“The idea that he thinks he can just trick you into wanting him again pissed me off. Then his mom heard me, and… I’m just sorry,” Nick adds, yet after that emotional rollercoaster of a dinner, I’m not sure how I feel.
“Apology accepted, and thank you.” I shrug. “At least you got him to shut up,” I tease, glancing between them. “We still have to get through an evening of baking pies with Sable and her mates.”
“We have to get through forty-eight hours of pies, Omega. Tonight was a breeze compared to what's coming.” Benson chuckles.
“I hope you’re ready to see a very serious side of Benson,” Nick adds.
“Bring it on,” I say with a smile.
Feeling more at ease, I relax in my seat. Kai riled me up, but these two calmed me down again.
Chapter Fourteen
“Wake up, it's Turkey-Murder Day!” Stella squeals as a solid omega-sized weight lands on top of me, scaring me awake.
I fling my pillow as I scream, heart pounding in my chest so hard that it aches. The last few days have been long and tiring, and all I want to do is sleep. I don’t even have to look at the clock to know that it’s currently some ungodly hour of the morning.
For starters, the sun isn’t up yet, but this also isn't the first Thanksgiving I’ve spent with Stella and her family…
“Don’t worry, Dad will be too drunk to set foot in the house. Plus, even if he tried, Nick would handle him. But I couldn’t stomach the thought of you spending today alone,” Stella explains as I follow her inside. Last year, I spent the day with Sable’s Grams, Kai, and Bee.
This year, Sable and Kai are both gone, and I can’t handle the thought of spending the holiday with Bee and Grams, knowing Kai and Sable won’t be there.
Since Mom passed, my dad has chosen to hide from the cheer and memories of the holidays and left me to figure it out on my own. Despite his efforts with the studio space, he still hasn’t returned to the man who used to sing holiday music off-key and share the turkey wishbone.
I barely made it through last year without Sable, and that was only because of Kai. So I told Stella I planned to sleep all day alone in my apartment this year, and she said absolutely not.
So, here I am.
“Nick tries really hard to cook.” Stella wrinkles her nose, and I snort. “Thirty, and the man still can’t cook.”
“It smells good in here,” I say, trying to give the alpha the benefit of the doubt.
“That’s because I helped this year. Next year, I’m kicking him out and only letting Benson help me.” We laugh as we walk into the kitchen, catching the attention of the alpha as he attempts to roll a pie crust under Benson’s supervision.
Having their attention on me makes me feel awkward, so I end up retreating to the den to wait for dinner. I can’t offer to help. I don’t know how to cook, and I don’t want to overstep or upset anyone.
I snort to myself, burying my face in the pillow as I remember that day. It was the first time I really noticed Nick. At the time, he was thirty, and that seemed so much older than the ten-year age gap does now.
At some point, I gathered the courage to hit on the man, just for a little fun. I didn’t think anything would come of it. He was less than amused, and that was how the crush started, I suppose.
“The sun isn’t even up yet, Stella,” I complain to the bundle of energy next to me, and she scoffs.
“The parade starts in three hours. Sable will be here in six hours, and everyone else gets here at three p.m. this afternoon. Except Kai. He’s already downstairs with Val, making us coffee.” I hear the wince, since I can’t see anything with an arm over my face. I groan, rolling away from her.
Undeterred by my obvious rejection, she climbs under my covers behind me before putting her ice-cold toes on my back.
“You demon!” I hiss, jerking away from her. I snap my head around to glare at her as I lean up on my elbows, but Stella just grins like the monster she is.
“If you hurry, you can watch Benson and Nick fight with Kai about who gets to make you breakfast.” She wiggles her brows at me, and I simply blink back, not the least bit interested in that. “I’ll make sure one of them includes a cinnamon roll. And I swear I won’t make you touch a single pie crust the entire day,” she vows, making me snort.
After helping the alphas get nearly two hundred pies baked for the town, I never want to see another pie again. Okay, that's a whole-ass lie, but I certainly never want to help bake one again.
I don’t know what we would’ve done if Stella and Val hadn’t gotten here five hours early. Stella helped bake, while Val and Kai helped Colter deliver what was left.
Since Kai was their ride from the airport, he was here all freaking night with them. I went to bed when I couldn’t stand the sight of him for another second. By then, I was so exhausted that I basically passed out face-first in a pillow, like I have every night this week.
“You’re well aware that I start my cooking and baking early! Come on, let's get downstairs before the guys drink all the good coffee.” She starts tugging on my arm, and I groan, reluctantly tossing the covers off. “Okay, well, you can’t go down there with your cheeks out.” Stella snorts, pointing at my ass and the fact that I’m only wearing boy shorts.
