24. Riley
“So it appears Operation Cupid is a complete success.” Vance said.
Both of my alphas walked on either side of me as we strolled down Main Street, enjoying the afternoon and heading to the booth they had set up for the upcoming Sweetheart Swing. Claire had a production meeting this afternoon, so Adrien and Vance declared they were taking me out for some quality time.
I appreciated the balance that they showed us, making sure to address our specific wants and needs both individually and as a whole. When they’d had the idea to turn the basement into a new nest space for Claire, it meant a lot that they had turned to me to help with a lot of the decisions. Plus, it had been really fun to tease them with images of us in the space and alluding to the potential bonds we’d have.
“C’est bon,” Adrien said, taking my hand in a surprising move. “Are you happy, mon feu?”
I loved this bolder side of Adrien. Each day he seemed to be even more expressive and unapologetic.
“Very,” I said, feeling the coolness of his ring between my fingers. “I wanted to get your thoughts on something though.”
Usually I’d tease and play about this, but I honestly wasn’t sure how they’d feel about it. I didn’t think they’d be opposed, but it was still a pretty big question.
“What’s on your mind, Ri?” Vance asked, adopting Claire’s nickname for me.
“I love that you guys are married,” I began. “Your history together and the love you share, if anything has only endeared you to me more.”
“Aren’t you forgetting the—how do you say—smokin’ hot bods and alpha deliciousness?” Adrien asked with a grin, his accent making it sound even more ridiculous.
“I could never forget that,” I said, his willingness to joke making the conversation easier. “And it’s been making me think more about our future together. I know we all talked about bonding, but I want to marry Claire.”
“I figured as much,” Vance admitted, the dimples on his face sinking. “You’ve been not so subtly staring at our rings since we put them on.”
“I know we’ll probably do a pack ceremony and everything like that,” I rushed out. “And I want us all to do that together—“
“You can have both,” Adrien said easily.
“Really?”
“Of course,” Adrien said seriously. “We’ve seen the bite she gave you already, even though she knew it wouldn’t form a true bond link, and though the scars are faint, they aren’t any less true. The two of you share so much more than that. And while you’ll both be eventually tied together when we bite those pretty little necks of yours, it’s only natural that you’d want to make her yours on every possible level.”
“And I think I speak for both of us, beta, when we say how proud of you we are for coming to us with this so openly,” Vance praised, taking my other hand and raising it for a kiss. “You’ve come a long way from your secret crush.”
I preened under their attention. They were definitely getting extra helpings of my fabulous self tonight. I could feel the pride and love in their gazes.
“I love you both too,” I said, a hint of a smirk on my lips.
“Such a mind reader,” Vance said, with a shake of his head. “But it’s true, we love you just as you are.”
“Of course you do,” I said, swinging their hands. “Now let’s go get our girl some flowers and ask her to this dance.”
The booth that they’d set up in the center of the green was framed by red and pink balloons. Vases of multicolored carnations sat along the tables with different colored cardboard squares, markers and ribbon, all precut and ready to go.
I remembered my high school doing something similar for a fundraiser. You could pay a dollar per stem and send a carnation to a classmate. Of course, all of the ones at school had been anonymous, a secret admirer sort of thing. I’d totally taken up that opportunity and bought an obscene amount for Claire, something I had confessed to her later when we were both trying to figure out who had sent us what.
That didn’t compare to the happiness I felt when she consequently admitted to having sent me some as well. I should have taken a chance then, but I was beginning to think things worked out for a reason. Now, we had another opportunity, surrounded by the two men we loved.
“Welcome, welcome,” Janet said happily. “Are we here to formally invite a certain someone to the Sweetheart Swing? I’ve got a few runners here from the high school that can have that over to her in a jiffy.”
“Yes, but we’ll be needing some others as well please,” Adrien said.
“Pick however many you want and you can write out a little card, loop the ribbon through it, and tie it to the stem or bundle. Just make sure to put their name on the backside so we know where they’re going! If you need any help just let one of us know,” Janet said happily, leaving us to our own devices as she seamlessly moved to help someone else.
“Who else are you getting ones for?” I asked curiously.
“Well we have our soon to be new mother-in-laws, and sisters that are in town,” Adrien said. “Do you think Charlie or Hector would appreciate one? Or any of the other dads?”
My heart clenched at his damn thoughtfulness, and I couldn’t help but throw myself at him, pulling him towards me for a kiss. His hands went to my waist, meeting me with the same amount of enthusiasm before nipping my bottom lip.
“Easy there.”
“I mentioned that I really love you guys, right?” I said.
“Possibly,” Vance said. “But we’ll never get tired of hearing it. Now help us pick these out.”
We set to work on choosing which colors we wanted for who, finally deciding to get Claire a cluster of three of the most beautiful peach-colored carnations asking her to the Sweetheart Swing.
Adrien and Vance picked out the rest for my and Claire’s families after I clued them into some favorite colors. They decided to get one for all the dads as well, each writing a small heartfelt thank you on each.
“It seems you have quite an assortment here,” Janet commented as she rang us up.
“We’ve been blessed to be taken in by such wonderful people,” Vance said. “If it helps brighten their day, even just slightly, that’s more than worth it. They’ve already given us so much, yourself included.”
“Well, aren’t you a dear,” Janet said, pulling something out from the drawer along with our receipt. “Little gestures matter. What you do matters. You all clearly know that, so I think it’s time you have this.”
It was a small package of hardware that left both of the alphas looking down in confusion.
“I should have known you’d be part of the courting gift,” I said to Janet with a smile. “Thank you, seriously.”
“No need to thank me dear, seeing you happy is more than enough,” she said fondly.
The three of us left the booth with wide smiles on our faces. Who would have thought we’d keep finding these pieces when we least expected them just by living.
“How would the two of you feel about going dress shopping while we have some extra time?” I asked.
Adrien’s parents had been noticeably quiet since their proposition to Claire and I was pretty sure they had deluded themselves into thinking that she was considering their offer. Either way, I had friends in all the right places, aka basically everyone in Holiday Hollow, and everyone was on strict notice to update our community group chat should anyone spot them.
I knew the alphas both insisted that they weren’t going to modify their plans because of them, but I personally felt better that I knew nothing would drag down the day. After Claire had come back shaken, I definitely had my eye out for them.
“For the dance?” Vance asked curiously.
“Claire has accepted that I have carte blanche over most of her closet. She loves it just as much as me, and we tend to go together, but I figured it was something the three of us could have fun doing together. Now that we’re together, I’m expanding my privilege and picking out lingerie for her too,” I said, remembering the piece she’d surprised me with on our first night together.
I really needed to remember to frame that photo. It really didn’t go with the whole cottagecore vibe but I wondered if she’d let us hang it in her nest.
“You had us at ‘Claire’” Vance said, his cherry limeade scent growing more pronounced. “Would you pick something out for us too?”
“You sure you want to give me that kind of power?”
“You might as well enjoy it,” Vance said, leaning in until his lips were at my ear. “You certainly know you won’t have it when you’re naked and writhing between us.”
“Au contraire,” I said, channeling our Frenchman. “I’ll have all the power then.”
I turned away, looking at them over my shoulder and throwing them a wink before I motioned for them to follow me. There were only a couple places in Holiday Hollow that carried the kind of stuff we were looking for and now that I had the green light to dress them as well, I was determined to find them the tightest pants possible.
If it wasn’t a formal event, then I would have said assless chaps. Actually, I’d probably buy them some online anyway and then drag them out to the orchard with me for some good old-fashioned fun playing adult Apples to Apples.
Deciding I wanted to dress us up to complement Claire, I led them to Cherry Cheer, a cute boutique that was both sassy and sophisticated, to pick her out something first.
The scent of cherries filled the air as we entered the store. The boutique loved living up to its theme by creating a relaxed and classy atmosphere with little touches of fun. Everything was white and sleek with pops of red.
Except for the dresses, of course.
Those Dawn had arranged first by occasion, then color. But I didn’t need to pilfer through the racks searching out sizes. This was not my first visit and my favorite boutique owner was likely expecting me. We had a long history of finding Claire the perfect dresses.
And nothing made me happier than seeing Claire wear her dresses with confidence. It had her holding her head a bit higher and owning her beauty. To me, that was everything.
A stage with mirrors surrounding it on three sides sat in the center with an array of couches around it for brides to show off their choices. But Cherry Cheer had far more than lacy white dresses on hand. They had some of the best styles I’d seen in any store.
“Ah, Riley,” Dawn cried out and rushed over, giving me air kisses on each cheek before greeting the alphas. “And the alphas I’ve been hearing so much about. You’ve chosen well, this one is one of my favorite customers.”
“You know I love coming in here, Dawn. We are here to find a dress for my favorite girl,” I told her. She was all business then, confirming the size before rushing off. When Dawn was given a task, she was like a hound dog on a scent trail.
“What do we do?” Vance hissed. Before I could answer, two of her workers came in with three flutes of champagne, passing them out and disappearing again. I took a sip of mine, loving the sweet bubbly drink.
“We sit,” I told them. “Dawn always spoils me like this,” I confirmed as I took a sip of the pink champagne.
The first round, Dawn always showed me all of her new favorites in Claire’s size, then I narrowed down ideas after that. This was always her favorite part, and it always gave me ideas for future occasions.
“I found the best ones to show off, I knew you’d be coming,” she gushed as she struggled under the giant stack of dresses. Without a word, her assistants were there, taking some of the burden and laying them across the couches across from us.
“This one came in this week,” She held up a sparkling gold number. I could already see Claire would hate it from the pencil skirt, she didn’t like how constrictive they were, and her clumsiness would be an issue.
“Lovely, but not for Claire,” I told her. She huffed playfully, but I could tell from her exasperated smile that she knew it was coming.
“Then this one I’m sure you’ll love more,” she continued as she pulled out a much shorter and flowing dress. It was a soft baby pink with a skirt that flared out like a tutu. Cute… but again, not for my Claire Bear.
“No,” Vance said for me. I shot him a glare and he shrugged, unapologetic. “We get veto power, I’ve just decided.”
“You’re going to be a difficult project today, aren’t you,” Dawn said knowingly. “Good thing I know you, Riley. And I do love a challenge.”
“I trust you,” I told her confidently. “Now, what is that emerald green lacy dress I see peeking out?” She smirked, knowing damn well I’d want to see that one and hiding it under others for later. Green complimented my sweet omega well.
“You sneaky boy,” she said as she pulled it out and held it up. It was off the shoulder and a jade green. The material was a soft satin that had a subtle shimmer to it. It cinched at the waist, and the skirt would hang just below her knees.
“We’ll take that, even if not for the dance,” Adrien said without hesitation. I couldn’t even be mad at them for being too opinionated, it was a solid choice. She’d look stunning in it, and the dress was the perfect mix of fancy and understated, so she could use it more than just for random formal events.
“You’re so lucky you’re cute and that dress is gorgeous,” I warned him. “I’m supposed to be the one with good taste, remember?”
“Oh you are,” he laughed. “I just know that with that color and her gorgeous hair, I’ll be a goner.”
“Well, good thing I already planned ahead and grabbed a sexy little lingerie set in that exact color for under her dress,” I sang out quietly as Dawn rushed off to put the dress on the counter for her assistants to wrap up for later.
“You’re a menace,” Vance declared. ”Now all I’m going to be thinking about is how fucking gorgeous she’ll be once we take this dress off. Lace over her soft, beautiful curves, splayed out against our sheets and ready to be fucked.”
“Behave,” Adrien warned in a gruff voice. “We are not alone.”
Dawn came back in with a flourish and a fresh stack of dresses.
“I knew this was for the sweetheart dance, so now that you’ve seen some of my favorites, I have some amazing choices,” she promised. “Red, lace, sequins, plunging necklines.” She held up each one before draping them over the back of the couch.
“Thoughts?” I asked Vance and Adrien. The choice was already made but I was curious for their opinions as well.
“The red is nice,” Vance said with a bit of uncertainty. His choice had a transparent torso and sweetheart neckline. It was pretty but not at all Claire’s style.
“Black,” Adrien offered as he stared at them, considering them carefully. “The Pink isn’t bad, but the sequins are a bit flashy for our girl. I can already imagine her curls catching in them.”
He wasn’t wrong about that assessment. The sequins were double layered, and a few were sticking out. Usually Dawn’s dresses were better made, but during big events like holidays she got extra choices so she could fit everyone’s budget.
“And what is the winner?” Vance mused. “Because I know that you already chose.”
“The floor length,” I said. The burgundy would fit the holiday and showcase her hair. The plunging neckline would make her alphas and I salivate, and the flowing layers of satin and sheer fabric were phenomenal. I could already see her in it and she’d be stunning.
“What about jewelry?” I asked as Dawn took my choice to the front as well, and we stood, getting ready to follow her. “Silver would stand out and something that complemented the neckline.”
“Then take us somewhere we can find that next,” Vance prompted as he put a hand on my lower back and led me up front.
Adrien of course pulled out his card when I tried to pay and this time I bit my tongue. With two dress bags in hand we walked out.
“Suits first. We have to hit Black Tie Affair next,” I warned them as we loaded the dress bags and locked up the SUV. It was just down the street, so we walked. It was the benefit of shopping in Holiday Hollow and not going from town to town searching.
The experience in Black Tie Affair was far more relaxed. The old man who owned it had run the formal shop for years, and he had this down to a science. With a round of quick grunts and hard orders we were properly sized and shown the options.
“Alright, this is my time to shine,” I said dramatically, my eyes scanning down Adrien. “Let’s try the black tailored blazer set.” It was an inky black jacket and pants and we could pair it with a burgundy button-down easily. It didn’t require a tie and the dark colors were always my favorite on Adrien, especially with his dark hair and goatee.
For Vance, I chose a charcoal gray suit with a sharp black undershirt, tying in a pop of burgundy with his tie. It was soft and sophisticated and a nice contrast to Adrien’s choice.
Matching all of us in the same styles would be an injustice to our sexy selves, but we could coordinate with each other using the same color palette.
“And what about you?” It was more words than I’d ever heard from old Tom in all our interactions over the years.
“I’m eyeing the burgundy suit,” I said. With a black undershirt underneath it I would definitely look handsome, and it would look amazing with Claire’s dress. In my head, I could already picture us all standing together, standing out in the crowd. The exact kind of entrance we all deserved.
“This time I’m paying,” I growled out and they didn’t argue. Honestly, I appreciated it. When we left the store I felt accomplished and excited.
Adjusting to each other was a mix of fun and challenging. Including them in this entire adventure was a great idea. We still had a few more stores to hit, but those could wait.
“I’m feeling coffee,” I mused. “Anyone else need a little pick-me-up?”
“Absolutely,” Vance grinned. “We can hang out and just bring our sweet omega home afterwards.”
“My thoughts exactly.”