“You wouldn’t deprive us like that, would you, Summer?” Easton asked as he squeezed in next to me. His hand moved towards my plate and I frowned, pulling it close to me. I only had a few bites of sandwich left and they weremine.
“Ohh, that was cold,” he said, but his smile told me he wasn’t actually upset.
“You can’t steal food from your omega,” Lucy said, outraged.
Lars joined Finn at the back of the sofa, leaning down to kiss my cheek. “That’s right, Easton. We can’t have our omega going hungry.”
Easton reached back to smack Lars on the side of the face.
Summer rolled her eyes. “I brought plenty for everyone. Not that you deserve it.”
“You’re an angel,” Easton said. He pulled me in for a kiss and then bounced to the kitchen.
Finn took the spot beside me, and I snuggled into his side. “I missed you,” he murmured. “Do you need anything? Are you warm enough?” He eyed my blanket. “I can get a fire going.”
I eyed the wood stove with longing. A fire sounded so cozy, but I was scared of messing something up and burning down the cottage. “If it’s not too much work?” I whispered.
Finn fixed me with a stern expression that said he was holding back from scolding me. He tucked my hair behind my ear and brushed his cheek against mine before getting up to start the fire.
I’d grown up with a wood-burning stove, but my dad had always been the one to keep it going. And now, watching Finn gather wood from the stack by the fireplace, I was struck by how happy he would be that I was taken care of.
Now it was Lars’s turn to squeeze in on the sectional beside me, a plate of food in his hand.
“Did you get enough to eat, sweetheart?”
I nodded, but the whole time, I was eyeing the brownie on his plate. I’d already finished mine and it wassogood. Lars chuckled and moved his brownie onto my plate, brushing his lips against my cheek. His beard tickled my skin, and I leaned further into his side.
“You sure? You don’t have to.” I said, but the brownie was already in my hands. Lars’s chest shook with laughter.
I shouldn’t get used to being spoiled like this. I was a self-sufficient, independent omega who had made it these five long years alone. But… maybe I didn’t want that anymore. I wanted to be spoiled. Craved it.
Easton sat on the floor in front of me, his head brushing against my legs. I stuffed the rest of the brownie in my mouth so I could run my fingers through his curls. The room was filled with bright conversation, the girls and guys teasing each other like only people who grew up together could do. No one pressured me to join in or asked why I was quiet. Their easy acceptance of me challenged how I’d seen myself these past years. In my own mind, I’d been cold and prickly and annoying andtoo much.But maybe that had been wrong all along.
I was halfway asleep when Finn sat down on my other side. I blinked sleepily and realized Lucy was helping Summer pick things up in the kitchen.
“Is my girl tired?” he asked.
“Just a little.”
Finn hesitated before speaking. “One of the panes of glass around the lantern needs to be replaced, and our supplier just let us know that it’s ready. The issue is, they’re going to be closed the rest of the week because he’s going out of town, so we have to pick it up today.”
I frowned. Finn’s shoulders were all bunched, and he was speaking carefully. “Okay?” I looked over at Lars. “Why is that a big deal?”
Lars played with the ends of my hair. “It means we have to drive an hour away to pick it up, and because it’s so large, the three of us need to go.”
“You can come with us,” Easton said, turning around on his spot on the floor to face me. “I’ll even let you choose the car playlist.”
Hmm. I didn’t like the idea of being separated from my guys for hours… but I also didn’t want to leave my spot on the couch and the cozy fire.
“I think I’ll be okay here,” I finally said.
The guys’ scents turned slightly bitter, and prickly defensiveness rose in me, ruffling my imaginary feathers. “I’ve lived alone for years.”
All my guys squeezed in closer until I could barely breathe. “It’s not that we don’t think you can take care of yourself,” Finn soothed. “But you’ve had a hard few days and we want to take care of you.”
“I can just stay here,” Easton said. “I won’t be helpful in carrying the glass. I’m not very strong.” His eyes widened when he realized what he’d just said. “I mean, no, Iamstrong.Sostrong. The strongest. Just not when it comes to lifting panes of glass.”
Lars snorted before gripping my chin and turning me to face him. “If you want to stay here, that’s okay. You’ll need to check in with us regularly.” When I opened my mouth to argue, he slipped his thumb in. I scowled but didn’t pull away. “Do this for us, kitten. We’re big, overbearing alphas who need to take care of our precious omega.”
