Her eyes narrow. “Atticus. What did you do?”
I take a deep breath. “Open the door.”
“If there’s a taxidermied lobster in there, I’m breaking up with you.”
“Why would I…would you really?”
She considers this. “No. But I’d make you sleep on the couch for a week.”
God, my nerves can barely take this woman. “The door, firebird.”
Phoenix reaches for the handle, pushes the door open and lets out an audible gasp.
The room beyond is…well. I’m pretty proud of it, actually.
I’ve converted the entire space into what can only be described as a heat suite worthy of luxury hotels that specialize in such things. Blackout curtains frame floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the canyon. The walls are painted in soft, warm tones of cream, honey and pale gold. Thick carpeting muffles every sound. A climate control panel sits by the door, preset to the exact temperature ranges omegas prefer during heats.
But the centerpiece—the thing I’m most pleased with—is the beds.
Two of them. Both larger than king-sized, positioned side by side with just enough space between them to walk through, but close enough to be pushed together if desired. Plush, special-ordered mattresses that cost as much as a family sedan. Duvets in varying weights stacked neatly at the foot of each bed. Pillows in every size and firmness, arranged in neat piles on the window seat.
An attached bathroom is visible through an open door with a clawfoot tub large enough for two, rainfall shower with multiple heads, heated floors.
There’s a mini fridge stocked with water and protein drinks. A cabinet full of supplies, like towels, blankets, the kind ofsnacks that don’t require cooking. Everything an omega might need during a heat without having to leave the safety of the nest.
Basically everything I could think of after spending way too much time on Pinterest and hiring one of the best contractors in town.
Phoenix stands frozen in the doorway. Her mouth opens. Closes. Opens again.
“Atticus.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “This is…”
She trails off, clearly at a loss for words.
“Too much?” I try to read her expression and fail. “If you hate it, we can change anything you want?—”
“There are two beds.”
“Yeah.” I step into the room, gesturing at the setup. “I figured you and Mason would want options. Sometimes you might want separate nests. Sometimes you might want to build together. This way you’re not locked into one configuration.”
Phoenix walks slowly into the room, trailing her fingers along the foot of the nearest bed. “We definitely need to push them together.”
I blink. “What?”
“These beds.” She’s already circling around to inspect the other side, eyes bright with an excitement I wasn’t expecting. “We need to push them together. Right now. Like, immediately.”
“You want one giant nest?”
“I want oneenormousnest.” She spreads her arms wide, demonstrating the scope of her vision. “A nest fort. With enough pillows to build walls and tunnels and separate sections. Mason and I can build the most elaborate nest architecture known to omega-kind.”
The image that conjures makes me grin despite myself. “That sounds ambitious.”
“It soundsperfect.”
She’s already pushing against one of the beds, the frame moving less than an inch even when she throws her whole weight against it.
With a laugh, I move to help her. “On three?”
“Okay. One. Two. Three.”
