Page 51 of A Farmer’s Guide To Gamers

By the time he stepped away, I felt drunk. Cool air rushed in as he backed away and went back to fix his own. I blinked a few times before looking at Aiden. He gave me a small smile that said he knew exactly how worked up I was.

“Kai forgets boundaries exist sometimes,” Aiden said. His voice was good-natured and teasing, and Kai just snorted, giving us both a look that said he knew and would never change.

Good. I loved the spontaneity of never knowing what Kai would say or do. He brought a lightness to the pack that we all desperately needed.

Despite the other beta’s obliviousness, Kai brought him out of his quiet broodiness quite easily. He talked more and interacted more when Kai was nearby, even if he didn’t realize he was doing it.

“Just think, this is just phase one. They are going to fire them, then we come back to paint them, then they’ll glaze them and we’ll go pick up our creations,” Kai said smugly. “More time with our omega without the alphas involved.”

I burst out laughing, enjoying the happiness on both the beta’s faces at my reaction and their plan working out perfectly.

As I finished off my creation, Kai fixed up his and then assisted Aiden with his own. This time, though, Kai didn’t invade Aiden’s personal space like he did mine. Instead he sat to the side talking Aiden through the steps and only showing him if Aiden asked specifically.

I made a note of that, reminding myself to recall Aiden’s preference when I showed him things on the farm. Some things I might need to be more hands on about since it involved animals, but if this is how he learned best then I could definitely make that work for the most part.

It didn’t take much longer for the class to be done and the teacher told us she would contact us for a follow up class to finish our pieces.

With a quick thank you we all left, smiling and laughing as we filed out of the shop.

“That was a fun date. I have to say, I’ve never done that before,” I said with a wide smile filling my face. “But now I need to face the music at the house and clean out space for you all to stay. If I don’t go now, then you won’t be staying with me at all.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Kai said, slipping an arm around my waist. “Lead the way, omega, and we can help get things packed up. We also have a surprise in the car that we need to set up for you. I’ll go grab the car and bring it around. Behave while I’m gone, you two.”

Kai gave a little finger wave before heading down the street to get the car. Aiden shifted on his feet as the wind blew past us. He turned to me, adjusting my sweater in the most adorable move. Aiden might seem standoffish at first, but I was slowly learning that he simply observed the world differently. He was literal to a fault, said what he meant, and was not the best in social situations. Aiden was also thoughtful and caring, and when his humor peeked through it was perfect.

“Thanks,” I said, my voice quiet as to not burst the moment. He smiled and tucked a stray curl behind my ear. For once, it felt like he didn’t overthink it, he just moved on instinct.

“You’re welcome. It’s a bit cool today,” he said. “Did you enjoy the date?”

“I did,” I reassured him. “It’s nice spending time with you guys. Things move so fast that it’s nice to slow down every once in a while.”

“We are moving in fairly quickly,” he said, looking worried now.

“Don’t worry, I’m excited for it,” I reassured him. “Just saying that I want to appreciate all the little and big moments we have together.”

He nodded, like he was trying to understand. “I never thanked you properly for lying with me the other day. That helped a lot after a panic attack. Being near you grounds me.”

“You do the same for me. For Kai, too, I’ve noticed,” I said, testing out my theory a bit.

He chuckled. “Kai kind of bulldozed into my life and made room for himself.”

That summed up the outgoing beta fairly well.

Speaking of, Kai pulled up to the curb, windows down, music filtering out into the quiet of the afternoon.

“After you,” Aiden said, his hand on my lower back. Another touch he gave without thought. I was starting to quickly grow addicted to them.

He said Kai bulldozed into his life, but it also described how we all came together. Pack dynamics were insane, but they also worked. I couldn’t imagine not speaking to my pack for days now that they were a part of my life.

Even when we were moving forward fast, we were taking time to get to know each other.

That just meant plenty of late night chats, early morning coffees shared on the porch, pack meals, and dates.

“Tillie!” My name echoed out before I could take a step forward. The same voice that now sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t turn or acknowledge it. I simply hurried to the car and practically dove in.

The guys gave me a funny look, but said nothing as we buckled in. Only when he pulled away from the curb did I glance back. My eyes settled on Jonathan. His face was a mask of frustration and maybe I was paranoid, but the determination there only had my panic rising.

“Who was that?” Aiden asked. He turned around in the passenger’s seat to look at me. His icy blue eyes cut right through me and I let out a breath as I forced my face to remain neutral. I didn’t want to scare them.