“I, uh, sort of did something,” Liam pauses and puts his hand out like a stop sign. “Look, nobody get mad, okay?”
“What did you do?” Beckett asks.
He holds out his hand. After a moment’s hesitation, I take it, letting him guide me around the counter. Pierce and Beckettexchange glances as Liam leads me from the kitchen, to his office. They, of course, follow.
I’ve only glimpsed inside this room a few times. Liam works from home mostly, so I pretty much figured it was off-limits. He pauses at the closed door, hand on the knob.
“I’ve been working on something,” he says. “It’s not finished yet, but…” He pushes the door open and steps aside.
I freeze in the doorway. The office is transformed. The standing desk is pushed against one wall like he’s packing it up, replaced in the center of the room by a beautiful drafting table, angled toward the window where light pours in. Shelves that once held binders and tech equipment now display art supplies. Jars of brushes, tubes of paint, stacks of canvas in various sizes. There’s an easel and canvases. The largest beanbag chair I’ve ever seen in my life takes up a whole corner. It’s half the size of his Charger. There’s a tower of pillows and blankets stacked next to it, most still in plastic packaging.
“Liam,” I whisper, stepping inside. “What is this?”
“Like I said, it’s not finished.” He follows me in, hands shoved in his pockets. “I’m still figuring out the layout. The lighting isn’t quite right for painting, and I need to install better shelves for supplies. I’m not even sure painting is your thing. So, I got a basic set of acrylics, oils, and watercolors. I’ll get you a Mac too; you’ll need it for when you start school. Like I said, it’s not done.”
“School?” The question comes out small.
“Yeah, that’s the part you guys can’t get mad about.” He glances over at Beckett and Pierce, hugging the doorway. He slides a folder off the desk and hands it to me.
Nervously, I open it and scan the first few pages. There’s a bunch of forms with my name all over them.
“What am I looking at?”
He takes one deep breath to settle himself.
“I hacked into the Florida State Department of Education. Falsified your GED records. Then sort of applied for art school and took all your entrance exams.”
“You did what?” Beckett asks.
“Like I said, don’t be mad,” Liam says it slowly and carefully, like we’re all idiots and hard of hearing.
“I can’t go to school, I’m just a stu…” I shoot a panicked glance at Pierce and the words “stupid omega” die on my tongue. “I can’t go to school.”
“You can, look.” He pulls a glossy brochure out of the folder. “Nossi has small class sizes and tons of accommodations for omegas like safe rooms and scent suppressant technologies.”
My other alphas gather behind me to look over the brochure with me.
“Oh, and see here. There’s a special summer program just for getting up to speed with technology. You already have an iPad, and I’ll get you the Mac.”
“I don’t have money for school.” My mouth is dry all of a sudden.
“Quick, Pierce, go get a book,” Beckett interjects. “The three of you really need to get over your money issues. I could probably buy the entire school if you wanted me to.”
Liam takes a few steps back and runs his fingers through his hair, messing it all up but leaving it looking painfully cute.
“I… I don’t think I’ll ever be okay with you going back to work at the diner. It’s not about my control issues, which, yes, I’ll read a damn book and work on it.”
I close the folder and hug it to my chest.
“If you want to work, work at becoming the artist you’re meant to be. Not serving coffee to assholes who don’t tip.”
“I just want it noted for the record,” Pierce says suddenly, pointing at Liam, “that everyone assumed I would be the territorial,possessive alphahole in this pack, when clearly Liam has taken that title.”
Beckett chuckles, the sound breaking the tension in the room. Liam rolls his eyes, but the rigid set of his shoulders loosens slightly.
“I’m just saying.” Pierce holds up his hands. “I bring home therapy books like a normal, well-adjusted person. Meanwhile, you’re over here secretly building omega nests, committing crimes, and falsifying documents.”
Beckett shakes his head. “Man, we’re going to have to up our gift giving game if this is the standard Liam is setting.”
