I’d never stepped foot in the bookstore before, but I would do it for Olive. I’d learned so much about her yesterday when she’d kept us company in the service room—while wearingmysweater—including that she loved romance books. She’d blushed so prettily when she said it, which made me want to howl at how cute she was, and it had given me the perfect idea for a courting gift.
I did my best to squeeze my massive form through the tight bookstore aisles without knocking everything over. I tried to figure out the different sections, but soon, I was sweating at all the swirling letters. I shut my eyes against the overwhelm and took a breath. I should have asked Lucy for recommendations, but my alpha hadbeen too proud to ask for help. He wanted us to provide for our omega, but the longer I was here, the stupider the idea felt. I hadn’t read a fucking book inyearsand had cried my way through the last few I was forced to read in school. All the tutoring and extra help in the world wasn’t going to fix my fucked-up brain.
I turned to leave, determined to drag Lucy out of her shop so she could help me pick out books, when Hank appeared, a fierce scowl on his face.
Apparently he hadn’t forgiven me for ding-dong ditching a couple decades ago.
“What do you want, boy?”
I fought to keep the smile off my face. My brothers and I were destined to always be kids to some Starlight Grove townspeople, even now in our thirties.
“I’m looking for romance books,” I said.
Hank scoffed. “Romance? Waste of time.”
I shrugged. “If you don’t have any, that’s fine. I’ll just head over to the bookstore in Briar’s Landing.”
Hank spluttered his outrage. “Come with me,” he practically snarled, leading me through the narrow aisles as he muttered insults about the neighboring town’s bookstore. I dared to grin now that his back was turned to me. God, I loved this town. I hoped Olive loved it as much as I did.
“Here you go,” Hank said, thrusting a stack of heavy books in my arms. “Those are our best romance sellers.”
I looked down at the top one, not recognizing the title. There was a naked man on it, which seemed to be correct… although he was all gold and clutching his head. It didn’t look particularly romantic, but what did I know?
I paid for them and Hank thrust them in a paper bag. “Don’t come again,” he shouted at me as I exited the shop.
I rolled my eyes at his rudeness, but that was just Hank. He was all bark, no bite.
Main Street looked particularly cheerful on this sunny day. Shop owners had put up their elaborate Harvest Festival displays, all vying for first place in the shop display contest. Hints ofpumpkin spice reached me from Beans ‘n Bliss, and I couldn’t stop myself. I’d never been into sugary coffee drinks, but now I couldn’t go a day without my pumpkin spice latte.
A few minutes later, I exited the shop with a latte in hand and a bag of pastries for Olive. I passed Lucy’s shop and found her in the window, working on her decorations. She waved, her eyes widening when she saw the bookstore bag in my hand. She rushed out the door.
“Are those for Olive?” she asked, pink-cheeked and breathless.
“Well, they’re definitely not for me.” I looked down at the bag, and suddenly, it seemed so small and… not enough. My omega deserved something better, fancier.
“She’s going to love them,” Lucy said, beaming. “She’s been so sad because her e-reader broke, and she hasn’t had anything else to read. I loaned her a couple of my favorites, but she’s going to be so happy.”
“E-reader?”
“Yeah, like to read books electronically.”
Shit. Maybe that was a better gift. “Should I get her a new one?”
“Yes,” Lucy said. “Absolutely. I’ll send you the link.”
The tension in my chest settled. Good. This was good. I would give her the books but let her know another present was coming. And then another one after that. As many as she wanted, whatever she wanted. My Olive deserved it all.
Lucy squeezed me in a quick hug. “I’m so happy for you. I just think this is really good.”
I ruffled her hair which earned me a quick scowl as she carded her fingers through her blonde strands. “I think so, too.”
I quickly headed back to the lighthouse. It already felt like I was attached to my omega by a golden thread. I couldn’t wait to bond her… if she wanted that. I breathed through my anxiety. While I was with her, everything felt perfect. I didn’t want to overwhelm her… I just wished she needed me as much as I needed her.
I headed around the back of the cottage and found Olive and Easton lying down on a blanket, limbs tangled with each other. Before jealousy could take hold, Olive’s head popped up as shespotted me, and her smile was enough to wash away every doubt. Easton caught my eye, and he gave me a wink before kissing Olive on the forehead and getting up.
“I think Finn’s head will explode if I don’t get back to work. Something about us being off the timeline,” he said before heading inside.
Olive held her arms out to me. “Want to join me? Or do you have to get back to work?”
