“Thank you.” I released a heavy breath. “I really appreciate this. You’re a lifesaver.”
“I know.” She playfully punched my arm. “Now, let’s go. I have a couple last-minute things I wanted to grab for my kids anyway.”
Four and a half hours later, I said goodbye to my co-worker and wished her a Merry Christmas. I’d bought gifts for everyone and paid to have them wrapped since I had no skills to do so. We had lunch at a restaurant called Prepared that specialized in soups and sandwiches. It was in the mall and had a far bigger seating area than I’d expected.
On my drive home, I noticed all the Christmas decorations and the extra vehicles in people’s driveways. My mom and I never did anything extravagant for the holidays, but we spent it together. Now, that was impossible. I considered turning around to go to the cemetery, but I didn’t want to leave all the gifts unattended in my car. Instead, I headed home, stepping into my empty apartment. Knowing the other side of my family didnothing to ease the loneliness that engulfed me with the loss of my mother. She was my only family for so long.
The holidays might have been easier if I’d joined my grandparents on their cruise. Maybe I could have forgotten my mother’s absence for a short period of time. I still would have had to deal with my uncle and aunt who both believed I was some kind of threat to them, and all the work I’d done to prove I was more than my Adan blood would be for nothing.
As I condensed the gifts to take them to Christmas dinner the next day, I held onto the box that was for Kane and smiled. I really hoped he liked it. Maybe it was too soon to buy him such a present, but it suited him. I didn’t see anything else in the entire mall that was more perfect. It made tomorrow’s dinner much more important. I had to make a good impression on Kane’s family. I had to find out if we had a future together. The more I thought about him, the more I was sure we were meant to meet, destined to be mates. I could only hope he felt the same way.
Chapter Eleven
Kane
I opened my eyes and stared up at the poster of Elvin Vega, an actor I had the hugest crush on as a teenager. My parents hadn’t bothered to take it down after I moved out three years ago. If I squinted and turned my head to the side, he looked like Desmond. Was that why I found him so charming?
Tossing aside the covers, I sat on the edge of the bed. I’d spent the night at my parents’ so I could help them prepare for dinner. Especially since my “boyfriend” was coming over. The two of us hadn’t really defined what we were, but my parents had chosen the human term to refer to him. I couldn’t argue since we hadn’t mated, and friends didn’t kiss the way we did.
Touching my lips, I remembered our goodbye at the steps of my apartment two nights ago. As much as I’d longed to spend more time with him, I hadn’t invited him up. I was afraid of what I would do—would let him do—if I did. I was falling for him fast and hard. Something I never expected to happen with an alpha I barely knew.
Sliding my feet into my slippers, I found my robe and wrapped it around myself for an extra layer of warmth. As soon as the oven turned on and more people got moving around, the house would warm up. Until then, it had a slight chill. It didn’t help that nerves attacked my stomach, my mind worrying about whether my parents would approve of Desmond. It wasn’t until I’d arrived at the house I grew up in that I realized how much that mattered to me.
I used the washroom in between my sister’s room and mine before heading downstairs to help my dad with dinner preparations. Growing up, we would open presents first thing in the morning. We would have been up a couple hours earlier than I’d woken, bouncing with excitement to see what we’dgotten. That ended as soon as my brother left for college and my sister spent a year overseas on an exchange program. Sleeping in had seemed more valuable after that, and my parents didn’t mind. As soon as my brother announced his new mate was expecting, our gift-opening schedule changed to revolve around them, whatever day and time they showed up with their kids. As a single omega, I didn’t mind. Today, I wished they were coming earlier so I could have told Desmond to arrive sooner to get the whole introduction and evening over with. I needed my dad to assign me all kinds of tasks to keep me busy until Desmond got there. Otherwise, my stomach would be too twisted to eat dinner.
“Merry Christmas.” I hugged my dad from behind as he stood at the counter. “What can I help you with?”
He turned around and kissed my cheek then held a pastry to my mouth. “Merry Christmas, my sweet Kane. You can try one of these croissants. Your sister’s mate gave me the recipe, and I had to make it dairy-free, of course. But I want you to try them before Dee and Louisa get up.”
I accepted the still-warm treat from him and took a bite. The crust was a perfect flakiness, but the middle surprised me. There was some kind of sweet vanilla-flavored cream mixed with an explosion of berries. “Mmm, Dad, this is so good.” I hadn’t meant to talk with my mouth full, but the taste made me forget all manners. “Can I take them all and I’ll deny you made them.”
My dad chuckled as he swatted me with an oven mitt. “Nice try. I’m glad you approve.”
I nodded as I took another bite. “Seriously, you can make these for me anytime.”
“Good to know.” He winked at me. “Especially since you now have an alpha in your life who will want more of your time. These may eventually be the only way I get to see you.”
I blushed as flashes of Desmond’s face filled my mind. “I’ll always have time to visit my family. But I hope you like him. I really want you to.”
My dad rubbed my arm. “I have trusted all my children in choosing their mate. Cam took a while to settle down, but when he did, he found the perfect omega in Scott. And Dee may be with a human, but they are meant for each other. You were never adventurous in dating. I always assumed when you found someone, you would fall for them instantly.”
My cheeks warmed even more. I may not have fallen for Desmond the first moment I met him, but I did find him hard to resist. Part of me worried it was too fast, that there were some red flags I was missing behind my infatuation.
“Here.” My dad handed me a bag of carrots and a sack of sweet potatoes. “You can peel and chop up these. That should keep you occupied for a bit while you wait for your suitor to arrive.”
I rolled my eyes but gladly accepted the task. My father woke up next, cleaning the walkway out front for those who would be arriving later. It was just before lunch when my sister, Dee, and her wife, Louisa, came downstairs after also spending the night. I was sure they’d been up for a bit already since I’d heard them giggling and using the bathroom.
Before the rest of my family arrived, as well as Desmond, I headed back upstairs to have a shower. I knew as soon as my niece and nephew arrived, they would want to open presents, and I wanted to be fresh-smelling for my boyfriend.
Once clean and in new clothing, I headed downstairs. That was when I heard my brother’s voice, followed by the squees of his children. A heavy weight fell into the pit of my stomach. Would Desmond show up? Had I rushed him into something he wasn’t ready for just by trying to be nice?
The dread of having to tell my parents he wasn’t going to come weighed heavy on my shoulders as I descended the last of the stairs. I took a deep breath as I walked toward the living room.
That’s when I saw him. Desmond. He sat on my dad’s favorite chair lounger, bouncing my niece, Charlotte, on his knee. She giggled as he held her to keep her from falling off. My heart swelled watching him, and I wondered if it was too soon to be in love. The rest of my family hadn’t noticed me, all of them focused on him with the same cautious adoration in their expressions.
“Me next.” My nephew, Will, stood to his side with his hands gripping the arm of the chair. “I want a turn, too.”
I stepped into the room. “I thought you’d be begging to open presents rather than wanting to bounce on my boyfriend’s knee.”
