“Seriously though, I need to talk to you, Lincoln.” I pause for a minute. “But I’d really like my coffee so I can actually formulate my thoughts.”
He presses his lips together as he just stares at me. I’m about to get up and make my own cup when he slides it over to me.Taking hold of the handle, I lift it to my lips and take a small sip, almost burning my tongue.
I take a deep breath. My heart starts to pound. This can go either way. I just hope he understands.
“I should have told you before I did it.” I clear my throat, wrapping both my hands around the warm cup as Lincoln focuses all his attention on me. “I messaged Bayleigh privately the other day. At first I wasn’t sure why. Just the way you talked about her, and then when I met her at the charity event, I just wanted to know more about her. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.”
I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t.
“You know Korbin and I have always wanted the three of us to be a pack. And I don’t know; there’s something about Bayleigh. I just have this gut feeling she can be our omega. The person to complete us. To make us whole.”
Still silent. Mind wrenching quietness. He’s going to explode. I know it.
He finally pushes his cup away, then leans forward, placing his arms on the table as he thrums his fingers on the wood.
“I knew you messaged her.”
My eyes go wide.
“She told me.”
“You’re not mad? I know how much you like her. I just didn’t want to overstep.” I take a sip of my coffee, a small bit of relief washing over me.
“Why do you think I created a group chat between the three of us? I want to add you too, Korbin.” My head jerks around, seeing a disheveled and still sleepy Korbin standing in the doorway behind us. “But I knew you still had issues with the Gina and Benton situation.”
“Lincoln…” Korbin stops, but Lincoln holds up his hand.
“No, let me finish. I know the two of you have wanted us to be a pack. And I’ve always refused. The two of you have so much greatness ahead of you. Hockey players. Hell, you’re household names, and I never want to hold you back. I never felt I’d be good enough to be in a pack with the two of you. But Bayleigh, she’s made me see otherwise. Made me start thinking about what if.”
Korbin moves over to the table, pulling out the chair beside me and sits down.
“What the fuck logic thinking is that? Good enough? Have you ever thought we feel that way about you? You’re the best brother, supporter, protector, fucking person there is. You being part of a pack with us only makes us better. It doesn’t bring us down.”
“Tell him, Kor. Hell, when we travel, we can keep our heads in the game and focus because we know you’ll be there not only cheering us on, but protecting our omega. You’re the piece that completes our unit. Other than our omega,” I add, thankful that he’s finally seeing reason, and I know it’s all because of our sleeping beauty in the living room.
Lincoln runs his hand through his hair before letting out a deep breath. “I know. I’m stubborn and a little hardheaded. I can admit it. Maybe I'm just a little jealous too. Milt, you and Korbin have hockey in common, and it’s something I don’t have. It’s a closeness the two of you share, and in my mind, an omega wouldn't see my worth in a pack. But Bayleigh’s changed that.”
“And I’ve let this Gina shit go on longer than it should. It fucking pissed me off that she jumped from me to Benton like it was nothing. That she was seeing him while she was with me. Add in this shit going on with the team, and it all just festered.”
“So what do we do now?” I ask. “Are we ready to be a pack? I know I am.”
“Hell, I've wanted nothing more than that for the three of us. The man who is my blood brother and the other one who I call my brother.” Korbin smiles.
“I want it too,” Lincoln says. “But I want Bayleigh. I think she can be our omega. If the two of you can’t see that, then this pack won’t work for me.”
“Lincoln, I literally just confessed to you that I messaged her behind your back. I want to see where we can go. So I’m in.” We both turn to Korbin, waiting for his answer.
“I haven’t talked privately with her. So, we still need to get to know each other. We also need to sit down and talk to Benton and clear this shit up if we plan to move forward. He’s her brother, and me and him need to squash our shit.”
“And he doesn’t get to talk to her the way he did last night, fucking ever again,” I add.
“Then it looks like we have a plan. Should we go wake her?”
We all stand and start moving to the living room, for the first time as a pack. I make my way over to the back of the couch and lean over it, letting my knuckle brush lightly against the side of her face, before gently shaking her shoulder.
Her eyes flutter open as she lets out a yawn, then jumps up, her eyes wide in panic. Lincoln sits down on the couch in front of her, his hands going to her shoulders, her eyes locking on his face as he speaks slowly.
“Bay, you’re safe. We’re here. Time to talk and face the day.”
