I follow Corbin down to the living area, where Zeke is picking up the last of a shelf he knocked over.
“Do you guys have any gigs the weekend after next?” I ask, kicking myself for not asking sooner. Things have been chaotic with the new baby and everything. Five sets of eyes turn to me. Gage leans against the kitchen counter. Eli stands off to the side, nibbling on toast, and Rafe scrambles eggs in a pan.
“No, Princess. Not yet. We were waiting to hear about Stella’s shop. Why?” Gage asks.
“Flora extended an invite to you all for her wedding. She says it’s to be nice, but I think she had some last-minute cancellations. Anyway,I’ll—”
“Yes,” Zeke says without waiting for details. The guys are right. He has no chill. I love that about him.
Zeke’s eyes meet mine and widen slightly, and my heart stutters. Did I just broadcast that down the bond?
Do I love Zeke?
Oh my god. I think I do.
Still, I’d rather tell him in my own way than have it spill through the bond. He opens his mouth again, but Gage cuts him off, completely oblivious to our internal spiral.
“What Zeke means to say is that if you’d like us to come, we’d be happy to. Is it black tie?” he asks.
I nod. My tongue feels too big for my mouth.
“Is the mask an issue?” Eli asks from his corner of the room.
I shake my head. “You know it’s not. They all loved you, Eli. The mask is part of you, and they get that.”
He blushes, but nods and goes back to eating.
“All right then. It’s a date,” Corbin says, swooping in to kiss me lightly. He tastes like mint and musk and just Corbin.
When we pull apart, Zeke is gone, and I’m left wondering.
Corbin
Winnie let us take her down to the nest store on the same weekend that final fittings for her dress and the other bridesmaids’ dresses were happening. We were not allowed to go with her to the fitting, though. It was a strictly girls-only activity. So we rode up the bay for a while and had lunch near the public beach.
Now we’re in The Nest Store, and how people don’t get lost in this fucking place is beyond me. It’s four levels of high ceilings and fluorescent lighting, laid out like a maze. And it’s busy today. Floor-to-ceiling people.
When we walk through the door, Eli looks from the first wall of pillows to our mate. Winnie takes pity on him and asks him to take Deputy to the nearest park to let him run, saying it isn’t fair to keep a puppy stuck in a place this packed.
Eli looks so relieved he might have kissed her right there if he didn’t need his mask on.
Every few sections are model nests. Some luxurious, some cozy, some themed around nature. We wander for an hour before I see one that I know will catch our omega’s eye.
“Sweetheart,” I call to her. She’s arm-in-arm with Rafe. When she turns, her entire expression lights up like a kid on Christmas. Her hand flies to her mouth as a big smile forms.
The nest is floral without being gaudy. Plush throws in soft pastels. Pillows embroidered with tiny flowers. But it’s the hummingbird accents that I knew would draw her in.
“I’ll get an employee,” Zeke says, likely feeling her excitement through the bond.
And in no time at all, we’re done. Winnie orders several things for the master bedroom too, including a pack bed.
“Are you happy?” I ask as we walk out of the store arm in arm.
“Very,” she says, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.
I slow, just a little, tightening my arm around her. The words hit me all at once. The nest. The life we’re building like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“I love you, Winnie,” I say quietly, just for her.
