“You love getting dressed up, and if he’s an asshole, you can walk away. There’s nothing saying you have to stay for the entire date. If he misbehaves, text us and we’ll pick you up. Imagine how badhewould look with you leaving a date only to be picked up by four famous rock stars.”
I snorted. “Four rock stars who are very famous for being madly in love with their omega. Think of the articles that would be written…”
Meadow’s brow furrowed. “Oh. I didn’t consider that.”
She wasn’t wrong, though. I was a confident, intelligent, and beautiful omega, and I knew what I brought to the table. It wasn’t conceited to say, just a fact.
“I suppose there’s nothing wrong with going for free food.”
“This alpha might surprise you for the better, and if not, you’ll know for sure he’s a write off.”
“He’s probably just an asshole, but we’ll see. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a whole pack of rock stars doting on them.”
A dreamy sigh escaped Meadow as she looked at her baby snuggled in my arms. “I am pretty lucky, aren’t I? You know the guys are talking about taking a vacation when Forest is a bit older? Arlo wants to go somewhere tropical, but Beckett wants to go to all these stunning European towns. I agree with Europe, we get enough sunshine here.”
I gasped dramatically. “Meadow. There’s no such thing as too much sunshine!”
She burst into laughter. “You say that, but do you remember the summer I forgot to pack sunscreen when we were working at that outdoor café between classes?”
Meadow had turned lobster red in the sun.
“Okay, maybe Europe would be safer for you, but you’ll still need the sunscreen either way, my pasty princess. Do you think you could convince Arlo to send me on a tropical vacation? You’ve got those boys wrapped around your finger.”
“If I ask them, it’ll happen. You deserve a vacation with everything you’re doing for Forest. Where do you want to go?”
“I was just teasing. I’m perfectly happy here. You’ve done plenty for me by letting me stay in the guesthouse rent-free.”
Our conversation lulled into silence for a few moments as I played with the baby. He kept grabbing my finger and slobbering all over it as I laughed. Meadow watched us over the rim of her mug with a smile.
My best friend had a perfect life. To the outside world, it looked like she had simply fallen into it, but she had taken a risk, taken a chance on her alphas, and it had worked out beautifully, even if the initial moments were rocky.
Did I need to take a risk too? Was there any harm in giving Parker a chance to prove he wasn’t a butthole? If the date was a dud, I could fake an emergency, hightail it out of there and never look back.
My stomach turned uncomfortably at the idea of never seeing Avery, Logan, or Hunter again because of conflict with Parker. Maybe it was ill-advised to pursue anything, but curiosity and desire were powerful motivators.
The four of them were a package deal.
And I needed to see the full package.
Chapter 19
Parker
“Dude, why does it look like a baby store threw up in your bedroom?” Logan stood in my doorway with a look of utter confusion.
“I figured out the perfect apology gift for Clover,” I said.
It wasn’tjustan apology—it was also, hopefully, an olive branch because Logan and Avery had made it painfully clear if I fucked this up for them they’d be pissed. I needed to make her like me, or at least not think I was a complete incompetent ass. I’d looked into poppy bouquets, too, but it turned out they lasted such a short time that they were uncommon to use and none of the local florists had any in stock.
“And you thought buying out a baby store was the way to go?” he asked.
“I looked up the best-selling items for kids and got them,” I said proudly.
Logan nodded slowly. “Okay, well, I’m going to leave you to it. She’s here right now, so if this was a surprise, you might want to hide it fast.”
“What do you mean she’shere?”
“Avery took her out for ice cream and brought her back.”
