Chapter 12
The next day, Boone arrived at the inn and parked next to Felix’s truck.
He was the only one who needed to drive to the inn from his new home.
The omega’s vehicle was worn, but well-loved.
The dark blue crossover parked next to it was completely unfamiliar.
When he saw the Florida plates, he started grinning.
When he heard a deep, booming laugh coming from the inn’s kitchen, he started jogging.
Sure enough, seated at the small round table with Demarien and his friends was a large man with black hair and dark eyes.
Patrick grinned at him, eyes sparkling. “Hey, golden boy. I hear we’re building fences today.”
“You’re here,” he said, still a bit in shock.
“Sure enough. Met your Demarien and his friends. They’re just as charming and handsome as you told me.” Patrick’s smile was smooth as silk.
Boone frowned. “Hands off my omega and his friends. They’re too good for the likes of you.”
Patrick sniffed, giving him a hurt look. “Some best friend you are.”
Demarien gave Boone a soft look and held out a cup of coffee. “Have a seat and catch up. Patrick has been telling us all about his time served in Florida.”
The large alpha shuddered. “Never again. Tourist season here can’t possibly be worse than spring breaks in Florida.
Puck snorted. “Missing hikers and dumbasses looking for Bigfoot.”
Milo smiled, sipping his tea. “Oh, remember when Tyler Payne got stuck in Karen Bright’s second-story bedroom window? The tourists started taking pictures of his bare ass, and Mr. Bright kept jumping to reach him with a baseball bat. The sheriff wanted to resign right there.”
“Pinatas are fun,” Felix whispered from where he sat, curled against Puck’s side. He was almost in the other omega’s lap as he tried to get as far from Patrick as he could.
“You’ll enjoy it here,” Demarien said, patting Patrick’s shoulder.
“I feel so lucky.” Patrick smiled weakly.
Demarien leaned up and kissed Boone’s cheek. “Sit down. I made waffles.”
“Yes, sir.” Boone sat between Felix and Patrick, noting that the omega instantly relaxed. It hurt his heart to see Felix like that, but he would soon get used to Patrick, just like he did with Boone.
Demarien brought him a plate and sat in his lap as he ate, laughing at the stories of their time in the army.
“You should have seen his face when Gina beat him in the PT test,” Boone said, chuckling. “Patrick was determined to show off for her, but she kicked his ass. It was great.”
Patrick sighed, smiling fondly. “Never underestimate women or omegas. It’ll only make you look like a fool.”
Milo snorted. “I get the feeling you make yourself look the fool enough as is.”
Patrick clutched his heart. “That hurts, love. How can you be so cruel?”
Laughing, Puck stood and put his cup in the sink. “It’s time to work on that fence, suckers – oh, I meant friends.”
Boone slapped Patrick’s back. “Welcome to town. Let’s get to work.”
Patrick sniffed and pulled Demarien into his arms. “Why does your man hate me, beautiful?”
“Oh, you poor thing.” Demarien snickered.
Boone narrowed his eyes and pulled Demarien away from Patrick. “Ignore him. He’s hopeless.”
A drizzle fell as they worked. It was chilly, but not too cold yet. Another month, and the wind would cut to the bone. By lunch time, a half-built fence stretched crookedly along the hill around the vineyard, posts leaning.
“Alright,” Felix said, squinting down the line, one hand on his hip. “I’m telling you, that post is off.”
“It is not off,” Puck shot back, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his glove. “It’s character.”
“Character doesn’t keep sheep in, beautiful,” Patrick muttered, dragging a roll of wire across the ground with a metallic scrape. “Straight lines do.”
Boone leaned against the tailgate of Felix’s truck, sipping from a water bottle, watching the three of them argue like it was a weekly show. “You know,” he said, fighting a smile, “if the sheep get out, I’m naming the first one that escapes after whichever one of you set that post.”
“That’d be Puck,” Felix said immediately.
“Hey—”
“You’re the one eyeballing it like you’re building a porch swing,” Patrick added, laughing as he dropped the wire with a thud.
Puck looked between them, exasperated. “I used the level!”
“You held it upside down,” Felix said.
Boone snorted. “No, he didn’t.”
Puck pointed at him. “Thank you.”
“You held it sideways.”
The group dissolved into laughter, even Puck, though he shook his head and grabbed the post again. “Fine. Fine. Somebody ‘professional’ come fix it.”
Felix stepped in, nudging the post, checking the line against the others. Patrick joined him, holding it steady while Felix tamped the dirt around the base with the back of a shovel.
“A little more to the left,” Patrick said.
“Your left or my left?” Felix asked.
Puck chimed in, “The sheep’s left.”
“That helps no one,” Felix groaned.
Still, they adjusted it, packed it firmly, and stepped back together.
Boone raised his bottle. “Team effort. Miracles happen.”
A breeze rolled through the vineyard, stirring the tall grass beyond the fence line. “Alright,” Felix said, clapping his hands once. “Let’s run the wire before the rain gets worse.”
They got to work again—Patrick unspooling the fencing, Puck guiding it along the posts, Felix fastening it tight with practiced hands. Boone eventually pushed off the truck and joined in, holding the wire taut while Felix clipped it into place.
“Careful,” he warned as the wire snapped tight with a sharp twang. “I like my fingers attached.”
“It has to be tight,” Felix teased. “Wait ‘till one of those sheep gets an attitude.”
“Have you met them?” Puck said. “They’re basically clouds with legs.”
“Clouds that escape,” Felix added.
“Not after today,” Boone said, giving the wire one final pull before securing it. He stepped back again. “This’ll hold.”
They all paused, looking down the stretch of fence, solid, mostly straight, and standing firm against the open field.
Boone nudged Felix with his shoulder. “Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.”
Puck grinned. “Speak for yourself. I’m clearly a natural.”
Felix tossed a glove at him. “Yeah, a natural disaster.”
Patrick laughed, already heading toward the cooler in the truck bed. “Alright, fence builders, break time before we start fighting for real. Demarien packed cookies.”
They gathered around, passing out cold drinks and baked goods, leaning against the truck or sitting in the grass. The work wasn’t finished yet, but the hardest part was behind them.
His phone rang twice before he picked up. “Hey, Mom.”
A long, intentional pause later, she replied. “Hi, sweetheart.”
He leaned back against the truck, staring at the sky. “It’s not like you to call, Mom. Is something wrong?”
“I just wanted to check in,” she said, the softness in her voice edged with something firmer underneath. “You’ve been busy.”
“Yeah. The classes have started up.” He hesitated. “Other things have kept me busy, too.”
“I heard,” she replied quickly. Too quickly. “From Rachel Bright.”
Of course. He rubbed his forehead. “You mean about Demarien?”
Another pause. Longer this time.
“So it’s true.”
“Yes, Mom. It’s true.”
“I see.” A faint exhale crackled through the speaker. “And how long has this been going on?”
“Going on?” He let out a small, humorless laugh. “We’re not some scandal. We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months.”
“A couple months,” she repeated, like she was testing how it sounded. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“Since when have you been interested in who I date?” he asked.
“That’s not fair,” she snapped, the first crack in her composure. “I care about you. I have a right to know about the people you let into your life.”
“I know you care,” he said, quieter now.
Silence reigned for a moment. “Rachel told me all about him.”
He closed his eyes. “Of course she did.”
“I just wanted to understand who he is,” she said defensively. “And I’m concerned.”
“Mom—”
“He’s younger than you.”
“Two or three years isn’t a lot, Mom.”
“He isn’t mature enough,” she insisted. “And his job…”
“What about it?”
“It’s unstable,” she said. “Opening an inn and restaurant in Myrtlewood Bay? That’s risky. It’s not what you need.”
“Need?” he echoed. “What do I need, Mom?”
“I want you to be safe,” she shot back. “I want you to have something steady. Someone dependable.”
“He is dependable.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“I know him, Mom. Better than you do. I also know how he treats me.”
Another pause lingered between them. Softer this time, but heavier.
“And how is that?” she asked.
He swallowed, his voice losing its edge. “He listens. He thinks I’m beautiful, inside and out. He doesn’t try to control everything I do or who I am.”
The words hung there.
On the other end, his mother inhaled slowly. “That’s not what I do.”
He didn’t answer right away.
“Is it?” she pressed.
“You don’t mean to,” he said finally. “But sometimes it feels like you already have my life planned out. And if I step outside of that… It’s like you think I’m making a mistake.”
“I just don’t want to see you hurt,” she said, her voice quieter now.
“I know,” he replied. “But I’m allowed to take that risk.”
She sighed, and for a moment, she sounded tired instead of disapproving. “I just wish you’d chosen someone different.”
He let out a small breath. “Yeah. I figured.”
Another stretch of silence, but this one wasn’t as sharp. “He’s pregnant, Boone. So are those ridiculous friends of his.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” he asked, smiling. “You’ll have a grandchild. If you want them.”
“That baby isn’t even yours,” she said, exasperated. “An unwed, pregnant omega with unwed, pregnant friends and business partners. It’s not proper.”
“Maybe not,” he said, thinking about Demarien’s smile and the many dinners he’d shared with the four omegas. “But it’s perfect and warm. They love each other like family, Mom. They’re letting me be a part of that. I’ve never felt more fortunate.”
She sighed, and the silence stretched between them. “Will I get to meet him?” she asked at last.
He blinked, surprised. “You want to?”
“I didn’t say that,” she muttered, “but I suppose I should. If he’s important to you.”
A faint smile tugged at his mouth. “He is.”
She exhaled again, like she was letting go of something she wasn’t ready to release. “Alright. Then we’ll see.”
It wasn’t approval. Not even close. However, it wasn’t rejection either.
“I’ll call you later this week,” he said.
“Okay,” she replied softly. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too, Mom.”
He ended the call and stared at the phone for a long moment before putting it back in his pocket.
Patrick and the two omegas were staring at him, unashamed of eavesdropping. “Problem?” Felix asked.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said, taking another drink of water. “Now, how about we deal with those sheep houses?”
“What exactly is a sheep house?” Patrick asked, raising a brow.