I lowered myself to the blanket, pulling Olive to sit between my legs. “I’m not afraid of Finn’s wrath.”
Olive smiled, but it was strained. I stroked her hair, a light purr rolling through me to comfort my omega. She clung to me harder, pressing her cheek to my chest.
“This is all going to work out, sweetheart,” I murmured.
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, I do.” I cleared my throat and pushed the two bags towards her.
Olive perked up. “For me?”
Damn. She was so cute.
“It’s nothing big, and it’s fine if you don’t like them. Just a small courting gift…” I trailed off when Olive fixed me with a sweet smile before opening the coffee shop bag.
“I love chocolate croissants, thank you.” Her lips parted as she opened up the second bag. “Books.” She smiled at me.
“In case you need some romance to read,” I mumbled.
“That’s so sweet. Thank you.”
I sat up a little straighter, my chest puffing up. “Are you free to come out tonight? On a date with me?”
Olive ran her fingers through my hair. It was half-up today, and I felt like a goddamn cat at her touch.
“Are you nervous?” she asked. “Because you don’t have to be. I always want to see you, Lars.” Her cheeks turned bright pink at her admission, and I wrapped my arms around her, jiggling her on my lap.
“You’ve done it now, little omega. You’ll never get rid of me.”
Her giggle was the best sound in the world. I replayed the sound of it and the feel of her as I returned to work.
“Shit.”My heart pounded as I tried to decipher the text message. My panic made it hard to concentrate, and I needed to make sure I understood every word correctly.
“What’s wrong?” Finn asked, the wind stealing bits of his words. We were up on the walkway, checking the glass around the lighthouse lantern.
“Mom just texted, and they had a small fire.” I rubbed my hand over my chest. The thought of my moms being in danger was enough to make me feel like I was having a heart attack.
“What? Where are they? Are they okay?” Panic filled Easton’s voice as he looked over my shoulder. He had to steady the phone in my shaking hand.
“They’re okay,” he confirmed. “The fire is out—it was just in the laundry room. The fire department is there, but they’re asking if Lars can come over and check it out.”
“Do you want us to come, too?” Finn clasped me on the shoulder. “Just tell us what you need.”
Fuck, I was so grateful I had them. Finn was a stickler for keeping all our projects on schedule, but family was still the most important thing for all of us.
“Let me check it out first, and I’ll let you know if we need more help,” I said.
“Of course, just keep us posted,” Easton said, giving my shoulder one more squeeze before I headed out.
I sprinted down the stairs and rounded the front of the cottage. I glanced around for Olive, but she must have gone inside. Should I knock on the door to explain where I was going? The panicked pounding of my heart urged me to keep running to my moms’ house. I would call Olive later and let her know what was going on once I knew more.
28
OLIVE
I smiledas I folded the picnic blanket, took my gifts from Lars, and headed into the cottage. I’d been so embarrassed for Easton to see my empty house and patched-together air mattress nest, but he’d been so kind about it. He hadn’t judged my omega for not providing a better nest for him, and it just made me more motivated to create something better for him… for all of them.
I started munching on the chocolate croissant and eagerly opened the paper bag from the Grove Bookstore. I’d been too distracted by Lars’s scent and presence andeverythingto notice what the books were, but as I pulled out each one, I grew more and more confused. Finally, they were all laid out in front of me on the kitchen counter.
