Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Mia
I fully intended to stay awake.
That was the plan.
The guys warned me they would be getting back late after the away game, and that they didn't expect me to wait up for them.
But after staying up to watch the entire game–yes, the whole thing, even though I barely understood anything that was happening–I really wanted to be awake to congratulate them the moment they walked in the door to my apartment.
So, yes, the plan was to stay awake on the couch, watching romcoms and waiting for them to come home to me.
But sometime after the game ended, my alphas coming off the field by the fourth quarter to let some other players have their time on the field, I must have managed to drift off to sleep on the couch.
I stir awake feeling disoriented.
My neck hurts.
One of my legs is asleep, prickling with a painful pins-and-needles sensation.
Zak's coat is clutched to my chest, my grip as tight as if it were a life raft in the middle of open waters. Holding on to his coat helps me feel anchored to the pack. Spencer and Freddie have given me items of their own to add to my growing collection of stolen clothing items.
From Spencer, a college t-shirt that I put on before the game. He worked out wearing it, so it smells delicious.
And from Freddie, one of his lucky socks. Not the pair of socks. Just one, which I wear on my left foot. He's wearing the other one–which I know because he sent pictures of his right foot before the game to confirm we're matching.
Such a sweet, funny, weirdo.
I'm not sure why I've woken up suddenly when the apartment is still empty. Maybe it's the horrible combination of feelings that confirms my heat is preparing to come and rock all of our lives.
There's an ache between my legs that's needy and restless. I'm so deep in emotional turmoil that I managed to make a makeshift nest of blankets on the couch during the football game. Except now I'm feeling kind of overly hot surrounded by so many fuzzy blankies.
One minute, I'm a competent, high-powered marketing professional. The next, I'm one sad commercial away from dissolving into a puddle of emotions.
My incoming heat will not be ignored.
I shuffle anxiously around on the couch, inhaling deeply to take in the scents of the pack. I can smell them from the items they left behind, and from their extended presence in my apartment. Their scents have permeated every piece of furniture and blanket in the place.
Then I freeze, my ears locking onto the sound of a click as a key turns in the door.
I sit up on the couch to greet the three men who enter with athletic bags slung over each of their shoulders. The smell of the stadium is still on them, and I notice immediately that the three of them don't appear to have showered after the game.
Sometimes Freddie waits until he's home, but Spencer and Zak usually shower in the locker room.
"Hi," I say in a sleepy voice. "Did you rush home because you missed me?" I smile sweetly as all three of them hurriedly drop their bags to the ground when they see me waiting up on the couch for them.
"Always," Zak smiles.
Spencer walks toward me, stopping near the end of the couch to affectionately squeeze my foot. The one wearing Freddie's lucky sock. I'm not sure when the beta last washed the sock, so it's probably a questionable choice, but I don't mind the affection.
"How are you feeling?" he asks. He presses his thumb into the center of my arch, eliciting a groan from the back of my throat. The pressure feels so good on my foot.
After my groan, I admit I'm feeling "Wimpy," because there's no reason to keep pretending with them. I tried to hold myself together the past few days–the best I could–so they could focus on football.
Now that this week's game is over, I don't have the energy to pretend anymore.
"And clingy," I decide to add. "Please never leave my sight again. From now on, I'm going to all your away games. I know you don't like the idea of me being in the stands alone, but I can invite my brother or Belle and her pack or maybe one of my work friends."
"We'll figure something out," Spencer easily agrees with a nod.
I lean toward him and wrap my arms around his waist, pressing my head against his waistband. "Did I mention I'm feeling clingy?"
Freddie's gaze meets mine, and I see him staring at me with a blindingly bright smile that borders on creepy in its intensity. "Perfect. Then this is an excellent time for a field trip."
He's crazy.
"No, I just want to cuddle." I shake my head against Spencer.
His smile doesn't waver. "Counterpoint: yes. Field trip. Field trips are fun!"
I wrinkle my nose. There's nowhere I can imagine going at this time of night that strikes me as fun.
All I want to do is curl up amongst the pack in bed, preferably with the ceiling fan on high.
And maybe we could take a snack with us.
Pretzels. Or popcorn. Or maybe some of those strawberry poptarts I hid in the back of the cabinet so Freddie would stop eating an entire box per day.
Zak jingles his keys, drawing my attention.
"I know you're sleepy, baby girl, but there's somewhere we really want to take you."
Well, when Daddy Zak puts it like that...
I tip my head back to look up at Spencer. He pets my head sweetly as he meets my eyes with a mischievousness despite the tired way his eyelids droop slightly after his long game day.
"Are you sure we can't wait until tomorrow?" I bite my bottom lip, wondering if the alpha might be willing to be flexible.
Instead, he studies me for a moment before shaking his head. "This shouldn't wait. Let's take the field trip, Mia."
"No one appreciates how brave I'm being on this very secretive field trip," I grumble from the backseat, where I'm lying with my head in Spencer's lap.
He laughs under his breath as he strokes my hair.
"You're being amazingly brave," Zak says solemnly from the driver's seat.
Freddie twists around from the front passenger seat. "A hero. A warrior. A very cute little hostage."
"How much further?" I pout.
Spencer glances out the window, then reassures, "We're almost there."
Intrigued, I sit up and take in the familiar street. The site of our future home is only one turn away, and seconds later, Zak takes the turn.
My pulse starts pounding.
I squeeze Zak's coat tighter around myself.
No.
No, no, no.
Dread floods my system, threatening to make my hormone-riddled brain go into full meltdown mode. My body suddenly feels ice cold as Zak turns into the parking lot of the Franklin Senior Living Center.
Spencer had the front sign removed the day after rushing to finalize the purchase of the building, but the name lives on in my heart.
My heart, which is dangerously close to breaking, as Zak stops the car by the front door.
"What are we doing here?" I ask in a whisper even though I don't actually want to know the answer.
Spencer reaches over for my hand. "There's something inside you need to see."
Inside.
My dream home.
A sick feeling rises in my throat so fast I almost choke on it.
There's something wrong with the building.
Something awful. Something impossible. Some new problem, structural issue, weird legal complication, or an unexpected squirrel infestation that means I'm never going to get to live here after all.
They've brought me here in person because the situation is so bad that it can't be gently explained from a safe distance.
My eyes start burning before I can stop them.
"Mia?" Spencer unbuckles his seat belt, then mine. He drags me onto his lap and wraps his arms tightly around me...
And I immediately burst into tears.
Real tears. A full-blown ugly cry.
"I don't want to see it, whatever it is." Somehow, I sob even harder. "I don't want to see whatever terrible thing is going to keep me from living here. I shouldn't have gotten so attached, but I just loved this place so much."
The guys panic instantly.
"Mia, no." Spencer draws my head down against his shoulder, his other hand starting to rub slow, soothing circles on my back.
"Baby girl, nothing terrible happened," Zak says, his voice sounding choked.
Freddie inhales through his nose. Exhales through his mouth. "Why are you crying as if someone died?" He pauses, then adds, "I mean, I know a lot of people probably died here, but I don't think it happened recently." He pauses again. "Depending on how you define recently."
For some reason, even though I appreciate his attempt to inject some humor into the situation, I only cry harder.
"Mia," Spencer says, firm and horrified. "Look at me."
The draw to obey the alpha is enough reason to lift my head and focus on him with teary eyes.
He cups my face. "Nothing is wrong with the house."
"Then why are we here?" I sniffle, trying to get a handle on my emotions, which seem to be running completely wild with no sign of rational thought anywhere on the horizon.
Freddie makes a strangled noise from behind me and blurts, "Because we went to the city council meeting and got the rezoning approved on an emergency basis, and now we can legally stay the night!"
My crying cuts off so abruptly that I hiccup.
And turn in Spencer's lap to stare at Freddie.
He stares back, wide-eyed, like he isn't sure whether his words helped or made things worse.
"... What did you just say?"
"We got the city to sign off on the rezoning.
" Zak smiles, his face flooding with relief as he offers his reassurance.
"The city isn't keen on the idea of an omega being denied access to her new home and nest when there's a heat to consider.
Apparently, there's a special ordinance for exactly our kind of scenario to help the process move a little faster.
So, it's done. We can stay here. Starting tonight. "
My mouth drops open.
Spencer rubs his hands over my thighs. "Welcome home, Mia."
Home.
The word hits completely different this time.
I start crying again, but now it's the good kind of tears. Happy ones. The kind of tears an omega cries when she realizes the scent-matches of her dreams have gone above and beyond to make all of her other dreams come true.
"I have one more question," I admit in a wobbly voice.
"Yes, my little leafy green?" Freddie stares at me expectantly, ready to help give me the world, even if it just means batting his eyes at Spencer or Zak to get them to do the heavy lifting.
"How are we going to stay here tonight without a bed?" I appreciate their willingness to do just about anything to make me happy, but I'm not really a camping kind of girl. So, if they mention sleeping bags, we're going to have to have a serious discussion about proper accommodations.
"Let us show you," Spencer offers.
He moves me off of his lap, plopping me down on the seat beside him, and gets out of the car to come around and open my door for me. He offers me his hand to help me out of the backseat.
There's plenty of comfort in feeling my alpha's hand squeezing mine.
There's also comfort in looking up at the building, knowing there's nothing terrible awaiting me inside.
This place is ours.
This place is home.