Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Spencer
The smell hits first.
An odd combination of hospital-grade disinfectant and dust. Two things I don't feel like I should be able to smell at the same time, but here we are.
None of us quite understood what Mia needed from a house to feel comfortable, but I know none of us imagined something like this.
There's an abandoned walker in the entryway, and a few feet beyond that lies a glass reception window with a handwritten sign informing guests they must sign in at the desk.
Hiding my reaction feels impossible. My nose wrinkles and my brow creases. Zak makes the same face I do. Freddie outright gags.
Mia, on the other hand, walks further into the building as if being summoned by a siren's song.
"Oh, I love this," she gushes.
I'm speechless.
She clasps her hands together and takes her time, lovingly taking in every detail of the entryway. She genuinely looks like a woman finding her dream home on one of those house-hunting reality TV shows.
"This wallpaper is stunning." She runs her hand over the dark purple and light gray striped wall.
There's no denying the irony that the walls are decorated in the Sloths' team colors. Fate is definitely having a laugh at my expense right about now.
Rufus lingers near the entry, keys still in hand, wearing the shocked, open-mouth expression of someone who already didn't expect the tour to last this long.
She glances back at us and takes in our lack of shared enthusiasm. "Are you worried about the slight odor? Because that will totally fade during a remodel."
"Slight odor?" Freddie echoes in a hysterically high pitch. "Baby, that's not just an odor, that's a stench."
She faces him. "It's temporary. Rufus said the building has been closed for over a year. Once everything is cleaned up and renovated, you'll never remember the house smelling like anything other than our pack."
I'm both impressed and alarmed by her certainty.
She's talking about this place like it's already a done deal.
The wallpaper that Mia loves continues into the hallway, taunting me with its presence. The beige floors are real tile, not linoleum. Doors line the length of the long hallway, each one painted a different color of the rainbow. The building is massive.
We walk all the way down the hall until it opens up into what appears to have been a recreation room. Outdated floral chairs are scattered all around, but the dark wood tables appear to be in good shape. A grand piano sits abandoned in the corner, causing Freddie's eyes to light up.
He's a pretty good dancer, but there's otherwise not an ounce of rhythm or musical talent in his body.
He beelines straight to the piano, plopping down and hitting the keys with zeal despite the painful first notes, making it obvious the piano needs a good tuning.
Mia turns a slow circle, hugging her arms around herself to try to contain the excitement bubbling out of her. "Don't you feel it?"
"Not really," Zak says.
"Yes," Freddie answers at the same time.
I rub a hand over my mouth.
Rufus does his best to step in with impressive professionalism under the circumstances.
"The seller's agent sent me a detailed packet about the building.
They've already had a structural engineer come out and sign off that there are no structural issues he could find.
All of the safety features are still being tested monthly, so you have a functioning sprinkler system and a commercial-grade security system already in place.
The staircases to the second floor have reinforced railings, and the elevator got its annual safety inspection just a few weeks ago. "
He pauses to look up from the document he's reading on his phone.
"Obviously, the building has excellent accessibility," he continues, "so there are some great features here to appreciate. Of course, the building would still require extensive renovations to make it functional as a family home. You might want to consider–"
"This place reminds me of visiting my grandparents in their retirement community when I was a kid,” Mia says, cutting him off.
“It didn't look exactly the same, but there's enough that feels familiar.
I used to love it there. Everyone always had candy and endless stories about their wild childhoods. "
Her words have an effect on me.
I can feel myself starting to look at the place differently. To see past boarded-up windows and outdated furniture. There's a sense that warmth once existed here, and that the building is ready to welcome in new life with that same warmth.
Maybe the disinfectant fumes are going to my head because I could almost swear I'm feeling a hint of that good energy Mia keeps talking about.
Ten minutes later, I'm back to questioning my omega's sanity.
"It's perfect!" Mia gasps.
"You can't be serious," I croak out as my eyes scan the compact space, feeling a mix of horror and confusion.
"Why not?" Mia turns to glare at me with her hands on her hips.
"Because this is a medication storage room," Zak answers for me. "The walls are made of concrete blocks, the space is tight, and there isn't even any natural light coming in."
There are no windows in the interior room. Only a few leftover metal shelves, collecting dust, where the blood pressure medications used to be kept.
Mia shrugs her shoulders, not swayed at all by the serious problems Zak is pointing out to her. Her eyes are bright and hopeful as she repeats her initial assessment, "This room would make the most perfect nest."
I'm trapped in stunned silence.
Zak twitches like he's short-circuiting.
Freddie tilts his head and squints in the room.
How does Mia look at this little room and see destiny? All I see is a mid-sized storage closet.
"It's secure," she doubles down. "No windows to worry about prying eyes or break-ins when we're vulnerable.
Thick walls. Enclosed enough to feel protected, but close enough to the heart of the building that it doesn't feel like an isolated dungeon.
There's ventilation." She points out the vents in the room.
"Shelving for blankets and whatever other cozy things I want to keep close.
Close enough to the kitchen for easy snack access.
" She steps into the center of the room and turns in circles with her arms spread as wide as her smile. "Tell me you can't picture it."
Zak's voice is strained as he says, "I can only picture what this room used to be, and I'm having a little trouble moving past that."
Freddie hums thoughtfully beside me. "Counterpoint: Just lean into what this room really is. The old people needed their pills to maintain good health. Mia's going to keep her own version of medication in here."
He waits, letting the drama build.
"Just spit it out," I sigh, already sure he's about to make all of us–especially our realtor–cringe.
"When Mia's heat comes, this is where we'll treat her... with our dicks!"
Zak groans.
Mia snorts a laugh.
After a moment, I can't help but laugh along with Mia. Freddie is so ridiculous, it's impossible not to find him hilarious most of the time, even though I try to hold my composure as often as possible to keep his ego in check.
Maybe Mia is right. Maybe I can picture exactly what she's imagining. All of her complaints about the nests we've seen have been about too much light, not enough privacy, too much space, or not enough character.
She could have exactly what she wants here.
A small, dim, private space with so much character that it has its own backstory.
Zak still has his brows knit down in deep suspicion about the space's ability to be a cozy nest, but he looks less appalled by the moment.
As we try to move along on our tour of the huge building, I spare one last glance back into the room where she would make her nest. A low rumble builds in my chest as I picture the way our four-person bed would fill the space. Making our bond the absolute center of the room.
The idea holds its own appeal.
We continue on, and every room gives Mia a fresh excuse to fall more in love.
She fantasizes out loud for us about how we would use all the different spaces.
Resident rooms that would give us space for plenty of kids.
A huge communal dining room for large holiday dinners.
An enclosed courtyard that would make a safe place for the kids to play with enough room for some raised flower beds.
Rufus excuses himself to take a quick phone call.
Freddie skips his way across the length of the courtyard, then pauses and looks back at us. "Can we get one of those inflatable swimming pools? Kids love pools. And me. I also love pools."
Mia nods enthusiastically.
And I can see it.
Children with dark hair and Mia's laugh racing to the inflatable pool in summer.
Building a snowman in the courtyard in the winter.
Freddie arguing with the kids over whether it's his turn again yet or not for the swings.
Zak carrying out a plate of snacks in one hand and a fresh bottle of sunscreen in the other.
Mia clasps her hands together while looking at each of us in turn.
"Wouldn't the best-case scenario be a place like this that's big enough that our kids can always come home?
" She drops her gaze to her feet, her cheeks turning pink as she more quietly adds, "Not just after college.
They could come home whenever they needed and know they always have a place.
Maybe even have their own kids here if they really wanted.
There would always be plenty of room to go around. And plenty of love."
Something inside my chest tightens until I can barely breathe.
Because that sounds exactly right.
Exactly like the kind of future I didn't know I needed for myself until now.
Freddie swoons openly. "That's it. I'm sold. I want to emotionally support a dozen of our grown children while they raid our fridges and avoid paying rent."
A dozen.