I pulled on a pair of his shorts, the shirt I’d borrowed nearly covering them, and he took me on a tour of the house.
They had made me a mating suite, just for me, and it was even lavender. Had they talked to Lily? Found out what colors I liked? Were they taking them from my paintings? I didn’t know. But it was perfect.
It wasn’t so fancy that it felt formal, but they hadn’t cut corners, either. It was both beautiful and comfortable. I loved it.
We ended the tour in the kitchen, where Talon had already made breakfast for us.
“I hope you like honey cakes.”
I wasn’t sure I did at first, but one bite told me—yes, very much so.
We ate, and Talon and Archer talked about what they had been doing the day before. We didn’t talk about our news, Dax and I being mated. They could see it, and that was enough for now.
It was nice—having a family breakfast with the three of them.
I insisted on helping Talon with the dishes. Archer had to make a conference call, and Dax needed to shower before we thought about me going back. If I was going back. That still needed to be decided.
Talon washed, and I dried. There was a dishwasher, but there weren’t enough dishes to warrant that—or maybe he liked the two of us working together like this. I did.
As we finished, I leaned up on my tiptoes, kissing his cheek, unable to stop myself. Hearing him talk about the food he prepared did something to me.
His hand came up and cupped my cheek. “Oh, sweet omega ours, thank you.”
He thanked me—for a simple cheek kiss. Or maybe it was for cleaning the dishes. It didn’t change anything either way.
All I wanted to do in that moment was to taste his lips too. And so I did.
His arms came around me, holding me close as we settled into a slow, tender, sweet kiss.
An omega could get used to this.
Chapter Twenty-One
Archer
We didn’t press Sylvia for a decision. Even though she was our mate and omega, this was her life and her choice. It had to be hard for her, after what she’d been through, to be torn between the newness of us and the safety of her home where her brother was.
Especially since she could only feel Dax. If she knew how loved and cherished she was from all three of us, she might feel more secure.
“Want some lunch, Sylvia?” I asked, since she’d been staring out the window for a good while. Our bond was stronger since she mated with Dax, but it was still fractured. I wished I could feel what she was feeling. Ease any concerns she might have. She turned to me and nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. She was swallowed in Dax’s sweater but she kept pressing her nose into the fabric, so I knew it was helping her.
Dax walked over and wrapped her up in a hug. She closed her eyes and smiled as he whispered something in her ear. Her facial features softened. The furrow in her brow disappeared. Our bond brother was very good at calming her down.
Talon made us all lunch. Leftover roast beef-and-Swiss sandwiches with his homemade pickled onions. The sandwich earned a little dance from our omega as she ate and made Talon chuckle. She brought sunshine into this house. We didn’t know how much we needed her in our lives until she arrived. It was like not knowing you were hungry until you smelled something delicious.
We really needed to learn to sign.
“Can you tell us what’s going on in that mind of yours?” Talon asked when lunch was cleared away. “You look so torn.”
She shrugged and picked up her phone.
I want to stay but I also want to go home. My heart says stay but I’m afraid.
“What are you afraid of?” Dax asked, sitting next to her on the couch where we’d moved to watch a movie.
Not being enough. All of this being temporary. Not being real. You three changing your minds.
My heart broke as I read her words. As she held up the phone, tears came down her face. She couldn’t speak the words out loud but her pain and emotions, I could still feel as though she had spoken them.
