“Apparently I was a mermaid in a past life.”
“Makes sense,” she responded.
I shook my head, but I couldn’t stop my smile as all my righteous indignation bled out of me. I loved my friends more than anything. “You’re all ridiculous little meddlers. I don’t want to punish them. I just…”
“Just what?” Ivy asked gently.
“I just wish the presents and volunteering and stuff were things they were doing because they wanted to, not because they’re being told to.”
“We didn’t tell them to get you presents,” Olive said.
I blinked. “What? Really?”
“We’ve simply assisted the universe in nudging them in the right direction,” Ivy said. “But they’ve done the rest.”
“Oh.” I took a sip of the cocktail. It was sweet and citrusy, and it reminded me of King. “Are you sure?”
Olive squeezed my arm. “Promise. And we wouldn’t have helped them if we didn’t think they were serious about you.”
“We needed to see how committed they actually are,” Summer said. “And they’ve spenthourswith Stanley in the past week. That shows determination.”
She arched an eyebrow and I grinned. She wasn’t wrong.
“So what presents did they give you?” Olive asked, waggling her eyebrows.
Knowing that the gifts were something the guys did on their own made me feel all warm and melty inside, but old insecurity rose inside me. “I swear I’m not super materialistic.” I chewed my lip. “It’s not like theyhaveto get me gifts.”
My friends looked puzzled. “It’s not materialistic to want presents,” Ivy said.
I scoffed. “Not according to my exes.” My words slipped out without permission. I tried my best never to speak of them out loud.
“Fuck themmmm,” Summer said. “They deserve worse than they got.”
“True. But egging their cars was satisfying.” Especially since they’d cared more about those cars than they had me.
“I get that it’s hard, though,” Olive said. “The first time my guys took me to Nest Wonderland, I struggled with letting them buy me things. But they do it because they want to, not because they feel obligated. They know it makes my omega feel special, and it makes them feel all proud of themselves for providing for me.”
“Don’t let your exes ruin this for you,” Ivy said gently. “I know what it’s like to come into a relationship with insecurities, and it’s okay to be hesitant. But sometimes it’s worth the risk.”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
“Of course we are,” Summer said. “So, what did they give you?”
My shoulders loosened and I took another sip of my drink. I’d been busy with work this week, so I hadn’t seen much of the guys. Itscared me how much I missed them, but they hadn’t made me feel forgotten for even a minute.
“King left a gift card at Beans ’n Bliss, so all my lattes are free.” Ella had practically jumped up and down when she told me. There was nothing quite so exciting for a teenager than being a part of a romantic scheme. “And I had a new spring wreath on my door one morning. Every day, I’ve gotten food deliveries for lunch and dinner.” I hated cooking, so not having to worry about making food, especially when I got sucked into a sewing project, was a dream come true. “Also, I’ve had a new package at my door every day with things for my nest.”
That last one made my cheeks flame red because giving an omega nesting items was something you only did if you were really serious about courting them. It was an intensely personal thing for an omega, and I was really picky about what I brought into my nest. Somehow, everything they’d sent was perfect. There had been huge soft blankets, cute throw pillows in the shape of strawberries, and clothes.Theirclothes, drenched in their scents. I’d actually cried when I opened this morning’s delivery. There was a huge flannel that smelled like Wilder, a T-shirt so worn and soft I never wanted to take it off from Leo, and a button-down shirt that clearly belonged to King. I’d put all three of the shirts on at the same time and ran up to my nest. I’d looked like a huge blob of fabric, but I didn’t care. I’d actually whined when I had to take them off to come here, but I’d left them safely tucked in my nest for my return.
“I love getting things for my nest.” Ivy practically had stars in her eyes as she rested her chin on her hands with a sigh.
Summer gazed out at the ocean, an air of sadness around her, but she smiled when she caught me looking. “It’s good to make your guys work for it, but you’re never obligated to say yes, no matter how much time and energy they put in.”
I leaned over the table and squeezed her hand. She wasn’t a hopeless romantic like me, but it was still hard to be an omega without a pack.
I knew King, Wilder, and Leo would respect my decision if I told them I wasn’t interested. But…I didn’t want to do that. I’d spent the past few days thinking and processing, and I kept coming back to one simple truth: I wanted to say yes to them. Spending the rest of the Eggstravaganza with them after the Blossom scare had given me a glimpse of what pack life could be like with them—Leo teasing King as they made eyes at each other, Wilder being grumpy and gruff except when he gentled his voice to talk to Blossom or me, and all of them casually touching me any chance they got.
The lighthouse door opened, and Easton emerged in a waiter’s uniform, carrying a tray of appetizers.
