39. Nelly
Nelly
Beau lifts his head first.
His eyes are red around the edges, but the weight that's been sitting on his shoulders for years seems... lighter somehow.
He cups my cheek with one trembling hand. "Nelly?"
God, he's got beautiful eyes. "Yeah?"
"You really meant that?"
I don't even have to think about it. "Every word."
A smile breaks across his face, soft and disbelieving, before he leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. Feather-light, yet full of a yearning that tugs at the bond I feel in my chest. His happiness overwhelms me, lighting me up from the inside out.
The world disappears around us.
And you know what? I don't even care if his family sees us. I hope they see and choke. His hand comes up and cups the back of my head, holding our lips together as he flutters them against my own. It's not a desperate kiss. Not something fueled by heat or instinct.
It's careful.
Grateful.
Like he's memorizing the feeling of being chosen.
"I'm so sorry," I whisper.
"Shhh sh sh sh," he hushes against my lips. "We're so past that, I promise."
A set of strong, steady hands settles on my hip before a voice sounds against the shell of my ear.
"My turn," Levi murmurs.
The instant Beau releases my lips, my body is turned. Levi's there, looking down at me with that cheeky little grin he's always got on his face. My knees go weak at the sight of him. He smells divine, and I allow his scent to overtake me.
"Come here," I whisper as I wrap my hand into his shirt.
"There's our little troublemaker," Levi says with a chuckle.
I drag his lips to mine, crashing us together as his arms sweep around my body. Fucking hell, his scent topples my world. My legs go weak as the smell of smoke, ink, and spice fills my nostrils, and I finally give in to the scent match that has haunted me for days.
My hand slides into Levi's hair before a larger, rougher hand cups the back of my head. Levi pulls away and his forehead falls to mine.
"I love the trouble you cause," Levi murmurs.
I smile softly. "Wasn't causing trouble."
"You absolutely were."
"I was defending my Beta."
"Our Beta," Levi corrects.
I melt at his words before his lips settle against mine once more. His tongue teases the seam of my lips, but it isn't long before I'm sucking on it and wanting to be covered in his scent. It's the kind of kiss that somehow quiets every anxious thought rattling around inside me.
I need him in my nest.
"I'm so proud of you, sweet girl," Levi whispers against my lips.
Nash chuckles as his fingers thread into my hair. "You done hogging our Omega?"
Beau snickers. "You sound jealous."
"Yeah," Nash says, "and I'm about to remedy that pronto."
He grips my hair and pulls my head back before leaning down over me. He towers over all of us, and I fucking love it. Our lips meet and our tongues collide as Levi continues holding me around my waist.
"I swear," he murmurs in between flicks of his tongue, "I step away for a few minutes and everyone's getting kisses but me."
I giggle against his lips. "Then shut up and kiss me properly."
Levi releases me when I throw my arms around Nash's neck.
He picks me up and swings me around. Our bodies move gracefully with one another as if we've been doing it all our lives.
His bond within my chest lights up with happiness, and it brings a smile to my face as I slant my mouth against his, trying to deepen our connection.
My legs wrap around his shirtless form as I drink him in, his scent and his sweaty musk driving me wild.
"Oh, Nash," I whisper as our lips finally disconnect.
"I will protect you until the day I die," he vows as his gaze meets mine. "I hope you know that."
I smile with tears in my eyes. "I do."
He pecks another kiss to the tip of my nose. "Good."
As he settles me onto my feet, he kisses me one last time with a tenderness I didn't think he was capable of. It steals the breath from my lungs. His finger crooks beneath my chin, holding me there but not trapping me, while his other hand settles against the dip in my waist.
And when we finally separate, a whistle pierces the air.
"Wooooo hoo!" someone calls out.
I blink away the privacy of the little world we created, and reality comes zooming back in.
Clapping starts up as more whistles echo across the field, and Nash's laugh makes me look around to see what's going on.
The applause grows. Laughter fills the air.
Whoops and hollers pull my attention in the direction of the lake, only to find the source of the noisy chaos.
The entire police department is clapping and looking at us.
"About damn time, Sheriff!" someone calls out.
"Pick her up and swing her around again!"
"You can do better than that, Sheriff!"
"Kiss her again! Kiss her again! Kiss her again!"
Even the fire department shoves their fists into the air, pumping them with the chant as it gains momentum.
Ford cups his hands around his mouth. "Took you guys long enough!"
Knox lets out a whooping holler as Tansy's unmistakable voice carries across the field. "Get 'em, Nellyyyyy!"
"Oh my god," I mutter as I pinch the bridge of my nose.
Beau wraps his arm around me. "I think we're being heckled."
"We're absolutely being heckled," Levi says.
"Let 'em," Nash says as he grabs my hand and yanks me toward him. "Let the whole world heckle, as far as I care."
His lips fall to mine once more as my hands splay against his chest. Our bond lights up within my body, filling me from head to toe. I feel Beau's steady calm. I feel Levi's cheeky presence. I feel Nash's protective aura, all of it crashing around within me at once.
Nash sweeps his tongue into my mouth and the lake all around us goes wild.
I let everyone see. Instead of curling into myself because people are staring, I kiss him with pride. I don't duck my head. I don't pull away. I don't run.
I just smile against Nash's lips before we finally come up for air.
"My Alpha," I whisper.
A rumble of a growl rattles where my hands are on his chest. "My Omega."
"Atteeeeen-tion!" a volunteer exclaims from a small platform beside the registration tent.
The microphone screeches feedback through the speakers and it makes me wince.
"We're getting started with the first events!" the volunteer says when the screeching is done. "Tug-of-war competitors, make your way to the shoreline."
Nash winks down at me. "That's my cue."
I reach up and place a kiss on his cheek. "Whoop their asses."
Nash pats my bottom. "I'll bring you a victory, beautiful."
The volunteer continues their announcement. "Also, registration for the three-legged race, the egg race, and the kids' races all close in five minutes! Make sure to get in line if you haven't already signed up!"
Nash pulls himself away from me and jogs backward toward the water, waving to me as if he's going off to war.
I laugh and wave back at him, then he turns and jogs toward the police department still warming up in the water.
They pat him on his back. A few of them give him back-clapping hugs.
And as I watch his face light up with a smile beneath the heavy summer sun, my heart feels full.
Complete.
"You know," Beau says, turning my attention to him, "maybe I'll sign up for something after all."
"Oh, yeah?" Levi asks as he crosses his arms. "Like what?"
Worry fills me and I reach for Beau's hand. "You know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, right? You can always join me and the girls underneath the tent." I motion to the tent where Lo, Lia, and Tansy wave at us. I wave back before turning to my Beta. "We'd love to have you."
Beau looks back at the growing line for the registration tent. "I mean, I don't want to compete with my family, no. But…"
Levi tilts his head. "What you thinking?"
Beau shrugs. "I did the three-legged race a few times as a kid and it didn't suck."
I smile. "I'll get in line with you, then. Wait with you in the sun."
"Oh, this is going to be great," Levi says as he guides us toward the back of the line. "Let's get this show on the road."
It doesn't take us long before we get up to the table where the volunteer is taking people's information.
"Name," the volunteer says.
"Beau Talcott," he says.
"What competition?"
His smile is so confident. "Three-legged race."
"Wonderful," the volunteer says, "and your partner's name?"
Beau blinks. "Oh."
I look at Levi. "You think Nash could do it after the tug-of-war thing?"
The volunteer answers me. "Tug-of-war is right before that race, he might not have enough time to set up and prepare. But you can always try."
"Damn," I whisper as I search around for Nash.
But then, Levi steps up to the table. "His partner is Levi Cruz."
Both of us whip toward him and Beau smiles so brightly that it makes my heart want to burst.
"You sure?" Beau asks.
Levi bumps his shoulder. "We're doing this and we're winning."
Beau snickers. "Ever been tied to another person's leg before?"
Levi puts his signature on the sign-up sheet. "I've tattooed rowdy college kids who won't hold still for anything in this world. How hard can it be?"
Beau's head falls back with laughter. "I guess we're about to find out."
After confirming things with the volunteer, Beau and Levi get numbers to pin on themselves.
I help with the safety pins, steadying the numbers against their backs and threading the pin through the paper and their clothing.
The two of them drift away from me, and I can see the utter confusion on Nash's face as they walk by the lake with numbers pinned to their backs.
Nash comes jogging toward me. "Beau signed up for something?"
"They're doing the three-legged race."
"Oh, hell yeah. I'll come get you after the tug-of-war is done and we'll go cheer them on."
I smile up at him. "I'll be cheering you on, too."
He leans down and presses a kiss to the top of my head. "Can't wait, little one. See you soon."
He gives me a soft pat on the bottom before he jogs back toward the lake, and I marvel at the way his muscles undulate beneath his skin. My god, I've got a handsome pack.
I don't even realize Tansy's come up to me until her voice rips me out of my trance.
"You look sickeningly happy," she says.
I giggle as I look over at her. "I feel it, that's for sure."
She links her arm with mine. "Come on, you're shimmering with sweat. Knox made another lemonade run for us."
We make our way back to the tent, only for Lo and Lia to come shooting out at us like bullets from the barrel of a gun. Lia throws her arms around me while Lo brings me a lemonade, and I can't help the smile that hurts my cheeks.
"So proud of you," Lia says as she releases me.
"You look like you need a cool-down after all that," Lo says with a grin.
Tansy fans herself. "Our girl's out here collecting her pack like Pokémon."
"Oh, hush," I say as I take a sip of the lemonade. It makes my eyes flutter closed. "I swear, Ruby should sell this year-round."
"I keep telling her," Knox says as he moves behind me. "Gotta go, but congratulations, wrecking ball. You've earned it."
I groan. "Don't tell me that's the nickname that's sticking."
"Hey," Knox says as he turns around and shrugs, "I don't make the rules around here, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," I murmur as Knox disappears toward the lake.
Lo sits back down and pats the blanket beside her. "Come sit with us, lover girl."
Heat creeps into my cheeks as I settle onto the blanket. "I hate all of you."
"No, you don't," Lia says as she plops down on my other side.
"You love us," Tansy says as she pulls up a lawn chair. "Now, let's watch all these shirtless guys get sweaty and wet."
Our laughter ushers in the games, and music swells over the loudspeakers.
The first competitions kick off one right after another, and we cheer ourselves hoarse.
When Ford's team competes, Lo practically loses her voice.
Lia screams for Knox until she's laughing too hard to keep yelling.
Hell, even Tansy cups her hands over her mouth whenever someone she knows steps up to compete while Hayes keeps bringing us snacks from the food trucks.
Deep-fried Oreos and funnel cakes. As much lemonade as we can chug and giant soft pretzels with an array of dipping sauces. He even brought us an entire basket of fried cheese curds that Tansy insists were a necessity to our smorgasbord of grease and fat.
Until an announcer's voice booms over our heads.
"It's time for the main event, everyone! Tug-of-war is upon us! Teams, gather at the water's edge!"