I process this information. “So instead of cutting down half the forest, we only need to massacre a small portion?”
“It means,” Everett says, ignoring my commentary, “no more desperate families from neighboring towns showing up. It means we can take a few breaks. Get the orders filled without working from sunrise to sunset.”
“Hallelujah!” I throw my hands skyward, nearly spilling my thermos. “The tree gods have smiled upon us! We’re free! Well, freer. Less enslaved. Partially liberated.”
Gabe shakes his head at my dramatics, but I can see the relief in his eyes. He’s been working harder than anyone; those beautiful muscles of his pushed to their limits.
“Melody’s list!” I exclaim.
Both men turn to look at me.
“What list?” Gabe asks.
“Her holiday activity list. The one she made for her family. Ice skating, snowman building, the tree lighting ceremony, and gingerbread house construction. We could do them with her; it’s the perfect bonding time!”
Everett’s expression softens at the mention of Melody. It’s really adorable how transparent he is. Those little crinkles appear at the corners of his eyes, and his whole demeanor shifts like a lovesick teenager.
The man is utterly smitten.
“That’s… not a bad idea,” he says slowly.
“It’s a brilliant idea,” I correct him.
“When is the tree-lighting ceremony?” Gabe asks, already on board. His enthusiasm for Melody matches Everett’s, though he expresses it more subtly.
“Tomorrow night,” Everett answers immediately. “The skating rink is right beside it, and there’s a winter market all week in the town square.”
“Perfect,” I clap my hands together. “We finish our daily quota of arboreal executions, then escort our favorite omega to festive holiday activities. I’ll supervise the ice skating from solid ground, of course.”
“You’re not skating?” Gabe asks, though he already knows the answer.“I’ll observe your athletic prowess from a safe distance, where I can maintain both my dignity and the structural integrity of my tailbone.”
Gabe stands, pulling me up with him. “We need to finish if we want to meet Melody later.”
“To work then, my strapping woodsmen!” I gesture grandly toward the forest. “The trees await their doom—and, more importantly, hot chocolate and cookie booths beckon in our near future.”
As they return to their positions, axes at the ready, I settle back onto my stump and pull my coat tighter. The prospect of holiday activities with Melody has brightened my mood considerably, not just for the festivity and the chance to escape this endless tree-harvesting operation, but for the opportunity it presents.
Operation: swooning our Omega has commenced.
18
Melody
“Ican’t feel my face,” Finn announces, his voice muffled through a scarf that covers everything but his eyes. “Is it still there? Someone check for me?”
Gabe reaches over and tugs the scarf down just enough to reveal Finn’s nose, which has turned an alarming shade of pink. “Still attached.”
“Small mercies,” Finn mumbles, teeth chattering, immediately re-wrapping himself. “Remind me why we couldn’t drive?”
“Because,” Charlie says, practically skipping ahead of us in just a light jacket like some cold-immune superhero, “the walk into town during tree lighting night is part of the experience. The lights, the snow, the festive spirit…”
“The frostbite,” Finn adds.
Everett laughs, the sound warming me up instantly. He walks slightly behind me, and I’m hyperaware of his presence, as if mybody has developed a special Everett radar. The same goes for Gabe, who walks beside Finn, occasionally steadying him when he wobbles in his excessive layering.
I’m also very aware of Finn, though his constant stream of complaints about the cold makes me laugh and distract me from the overwhelming presence of the two alphas. It’s as if his chatter creates a buffer, something to focus on besides the way my omega instincts keep making me want to turn around and lick them all.
“If I freeze to death, my obituary will read: ‘death by festive walk,’ Finn continues, stumbling slightly on an icy patch.
