I want to howl that she’s wrong, spend the rest of the evening on my knees convincing her that she deserves it.
“You deserve this nest and more,” I say hoarsely, meaning every word.
Her eyes go wide; her pupils expand. Her scent gets stronger, seeping out of her and filling the room with the promise of what it could smell like in our future. I can imagine her smell in the paint, in the bricks, in the very metal.
“I…” she trails off and pulls herself together.
“Come on, you have to see the best bit,” Mack says, stealing her away.
“It gets better?” she says dubiously.
We ascend again and get to the top of the lighthouse where the now automated light shines out, but the 360-degree view is incredible and one of its kind.
“How did you do this?” she cries, rushing to the glass. “You can see everything.” She walks the whole circuit before stopping so she can stare out at the ocean.
I almost wish it were day so she could really take in the views.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Mack says softly. “You can see everything and all of Sunshine Cove.”
We’ve turned the whole upper part to glass so you can see in any direction. There’s a recessed bed with a minibar, a telescope, and lots of blankets and comfort items. In a way, it resembles a picnic but indoors and up really high.
“You guys really did all this?”
“We really did.”
“And you live here?”
“We will. When we aren’t moonlighting as Sol’s over at your mother’s house.”
She whirls so she’s facing us. “I’m jealous. It is amazing. The most incredible thing I’ve seen.”
Mack pulls out the bag with our dinner and sits down. Danger immediately crawls into his lap.
“Why does my dog love the three of you so much?”
I snicker and sit down, leaving a gap for her between us. She looks at the spot and glances warily at Mack before slipping in neatly. Devon sits on the other side.
We eat in relatively comfortable silence. At least, I think we do. The rolls are, as usual, delicious, and afterwards, Mack pulls out lamington squares for all of us.
“So, do you want us for your heat?”
She chokes on a bit of her lamington.
“Devon, we agreed to ask her later.” Mack glances at Sofia. “Every time we talk about it, you are a bit excited, and we wanted to make sure you answered with a clear head.”
“Yes, I’d appreciate your help with my heat, and as long as it’s not going to upset any future plans with an omega you’ll have, I’d appreciate you letting me loan your nest.”
Her careful words give me a simultaneous feeling of ick and pleasure.
“This polite distance thing you have going on doesn’t suit us,” Devon says arrogantly and shoves the rest of his lamington into his mouth.
She scowls. “I’m not being distant!”
Devon pounces, dragging her under him and tickling her ribs until she’s screaming with laughter.
“Stop being weird, Sol.”
She stares up at him, still chuckling, her expression softening. “Fine. No more weirdness.”
