Epilogue
One Year Later
“I don’t see why we can’t just get it for takeout like we always do,” Casey complains, crossing his arms.
DJ laughs, swinging an arm around his shoulder and speaking low in his ear. “That’s just because you’re horny and want to get right to the post-meal action.”
My best friend’s cheeks redden. “No, you neanderthal. That is not the reason.”
“Yes, it is,” Raivat and I say at the same time.
Brodie grins, scooting closer to sandwich Casey between the two of them. “Your scent has been giving you away, Omega. Ever since Elsie started teasing you back in Concord.”
I chuckle, feeling the power of watching Casey squirm from my touch under my fingertips once again. He catches my eyes now, his glare playful.
“She knew we had a long ride home,” he accuses, and he’s right. I did know. The guys played an amazing game against New Hampshire yesterday, and their coaches let them stay overnight so we could explore the city. I may have added fuel to the flame when we finally left to come home this morning.
Still, I scoff. “I didn’t know the guys would want to go eat the second we got back. I’m not the one giving you blue balls, look at them!”
I point at the three alphas, who all have varying degrees of mischief written on their faces.
“Oh, Elsie. We did nothing of the sort,” DJ protests, biting his lip to keep from laughing.
“We just want to treat our omegas to a wonderful dinner,” Raivat adds as he laces our hands together. The touch causes me to relax as I squeeze a little bit tighter.
“Fine, but this place? We always get takeout,” Casey says.
I nod, agreeing. This has been our go-to for the last year now. Whenever we’d need some comfort food or a quick bite before heading on the road, this was the place to go. Still, I don’t think I’ve ever actually stepped a foot into the establishment.
Sam’s Soups and Salads.
I look up at the sign, seeing the wear and tear. One letter is even blacked out, so now it says Sam’s Soups nd Salads. Not the worst letter that could have been lost, to be honest. I see why they haven’t fixed it yet.
We move into the tiny restaurant in a unit, staying close together to not take up as much space, but it’s kind of hard with three hulking alphas.
Casey isn’t small, either. I’m the only pipsqueak it would seem, actually, which is probably why they all huddle me to stand between them as we get to the counter.
“Good evening, welcome to Sam’s Soups and Salads—” The guy at the front counter cuts himself off when he looks up and smiles wide at our alphas. “DJ! Brodie! Raivat! What a pleasant surprise. I thought you guys had a championship this weekend.”
“We did; it was yesterday. We won!”
That starts a whole celebration with hooting and hollering, and I just stand there, completely perplexed.
“Um, what is happening right now?”
The young guy looks to me, his mouth curving into a small ‘o’. “I’m sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Sam.”
“Sam?” Casey says. “Is this place named after you?”
He smiles widely. “My parents own it. And yes, this place was built after I was born, so it was named after me. Can you imagine if they’d named me after the restaurant?”
The alphas all laugh. Casey and I look at each other, our eyes wide, but the guy keeps on going without missing a beat.
“It’s so nice to finally meet the omega that gave me my most loyal customers,” Sam announces, smiling at me. “And some of my best friends that can kick ass at FIFA.”
Now I’m even more confused, because apparently when the guys are all playing, this is the guy they’re speaking to. The guy from the fucking salad shop?
That sparks a conversation about the game and their latest match while Casey and I stand there reeling. We look at each other, our expressions showing the same confusion.
What the hell? I say to him.
I know right, he says back.
After what feels like hours (which is probably only twenty minutes), we get our order in (which Sam apparently knows by heart) and go to sit down.
“Well,” Casey starts, scooting into the booth beside me. “That was interesting.”
“It was! You finally got to meet Sam!”
“Yes, Sam,” I echo. “But… why didn’t we know Sam? You guys play video games with him?”
Brodie laughs. “It’s a funny story, actually.”
My best friend pokes him in the side. “So tell us.”
“Well, this is where we got food for your first heat,” Raivat says, looking to me. “But you knew that, that’s why we get food here all the time.”
“Yeah…?”
“But what you don’t know is that when we got here, DJ was so excited that he announced to Sam, and therefore the entire staff, that we just met our omega and that we were helping them with their heat for the first time.”
My eyes bulge. “What?”
DJ sparkles, his eyes crinkling at the sides. “Yeah, I couldn’t keep it in. I had to tell someone.”
“So you told Sam, the soup and sandwich guy,” Casey states.
“Hey, I didn’t know he was the Sam, okay?”
I can’t help but let out a laugh, the ridiculousness of this moment taking over. “That’s honestly amazing.”
“I can’t believe we didn’t know about this,” Casey says, crossing his arms and finally letting an amused smile free.
“We kind of forgot about the entire encounter until after the heat was over,” Brodie says.
“But that’s why we keep getting food here?” I ask. “Because it’s sentimental to that day?”
“Well, of course,” Raivat confirms. “It’s not because we love soup that much.”
“Hey, soup is amazing,” I scold him, and he raises his hands in surrender.
“I didn’t quite know how much I was missing out on soup until meeting you, little elf,” Brodie responds, giving a cheeky grin.
“And speaking of,” DJ announces. “Here’s our food now.”
A staff member comes over, placing pretty bowls in front of us. The scent of the pecan salad washes over me, and my stomach rumbles. Along with our food, Sam brings out a cake and I scrunch a brow.
“Oh, I don’t think we ordered a cake,” I tell him kindly.
His lip curves. “You didn’t, little lady, but your mates did.”
It gets placed on the table, angled toward Casey and I so we can look down at the white cream frosting. There’s something inscribed on it, the cursive a little bit hard to read, but when I peer closer, my heart sputters a quick beat.
“Happy Anniversary,” Casey reads out loud, and I can hear the smile in his voice. “Oh wow, has it been a year already?”
Raivat nods. “One year to the day of Elsie’s first heat and meeting you both for the first time.”
At some point, Sam ventured away, and now we’re just left with our mates, my heart full and my lip wobbling.
“You three… you’re the best,” I say, trying to control my emotions. Casey’s hand comes to my shoulder for support. “You have been an absolute blessing.”
DJ smiles softly, a glimmering sheen entering his eyes. “You two are the real blessings. Thank you for giving us a chance, three jocks with nothing else to offer but our hearts.”
Casey scoffs. “You have a lot more to offer than your heart, Dee.”
That earns him a laugh. “Oh, don’t try getting into my pants right now, I’m trying to have a sentimental moment. Those are rare for me.”
Raivat takes our hands across the table, his eyes just as bright. “We’re lucky to have you both. And for you to have each other. We just wanted you to know that we appreciate you.”
“Exactly,” Brodie agrees.
They all look at us, the moment feeling almost too intimate, but that doesn’t scare me anymore. These boys have made me feel safe in every possible way, and they’ve done nothing but continuously reaffirm that they were meant for us every step of the way.
“Well,” I start, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Are we going to dig into this cake, or what?”
I look at Casey, seeing the same emotion reflecting back at me. “Do you want a corner piece?”
I nod, loving how well he knows me. “Yes, a corner piece sounds amazing.”