I was in the aisle over from the guys but could hear everything they were saying. I rested my head on the cart and blinked to stop my tears. I wasn’t about to cry in freakingNest Land. My omega wanted every single thing in this stupid store, but I didn’t want to accept charity. The second the guys found out how many needs I had, they would realize I was too much work and leave me. While part of me thought it might be best to just speed up the process, I wanted to hold on to the fairytale a little longer.
Henry had set everything up for us to leave for Sol in two days, and I was terrified the trip would be a waste of time. What if I got there and the doctors still said I was making things up?And I wasn’t sure how Gray and Liam would make it through a road trip without killing each other.
Gray and Bear rounded the aisle, their expressions transforming to ones of concern when they saw me hunched over the cart. I quickly stood and pasted a smile on my face. Gray narrowed his eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why would you think something’s wrong?” I asked, trying to sound unbothered.
Bear growled at my almost-empty cart. I’d considered putting in a velvet blanket with flowers, but I’d stopped when I saw the price tag. “Okay, this is pathetic,” he said. I looked up at him in confusion.
“Are you upset with me?” I asked, my chest growing tight.
Bear huffed, grabbing me and pressing me against his chest. “I’m not upset with you. I’m upset at whatever fucking programming is in your head that prevents you from getting the shit you actually want.”
“How do you know I want any of this stuff?” I asked, feeling defensive.
Bear huffed in frustration, but before he could respond, Gray cut him off. “Come here for a second,” he said gently, grabbing my hand. Bear reluctantly let me go and Gray took me to the next aisle, which featured a wide array of trash cans.
“What’s going on, princess?”
I couldn’t meet his gaze. “I don’t need anything. This whole thing is stupid.”
Gray trailed his fingers down my face until he gripped my chin and lifted my face. “This will be a long trip and we want to make sure you have everything you need for it.” When I went to speak, he cut me off with a stern glance. “And we would like to spoil you. This is part of courting.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t want you to regret spending the money… or hold it against me.” My words were mumbled, and I wanted to take them back the second I said them. I rarely shared anythingrealabout myself. I must still be hormonal from my heat… or maybe something about these four intimidating men brought out the truth from me.
“Has that happened to you before?” Gray asked, his eyes sharp with anger.
I shrugged.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
“It’s not a big deal.” I shifted my weight and tried to look away from him, but he didn’t loosen his grip on my face. “Growing up, my uncles always made me feel bad if I needed anything,” I finally said.
“Fuck them,” Gray growled. “You were a child and deserved so much better. And you fucking deserve better now. So you are going to let me take care of you and treat you like the princess you are.”
My eyes widened at his fiery tone, and I squirmed. “Yes, daddy.” I meant my words to sound teasing and playful, but my omega betrayed me and they came out with a whimper. My face grew hot, and I wished a portal to hell would open up and swallow me.
Gray’s eyes widened and his thumb stilled on my lips.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.
“Breathe, love,” he said, grinning. “Don’t pass out on me again.”
His teasing jolted me out of my shocked state, and I mustered a scowl. “Don’t make fun of me.”
“Never.” His thumb resumed its movement across my face and a shiver ran through me. “What if I tell you I’d like to hear you call me that again?” he murmured, pressing his hard-on against my core.
“Really?” My voice was barely a whisper.
He nodded. “I want to take care of you. There’s no amount of gifts that will make up for how I treated you, but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying.”
“You don’t have to spend your life making up for it.”
“Don’t forgive me so easily. You should make me work for it.”
A slow grin spread across my face. “That’s a dangerous amount of power to give me.”
