneuvered her in front of me.
I just looked at her creepily for a moment and took her in while she couldn’t see the obvious longing in my eyes. Unfortunately, she might not be able to see me giving her puppy dog eyes, but the guys could. Vance cleared his throat.
I gripped her free hand and tugged her forward into the greenhouse. Finally, I undid one of Vance’s ties that was acting as a blindfold. I was fairly sure he’d like me to burn it afterwards, since he hated wearing a suit and tie to stupid Alpha meetings.
When the blindfold dropped, she gasped softly, and then there was silence. I wanted to see her face, but I was scared. What if she hated it?
I did what I always did and tried to talk my way around it. “It’s a courting gift. We remembered how much you enjoyed growing things, and we thought that maybe you’d like to do that here too. If you hate it, we ca—”
My words were cut off by Dawn slamming into me, her lips covering mine and inhaling my insecurity. I kissed her back, tasting the strawberry flavored ChapStick Talbot sometimes wore and the chocolate someone had snuck her earlier.
Finally, I pulled back. “So you like it?”
“I…” She burst into tears.
Fuck.
Fuck, what had I done?
“It’s okay if you don’t, sweetheart. There are no strings,” Talbot added frantically, and I gave my twin a panicked look. We both looked at Vance, and he gave her a sad expression.
“Come here, sweetheart,” he told her softly, a little touch of Alpha in his voice—not enough that he would compel her, but enough for her Omega to feel safe.
She stepped into his arms, and he held her tightly against his chest, his big arms wrapping around her shoulders. “Let it all out,” he rumbled in a low voice.
She continued to cry, and I shifted from foot to foot awkwardly, trying to figure out what I did wrong.
“Told you you’re a terrible kisser,” Talbot hissed. “You probably bruised her tonsils with how much tongue you used.”
Dawn laughed against Vance’s chest. Finally, she pulled away, wiping at her cheeks. “He’s a good kisser. It isn’t that.”
I stepped forward, gently taking one of her hands and lifting it to my lips. “Then what is it?”
“It’s just so perfect. It’s everything I could have ever dreamed of and so much more. You guys are the only people who have ever given me a gift. You are the gift.” She shook her head. “I’m just happy. I’m not used to it, I guess, and I feel guilty.”
Talbot cleared his throat. “This is an old gift, but it belongs to you.” He pulled out the necklace we’d given her at the very first gathering, the one she’d mailed back to us. Tears streamed down her face as she lifted her hair, and Talbot secured it around her pale neck.
She wiped her face on her sleeve. “I swear I don’t normally cry this much.” She huffed out something that might have been a self-deprecating laugh then gasped. “Is that a Rocky Mountain columbine?” she exclaimed.
The darkness of the moment dissipated in her joy, and I bounced around, showing her every plant I’d collected, including rare ones only native to our area. By the end, she was smiling, and her hands were deep in the soil we called our home.
I took a mental snapshot of the moment, because if I had my way, she’d be this happy forever.