She smiled, running her finger along the straw. “This is cute.”
The urge to puff up my chest like an idiot overwhelmed me. I had pleased my omega.
She took a sip of the drink and then scrunched her nose in that adorable way she did before turning towards Liam. “We have an emergency.”
“What?” he asked, sitting up on full alert.
“We need to get an actual chocolate milkshake, stat. Gray has never tasted one.”
“What? Yes, I have,” I said.
“What, like a century ago when you were a child?”
“I mean…” I rubbed the back of my neck. When was the last time I had a chocolate milkshake?
“I thought so,” she said, leaning back with a grin. “Because in no world does this taste like a chocolate milkshake.”
Liam relaxed back in the couch with a huff. “Less panic when it’s not an actual emergency next time, sweetness.”
Westin scowled at him. “This is a real emergency.”
Seeing her sass come through was the best gift I ever could have gotten, and I knew Liam felt it, too, by the way he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“We’ll have to get chocolate milkshakes soon, then,” I said.
“Tonight,” she responded.
“Alright, princess. We’ll get them tonight.”
I curled up with her on the couch, fucking thrilled when she took another sip of the non-milkshake drink.
94
LIAM
CHEMO DAY 15
The glow of my laptop was the only light in the living room. It was two in the morning and everything was quiet in the house except my mind. I couldn’t stop myself from re-reading all the same research articles about Diomed tumors, chemo side effects, clinical trials, and case studies.
My omega was suffering, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I’d spent my entire life taking care of others, and I was good at it. I’d protected my mom and sisters from getting evicted and going hungry when I was just a teen, and as a nurse, I’d been the first one everyone called when they needed help with a sick omega.
But I couldn’t help the most important person in my universe. She was my everything, and she was fading away in front of me.
I was a failure.
I hunched over the laptop as if it held the secrets of the universe, squinting at the screen as the words started to blur.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, a gentle hand shook my shoulder.
“Liam?” Westin murmured.
I jolted awake. “What’s wrong?” I asked, looking around the room. But all was quiet.
“Why are you out here?” she asked, stroking my face.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I grunted.
I took in her tiny sleep shorts and tank top. “Are you cold?” I asked. Before she could answer, I whipped off the sweatshirt I’d taken to wearing to make sure it had my scent on it and put it over her head.
