Serena
The jury was still out on if Vinny should be drinking, you know, considering he got shot today. But, that was his morning, and apparently, as far as gunshot wounds go, this one was fine. All the doctor did was clean it out, stitch him up, and send him on his way with antibiotics.
And now we all sat in the living room, curled around the TV, watching the news. And who would I be to deny a hero a drink?
“Bystandards say that local business owner, Vincent Rossi, sprung into action, saving the lives of over a dozen pregnant omegas,” the well groomed news woman spoke into her microphone, and I tried to not die laughing at the local business owner.
Was that what they were calling Mafia dons now?
Vinny groaned, leaning over and taking a drink of his scotch.
Benji softly scratched Vinny’s naked back, doing his best to avoid the gauze on his shoulder. Vinny’s tattoos twitched beneath the touch, muscle jumping as the tension slowly bled out of him.
Smirking, I shifted my attention to the omegas curled up on the loveseat. Violet was passed out, holding onto her bunny, her head resting on Skye’s chest. I told her not to go to bed yet, we’d ordered pizza and dinner would be here soon.
To that, she turned her nose up with a grimace, got comfortable, and ignored my warning. But, just like Vinny and his liquor, she had a big day, and it felt mean to deny her rest.
We’d just wake her when it got here.
“Boss, I can’t believe you didn’t kill someone,” Benji laughed as the news continued to recount Vinny’s heroic actions.
“I wanted to, Pipsqueak over there stopped me.” Vinny’s head bobbed toward Violet.
Skye snorted, cradling Violet’s head as to not jostle her too much. She remained dead to the world, bunny squished between her chin and collarbone, mouth parted just slightly, and I was about ninety percent sure she was drooling.
“Oh, you’re right, Violet is muy aterradora,” Benji teased, shaking his hand for dramatic effect.
Now it was my turn to chuckle.
“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Vinny elbowed Benji away. “You have her look up at you with those big baby doll eyes and tell her no.”
Benji laughed harder at that. “No thank you. I am a beta, it is my job to spoil my pack.”
“It’s true,” Skye added.
Vinny shot him a look sharp enough to kill. “Shut up.”
I smacked his gauze wrapped shoulder, causing him to wince.
“Be nice to my omega,” I warned, pointing a finger at him.
Vinny smiled though his teeth were still gritted. “What about being nice to me?”
“You’re lucky I didn’t hit you harder,” I scoffed.
“Unbelievable,” Vinny grumbled. “I save a dozen omegas, take a bullet, and this is the respect I get in my own house.”
“Actually, it’s Vincent Rossi, business owner who saved them.” Benji grinned. “You are Vinny Rossi, Mafia leader.”
Skye hummed in agreement but didn’t say anything.
And, before Vinny could say something along the lines of I fucking hate all of you, the front door rang, which meant dinner was here.
“I’ll get it.” Benji patted Vinny’s knee twice before standing.
“It’s a shame, dinner’s here and Violet’s going to sleep through it,” Skye murmured.
“Like hell she is.” Vinny stood with a grunt. “At breakfast she ate like she was starving, she’s not allowed to skip meals anymore.”
“Awe, papa bear is worried about his cub,” Skye cooed, lightly patting Violet’s stomach.
Even in her sleep, she smacked him and tried to roll away.
Vinny reached down on what appeared to be instinct, steadying Violet before she could actually succeed in toppling herself off the loveseat.
His hand lingered on her side, fingers splayed, not even trying to deny Skye’s accusation.
Never in my life did I think I’d see Vinny go soft on me, but here we were.
Benji returned with the pizza boxes stacked high.
Takeout wasn’t often something we did, so when we ordered food, we often went all out.
Today’s bounty? Three different types of pizza, garlic knots, an order of spaghetti for Skye, four pounds of wings–buffalo and lemon pepper–and a family sized Greek salad so we could pretend this was still somewhat healthy. Oh! And banana pudding for Vinny.
I thought it was weird that a pizza place even had banana pudding on the menu, but Prima Pizza did, and it was Vinny’s favorite, and he deserved a treat after saving lives and getting shot.
Benji sat the army of boxes on the table, and Vinny tapped Violet on the shoulder like he was trying to wake a soldier, not the world's smallest omega.
Her face scrunched and she waved him off before hiding her face in Skye’s chest.
“Just hand me my pasta and I’m good–let her sleep,” Skye said, stroking her hair.
I could see the exact moment Vinny saw red.
His nostrils flared. “No, she needs to wake up and–”
I got up from my seat and crossed over to him before wrapping my arm around his waist–my intrusive thoughts told me to give him a pat on the back, luckily I thought better of it.
“Go sit, this is your victory dinner, hero.” I joked.
Vinny’s jaw tightened, and I could practically see the argument forming on his lips.
“Let me get her up,” I added quickly. “You go eat.”
Then, because I knew exactly how to disarm him, I leaned up and kissed his cheek.
The fight drained out of him as if he were a bathtub and I’d just pulled his plug.
He huffed, but he let me steer him back toward the couch.
“You’re all conspiring against me,” he grumbled.
“How did you know?” I asked cheerfully. “We’re planning a coup, I’m the top alpha now.”
Benji slid a paper plate already loaded with six wings and three pieces of pizza into Vinny’s hands.
“Eat before you pass out and make this my problem,” Benji scolded.
Vinny rolled his eyes but took a bite anyway.
I turned back to the loveseat and crouched beside Violet before brushing hair out of her face.
“Hey,” I murmured gently. “Vi. Baby girl, it’s time to get up.”
She made a small, offended sound and burrowed deeper.
“I told you, she's tired,” Skye said.
I ignored him and tried again, rubbing slow circles into her arm. “Dinner’s here.”
Nothing.
I leaned closer and lowered my voice conspiratorially. “If you don’t eat, Vinny’s going to pitch a fit, and you won’t be awake to see it.”
That did it.
Violet shot up like a freshly reanimated corpse, hair sticking up in all directions, eyes bleary as if she’d never used them. She yawned and stretched before rubbing her face and looking around the room before noticing the mountain of boxes.
Her nose wrinkled.
“What?” I asked, extending a hand to help Skye get up now that Violet had freed him.
I don’t like pizza, she signed. Too greasy, it hurts my stomach.
Vinny scoffed around a full mouth. “Obviously, you’ve only had shit pizza.”
Violet cut him a glare before grabbing a paper plate and looking through the boxes for something she deemed edible.
“Munequita, if you want I can make you something else.” Benji offered as Violet opened the metal dish of salad.
Slowly Violet shook her head and picked through the veggies before loading her plate with three cucumber slices and a tomato. Oh, and a few olives.
“Ahht, no, you need more.” Vinny ordered, gesturing toward the boxes. “I’m not letting you starve because you’re picky.”
I’m not picky, I’m just not hungry, Violet signed before marching up to Vinny and staring at him expectantly.
“What?” He asked, mouth full.
Violet gestured for him to put the plate down.
“No, some of us are hungry.” Vinny shoved another bite into his mouth.
Violet ignored him, as she often did, and patiently waited.
“Here Vi, I’ll hold you,” I offered, patting my lap.
Men were dumb asses, that was a fact, but an opportunity he wasted was mine for the taking.
Violet looked over at me like a puppy who had been kicked. Big eyes. Betrayed expression. Shoulders drawn in just enough to make it hurt. And, I tried not to be saddened by her preference, especially because every day up until now, she wouldn’t be caught dead with Vinny.
She then turned her melancholic expression on Vinny, who then proceeded to fold like a lawn chair.
“You can’t just look at me like that to get your way,” he protested.
“Ah, but I think she can,” Benji laughed, elbowing him.
Vinny muttered something under his breath as he looked away. “You know what, fine.”
All of Violet’s sadness vanished in an instant, replaced with a small, victorious smile that she tried, and failed, to hide behind her bunny.
“But—” Vinny turned back toward her, lifting a finger like he was reclaiming some scrap of authority. “You need more than rabbit food.”
Her smile faltered, suspicious now.
“Give Benji your plate, let him fix it, you sit in my lap, you eat what he serves you, capise?” Vinny said.
Violet pursed her lips but nodded before doing exactly as Vinny said before climbing on his lap. Vinny hissed as Violet bumped his shoulder while getting settled, but he didn’t snap, which was weird for him.
Once she got comfortable, Benji handed her a fresh plate, this time containing a buffalo and a barbeque wing, one of each pizza slice, and a tiny scoop of salad.
Begrudgingly, Violet took the plate, but before she took a single bite, she nuzzled against Vinny’s neck before breathing in so deeply I could hear it.
My brow furrowed as she rubbed against him, she’d scented herself with me, Benji and Skye before, so I was used to seeing it.
But, Violet only really scented herself in private, you know?
Bed time, after a bath, but never during the middle of dinner.
This behavior was weird, to say the least, but I just chalked it up to pregnancy hormones.
Once she was done, she turned back to her plate, and to my surprise, she actually ate.
After we’d all eaten, I tried, and failed to get Violet again. There was just something calming about having your omega sit on your lap, and Skye was way too independent to willingly give in to my requests. Well, unless he wasn’t feeling well.
And, normally Violet would cling to me, but no, she only wanted Vinny, leaving me to seethe in my jealousy.