“Dozens of people helped decorate and put this together for you.” Jason leaned in, mischief in his eyes. “I even brought out Eloise to take a tour and get her seal of approval.”
My chest hurt trying to contain how big my heart felt. Not only did the two of them put this together, but so many people helped and they gave Miss Eloise a taste of Winter Wonderland too. She must have been over the moon.
Wait. That also meant she kept it a secret from me. She knew this was happening.
And if she knew, she not only approved of the Christmas paradise, but of Jason and Ozzi too, even after I told her what happened.
I was so fucking confused. I’d been hurt by the Alphas, and yet they got Miss Eloise’s seal of approval.
“Please, have a seat on your throne.” Ozzi swept a hand toward it.
What should I do? I needed time to think, time to gather my strength, rather than being distracted by pretty lights and hunky Alphas. “Um, this is great, guys, but I have a ride waiting…”
“I already sent Ted away. I paid him the full fare with a big Christmas bonus.” Jason gestured to the snow sculpted throne too. When I narrowed my eyes at him, he flashed me a grin. “We’ll drive you home whenever you want. Besides, this way Ted is home early enough to set out milk and cookies with his kids for Santa.”
Though I was ticked off that he sent my ride away, I couldn’t be mad that Ted would be able to do that tradition with his kids. So putting that ire to power my legs, I marched up to the throne and sat on the seat.
I couldn’t stop the little girl in me from being tickled that I was sitting on an ice throne wearing an Elsa cloak. But I kept my face neutral. I guessed they were going to beg me to forgive them, but nothing had really changed. If I said yes now, no matter how much I was tempted to do so, it wouldn’t work in the long run.
It was time to be smart instead of increasingly horny.
“I’m going first.” Jason was practically bursting out of his long tailed coat. If he had to do any swordwork, he’d truly rip it at the seams. “Lyla, from the second I saw you, I knew you were the Omega for me. I’d seen you around town a few times before, and I had seen your stuff online. I know nothing about fashion, but I really loved your reels from when you first moved to Fond du Lac of your outdoor adventures around town.”
“You watched those?” I had so few subscribers back in the day, and I thought I’d known them all. “I didn’t think anyoneother than my friends were watching, so I started doing more fashion stuff and that’s when my brand took off.”
“I did. It was hilarious watching your first time on a snow machine.” Jason chuckled.
It had been a disaster, but it was hilarious. “I always wanted to do more, but they just weren’t getting views.”
“Hey, I would be happy to take you to all sorts of places around here for adventures. I’ve lived here all my life. I know every trail and secret cove.” Jason’s offer made a wave of excitement go through me that had me remembering what it was like when I first moved to town. I had been young and eager for all the experiences I could get, and while I was always limited in what I could do since I needed an escort, I still saw enough to fall in love with Fond du Lac.
“But that’s not why we’re here.” Jason cleared his throat. I glanced at Ozzi who stood off to one side with his hands clasped behind his back like an honor guard. His dark gaze was on me, looking nowhere else.
“This past week with you has been the best week of my life.” Jason paced back and forth a few times and stopped a few feet away from me. When he turned, a parade of emotions went across his face. I wanted to fly forward and take him into my arms and hold him, making everything okay again. “I don’t want to lose you. I know I did something shitty. I made an assumption about what you wanted not only because I wanted it, but because you’re an Omega. That was my fault, and I’m so sorry for it. If you don’t want kids, we won’t have kids. Whatever you want your life to be like, I’ll support it, because I so badly want to be a part of it.”
“Wait, wait.” I shook my head and scooted closer to the edge of the cushion. My heart raced, and I tried hard to channel good reason. “I can forgive you for making that assumption. I have my own issues that I need to deal with that have nothing todo with you, and the whole motherhood thing triggered it. But I don’t want you to throw away everything you want for the sake of pleasing me.”
“But I would.” Jason was fast with his reply.
Of course he would say that. Fuck. I needed to go about this a different way. “Tell me what your ideal life would be. What do you want for yourself?” Guessing he would say the same thing again, I added, “Don’t make it about what I want. This is what’s in your heart, your dreams.”
He rolled his shoulders and gritted his teeth before speaking. “I want to live here in town. I was born here and grew up here, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I love my job. I love to help people. Having my pack brother with me, Oz is more than just my partner at work. Our souls are connected.”
The Alphas exchanged a look and a small smile. There was some sort of spiritual fist bump happening there.
“I want a mate. I want you as our mate.” Jason locked his deep blue gaze with mine. “I was a bastard in the past. I let my Alpha urges control me, but I know you will call me out if I get to be too dominating. It takes a strong person to handle my shit. I can’t imagine anyone else being able to do it. No one after you would ever even measure up to how wonderful you are. And yeah, I do want kids. I can’t pretend that isn’t something I don’t want. But Lyla,” he went down to his knees. “We’d have such beautiful babies together. With the three of us raising them, they’d grow up to be superheroes.”
My stomach did a shuddering flip as he knelt before me. Me, sitting on a throne, with a handsome Alpha on his knees in front of me. I had the urge to knight him and then spread my legs so he could put that sinful mouth to good use.
Dammit. I needed to stop thinking naughty things!
Everything he said was honest and real. But there was still the issue of—
“Just know,” Ozzi stepped in before I could say anything. “We would never ask you to stay home and simply be a homemaker. We don’t see you as that. You shine so brightly, and we only want to nurture your light. We’ll support you in whatever you want to do. If you want to become a famous designer, we’ll help you organize your site, pack up orders and mail them out for you.”
“We’ll be models for your men’s clothes.” Jason stood and ran his hands down the front of his sweater and struck a very catalogue model pose that drew a giggle from me.
They wanted to nurture my light. Fuck. How I wanted that, how I needed it. “I do want to follow my fashion dreams. It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. And I love Fond du Lac. I could see calling this place my permanent home.” I nipped my lip and then dared to add, “One day down the line, I would be open to talking about kids again. After I sorted out my own mom stuff.” That was my problem not theirs, and it was unfair to put that on them. My heart beat louder as I looked at Ozzi. The issue with him was very different from what had gone on with Jason. “Ozzi, what are your dreams?”
