41. Sunny
Chapter 41
Sunny
T he house was so quiet… I didn’t like it.
Earlier in the night, the guys had kissed me goodbye as they headed to the station for their first shift since moving in.
“Are you sure you have everything you could need?” Rune asked for the hundredth time.
“I do. And I've got my phone, so I can call you guys if I need anything,” I insisted.
Walker pulled me in for a hug. We had shared a wonderful dinner of spaghetti, paired with some fresh bread I had baked, and I was about to get Luka ready for bed. Taking a deep inhale of his sugary scent, I let it calm me. I didn't like the idea of them all being at work at the same time, but I knew it was the nature of their jobs.
Once Luka was in bed, I fully intended to curl up in a nest made of their clothing, though.
“One of us can call in sick,” Rune said hopefully.
Walker groaned. “I'm literally the captain, you can't say that in front of me! Even if I totally understand and agree with you.”
I shook my head, leaning into Walker’s touch. “You can't leave the fire station short-staffed. It's only twenty-four hours. We're going to get ready and go to bed, and tomorrow, we're going to go to the park, do a little baking, and maybe play with some blocks. You’re not missing much.”
None of us wanted to leave each other.
“We're all sharing a ride there, so you could always come and see us for lunch using the other vehicle,” Blaze said as he grabbed his bag, a hopeful expression on his face.
I grimaced. It was a nice idea, and in fact, I would have loved to pop over there the next day to bring them some cookies and maybe share a meal with them. Only, their choices of vehicles weren’t exactly suitable. They had a truck and an SUV, both alpha-sized.
“I'm pretty sure my feet won't reach the pedals on either vehicle.”
Walker looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. “In that case, we need to get you a smaller car. Maybe a Mini or an A3?”
“I’ll look into the safety ratings for both,” Rune said as I gaped at Walker.
“I draw the line at you buying me a car.”
Walker beamed down at me, his hand rubbing my back. If he was trying to seduce me, he was doing a bad job of it. “We just want you to be safe, and having a car would be good for you.”
Huffing, I glowered at my alpha. Sure, having my own car would be extremely useful. Being able to drive to the grocery store or take Luka to daycare on my own would be helpful.
“But I like driving Sunshine around.” Blaze pouted. “It’s one of the few ways she actually lets us take care of her.”
“You don’t own a car,” I pointed out. Rune had the truck and Walker the SUV.
Blaze nodded. “I do need to get one. My last one had an itchy steering wheel so I got rid of it and just never got around to buying a new one. Now I need to. I’ll find whatever has the best safety rating for us, Sunshine!”
Walker frowned. “Well, she’ll just be using the car while we’re on shift, because if we aren’t on shift, we will be driving her anywhere she needs.”
“You are incorrigible,” I grumbled into Walker’s chest.
“Shhh, just accept my love,” Walker said, clutching me to his chest, muffling my complaints.
We spent way too long in the doorway, saying our goodbyes. Each alpha kissed me multiple times, hugged me, and assured me that they would be back soon.
I’d been left on my own before while they were on calls, but this felt different. I had spent so much time on my own before, surely, I could do it again. Before my apartment burned down, I had spent pretty much every day with just Luka.
“Go to work! The B shift guys are going to be waiting to go home, and you’re making them late!” I said as I shoved them out the door.
It took a few more attempts to get rid of them before they all piled into Walker’s SUV and drove off. Locking the door behind them, I padded into the kitchen, where Luka was sitting in his high chair eating leftover pasta. Eating was a bit of an exaggeration. He was more likely shoving it in his face and getting it all over himself.
“Oh dear, my sweet boy, I think you need a bath!”
Walker : Just got to the station, are you okay?
Sunny : Just giving the little food monster a bath.
Rune : Maybe we should avoid the pasta with dark sauces. He gets them everywhere, and he’s stained so many clothes. Also, can you give Sooty some of the mint I clipped earlier?
Blaze : Hush, you're stifling his creativity. I'm missing you already, sunshine.
Even though I had only just finished giving Luka a bath, I was also starting to miss the guys. Usually one of them was there when I gave Luka a bath, holding out the towel, ready to grab the wet and wriggling toddler.
Every member of Pack Landry had ingratiated themselves in my life so much that I couldn’t help missing them. Without them, the large, beautiful house was quiet.
Thanks to the bath, Luka was getting sleepy as I dried him off, so getting him into his diaper and little sleep suit was easy.
His nursery was next to the pack bedroom, so after grabbing a warm sippy cup of milk, I tucked him in, taking a moment to sit on the nursery recliner and watch as he drifted off to sleep. The light outside was starting to dim, so once I was sure he was asleep, I took a moment to wander around the house, checking that all the windows and doors were locked.
The guys had gone around and done that before. They had checked several times, in fact, but I still felt more comfortable going through and checking.
I had an entire evening to do whatever I wanted. The house was immaculate because the guys had cleaned it top to bottom before leaving for their shift. I didn't really want to start baking late into the evening, because if I stayed up too late, I would still be woken up first thing in the morning by Luka.
When my phone buzzed, I pulled it out and looked at the screen as I checked the dining room window.
Walker : Gil is thankful for the cookies you sent for him. Blaze is being a baby about it, but what’s new?
I chuckled. I told Gil that I would send cookies for him, and I wasn't going to let him down. Blaze had become oddly possessive about my baking of late, but I didn’t mind. It was nice to feel so wanted.
Sunny : I may have slipped a batch of chocolate chip cookies into your bag when you weren't looking.
Walker : You are perfect. Thank you. Would it be mean if I only agreed to share them with Blaze if he does some extra time in the gym? He’s getting soft from all the cookies.
Sunny : I think that's fair. After all, you're only looking after his health.
Walker : He's going to hate me for it.
Sunny : Tell him if he gives you any trouble, I will only use fake chocolate in his cookies and margarine instead of butter.
Walker : Oof, that’s brutal.
Sunny : Or I could make him cookies out of healthy seeds and no sugar. After all, I'm simply caring about my guys’ health.
Walker : And how are you looking after my health? Sneaking me cookies isn’t exactly healthy.
Sunny : Well, we have been doing a lot of increased activity lately, so I think you’ve earned them.
Walker : Great, now I have a boner, and I have a video call with a department chief in two minutes.
Walker : I love you.
Sunny : I love you. Good luck with your call!
Giggling, I stashed my phone in my pocket. Given the way our relationship had started, we had never really had a texting stage, so it was an unexpected pleasure during our time apart.
After I had thoroughly checked the main level, I made my way upstairs. The guest bedroom faced the front of the house and had large bay windows.
My phone buzzed again, and I couldn't resist a peek.
Blaze : That's a low blow with the cookies, sunshine. Walker is making me run drills! My abs are going to kill.
Sunny : If you're not fit enough to run drills, I guess you're not fit enough to do the things that we want to do together…
Blaze : Nevermind, I am Superman and will run all the drills!
Shaking my head, I turned to the window and checked that the latch was sealed. Every window had been locked so far. The guys were thorough, and I knew I probably wasn't going to find an open one.
Grabbing the curtain, I went to pull it closed when movement outside of the house caught my eye.
Stilling, I watched in the dark. I could have sworn I saw something move. The house was surrounded by beautiful trees and a lot of nature. It was probably just an animal, a deer or a racoon.
Yet the hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight as I peered into the night.
I was being overdramatic… but why did it feel like I was being watched?
Hastily, I closed the curtains before exiting the room and closing the rest of the house doubly fast. I wanted every curtain closed and every door and window triple locked. It only took me a few minutes, despite the size of the house.
Before padding back downstairs, I poked my head into the nursery, checking on Luka. He was splayed out on his back, fast asleep, without a care in the world.
Reassured he was fine, I trailed down to the kitchen.
My omega felt off-kilter, and I wasn’t sure why.
I was used to being alone, or at least I had been until three particular alphas had come crashing into my life.
Maybe it was because the house was so isolated. I was used to living in busy apartment buildings, where there was always noise, hustle and bustle. The number of times I’d heard my various neighbors either fighting or getting freaky was horrifying.
Here, there was nothing but silence. That was usually lovely, and I enjoyed it, but now I was on my own, it was actually a little creepy.
Grabbing my phone, I tapped the screen a few times until music started playing through the speakers Rune had installed in the kitchen and dining space so I could listen to music while I cooked. That was another thoughtful thing he had done for me when it came to setting up the house.
I just had to get through the night, and tomorrow my guys would be home.