13. Twelve
Twelve
Emmanuel
“Will you relax?” I mutter under my breath to Zeke, his incessant knee bouncing, officially driving me up the wall.
“I’m tryin’. I’m just anxious tae catch a glimpse o’ her again,” he whispers back, running his fingers through his hair and groaning.
Zeke has been nonstop talking about this omega ever since they came home a few weeks ago. The way he’s depicted her in such detail has left me intrigued, and I’m convinced that I would have no trouble picking her out from a lineup. Ridge, however, has been tight-lipped about her, which makes sense after they told me everything they learned from his parents. Damien’s revelation about other alphas possibly being destined for her adds another layer of complexity.
On one hand, the thought of introducing unknown alphas to our tightly-knit pack is intimidating, as we’d lack the shared history we have with the three of us. But on the other hand, how could we reject a potential scent match simply because there may be other alphas out there destined for her besides us?
After the disaster of our last courting, the idea of finding a scent match feels like a beacon of hope.
Zeke’s spontaneous visit to Ridge’s parent’s house today to talk to the dads was just an excuse—Ridge and I both knew he really only wanted to come here to see her . I couldn’t resist the opportunity to meet her firsthand, which is why I tagged along. While Ridge is supposedly only here since it’s his parent’s house, I’m also pretty sure he wants to see her again, even if he’s trying to deny it.
As we work on Shep’s latest project in the driveway with Damien, we hear the familiar sound of Mama Valley’s car pulling in behind us. In an instant, Zeke’s body stiffens, his back straightening like a rod as he freezes and turns his gaze towards me, eyes widened. I scoff and shake my head, amused by his theatrics and quietly chuckling to myself.
As I wipe my hands on one of the many rags tossed nearby, I turn and suddenly freeze, just like Zeke, when I hear the sound of two car doors shutting. The minute I lay eyes on the omega my brother has been incessantly talking about, a faint buzz pounds in my head and my fists automatically clench at my sides. I find myself unable to look away from her, greedily feasting my eyes on her captivating beauty.
“ Dios mío ,” I breathe out, my heart skipping a beat.
They said her name is Cozette, Mama Valley calling her Cozy.
Cozette.
A unique and beautiful name for a uniquely beautiful woman.
Tesoro.
She’s so small, with a frailness to her that’s unmistakable when she and Valley get closer to us. Her copper hair shines in the fading sunlight, her curls wild and untamed as they frame her heart-shaped face. Clear blue eyes briefly glance at me before moving on, but that one second is enough to completely ensnare me.
“Boys! I didn’t know you were stopping by today. If I’d known, I would have brought dinner home for everyone.”
Valley’s face lights up with a warm smile as she wraps her arms around each of us, embracing us tightly. When she wraps her arms around me, it takes everything I have to get my limbs to work again so I can hug her back, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t take my eyes off the petite omega at her back. With a gentle smile, Valley releases me and beckons her over with a wave. I notice Cozy’s initial hesitation, but she visibly regains her composure, inhaling deeply and standing tall before coming to stand in front of me next to Valley.
“Manny, you two didn’t get to meet when Zeke and Ridge stopped by. This is Cozy. She’s been staying with us. Cozy, this is Manny, Zeke and Ridge’s pack brother.”
Valley pulls Cozy closer, her arm encircling Cozy’s shoulders in a gentle, affectionate embrace. Inhaling deeply, her sweet fragrance overwhelms me, making it difficult to suppress the sound of longing that rises in my throat.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Cozy whispers, the voice of un ángel softly ringing in my ears.
When she glances up at me through her thick lashes, I swallow around the knot suddenly lodged in my throat.
“ Y tú peque?a,” I choke out, the Spanish falling from my lips without thought as I get entirely lost in her eyes.
Zeke laughs under his breath as he comes up behind me and slaps a hand to my back, knocking me out of my stupor enough that I notice the puzzled frown on her lips.
“Dinnae mind him, lass. Ye’ve rendered him speechless in the American language, so he’s fallen back on his default settings.”
Pink tinges her cheeks when Zeke speaks to her, but she smiles softly at him. I scowl up at the giant knothead and glower when he looks over at me with a wink.
He was the one sitting here, bouncing his knee and moaning about being nervous to see her again!
“ Te mostraré la configuración predeterminada, pendejo ,” I mutter under my breath, low enough that he hears, but Valley and Cozy don’t.
I’ll show you default settings, asshole.
While Cozy may not understand Spanish, Mama Valley has become fluent over the years I’ve spent with her. Zeke smirks, and I resist the temptation to reach up and wipe that self-satisfied expression away, a reminder of his knack for being an aggravating shit.
El bastardo.
Valley leans in, her voice barely audible as she speaks to Cozy, and she nods, prompting Valley to give her shoulder a reassuring pat. She glances at me and Zeke, her gaze lingering for a second before she walks over to Shep and Damien. Cozy grows increasingly restless as Zeke continues to stare at her, her movements becoming more fidgety as she shifts from foot to foot. In an attempt to distract him, I give him a sharp elbow in the stomach, eliciting a grunt and momentarily diverting his attention away from her. I meet his intense gaze head-on, reciprocating with a meaningful glare, before clearing my throat and shifting my attention back to Cozy.
She’s uncomfortable, but she hasn’t run yet, which is good. I don’t know if she knows what she is to us yet, so I’m unsure of what to say to her. I just know that I want to ask her… everything . I want to know all there is to know about this woman, to listen to her talk to me for hours. Above all else, I want to erase that hurt I can see hidden in her pretty eyes and rebuild her heart, fix the cracks caused by someone else.
“Ignore him. All I said was it’s nice to meet you, too,” I finally say, the right side of my mouth tipping up tentatively.
“Oh. Um, I know what you said. I was frowning because you called me little,” she murmurs, once again frowning as she looks at me with furrowed brows and flushed cheeks that are… incredibly fucking adorable.
My brows rise as Zeke barks out a laugh at my side and claps me on the shoulder.
“Ye werenae expectin’ that now were ye, ye bastard!” he snorts, and I roll my eyes.
“ Ye shut your giant ass up, ye bastard,” I mock him with a growl.
I catch Cozy flinch when I growl and I swallow that shit down real quick, throwing an apologetic look her way as I rub the back of my neck. Frustration fills me as I sigh, convinced that I’m messing up every aspect of this and creating an awful first impression. I also don’t like the way my chest aches because she flinched at my growl. I didn’t think it was a threatening growl, more playful annoyance, but it’s apparently something she doesn’t like.
“Sorry,” I mumble with a wince, and her features soften slightly.
“It’s okay.”
I feel like I’m floundering as I try to come up with something, anything, to talk to her about when Zeke saves me from embarrassing myself further. By embarrassing himself. He steps forward and bows, holding his hand out for her to take, but he’s so fucking huge that he just looks ridiculous.
“Would the lass do me the honor o’ accompanyin’ me on a walk?”
I hold my breath, watching as she hesitates before she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, and then places her tiny hand in his massive one. I visibly deflate, wanting to ask if I can come too, but decide against it since I was too big of a pussy to ask her first.
Zeke stands up straight with the biggest grin on his dopey face, and honestly, I can’t even be mad. I’m just happy for him because an omega is all he’s wanted or talked about since we met him. Besides, out of the three of us, Zeke is probably the most likely to win her over with his wit and charm. He’s basically a large child, carefree and a touch dramatic. If he can’t get her to smile, to laugh, and fall for him, then me and Ridge don’t stand a chance.
With her hand in the crook of Zeke’s arm, I can’t help but laugh under my breath at the enormous size difference between the two. She looks like a tiny doll next to my behemoth of a brother, barely reaching his chest. They look like the oddest pair, side by side, and yet… as strong as he looks, I know how truly gentle Zeke is. He’s got the sunniest of personalities in our pack, the last few months being the exception. But since he met Cozy, just that one meeting has brought that light back into his eyes, and for that alone, I’m grateful.
As they move to walk off, Cozy turns back and looks at me, looking unsure at first until she holds her other hand out for me. My eyes widen and I glance around, remembering we weren’t the only ones out here, but now we are. Valley, Shep, and Damien have left us and I have no clue where Ridge is hiding.
“Aren’t you coming, too?” she asks me so innocently, and I practically throw myself at her, gripping her hand in mine.
Tingles spread out along my palm and up my arm, shooting straight into my heart when her soft, pale skin connects with mine that’s calloused and tanned much darker against hers, but creating a pretty contrast. My heart feels like it’s trying to climb up my throat as her cornflower blue eyes connect with mine before we start walking to the back of the property where Ripley created a walking trail years ago.
Querido Dios, por favor no me dejes hacer el ridículo.
Dear God, please don’t let me make a fool of myself.