Page 140 of Power Shift

“It was heated. I wasn’t sure if you’d like it normally, but when Dash carried you into your room, Ronan opened the window, and I didn’t want you to get cold, so I turned the blanket on,” I tell her, nerves wild in my stomach.

“He opened my window? I wasn’t sure who did.”

We turn down an aisle with pillows and blankets, and Dash stares at each one with wide eyes.

“He said you always had your bedroom window cracked open at night in your apartment,” he mutters, touching one of the bright orange fluffy pillows.

Briar releases a sound of disbelief and runs her fingers along the entire shelf of fuzzy throw blankets before stopping to squeeze a pale pink one.

“I’m pretty sure Ronan was parked outside of my place watching for more nights than I originally thought he was.”

“Knowing him, you’re probably right,” Dash says.

I focus on her attention to that specific pillow and wander closer to her. “Do you like that one?”

“It matches the sheets, right?”

“Yes. Get a couple of them,” I instruct, already reaching for two.

Her cheeks glow with a fresh pink tinge. “Alright.”

“It’s like you said, Bright Eyes, the bed is huge. You need enough pillows to fill it, and I won’t lie to you—Landon’s a goddamn hog.”

“Have the two of you spent a lot of nights cuddling?” she asks, teasing him again.

He scoffs and scoops another two of the same pillows into the cart. “Only every second one.”

“I’m jealous.” She readjusts her hold on the cart and starts pushing it out of the aisle. “But in that case, I guess five is a good choice.”

“We need blankets too. Do you like any of these? Or, you know, we could head to the furniture section first instead. I just assumed you liked the bed frame, but if you’d like a new one, we can put an order in. It doesn’t have to be from here, either. Is the dresser big enough?” I ramble.

My nerves aren’t disappearing. It doesn’t matter that I’m thoroughly enjoying my time with her and Dash; I can’t shake them.

When I made the initial purchases for the nest, I knew my choices could be changed if our omega chose that she didn’t like something. It’s not as though I was unprepared to offer to change everything. I guess I just wanted to know that I actually did a good job with it and that without even knowing her, I could choose things she’d love.

It’s ridiculous.

“Jas,” she says softly, giving my hand a tug. I stare down at her and lose the ability to breathe. “Everything you chose for the nest is perfect. The bed is comfortable and big enough for all of us, and the wood finishes are beautiful. We’ll add all the finishing touches today, and it’ll be my absolute favourite place to be.”

“You’re sure?”

“My old nest was a blanket fort in the corner of my bedroom. The one you’ve built for me is beyond my wildest dreams,” she confirms.

Finally, relief.

I follow my instincts and reach for her. Cradling her cheek in my hand, I lower my mouth and kiss her. It’s gentle, nothing more than a quiet thank you, but it still punctures me deep in the chest.

“How about we just grab a few different kinds of blankets and you can try them all out? The ones you don’t like, we could always donate to the clinic. Is that something you do there?” Dash asks, pausing his examination of all the blankets beside us.

Briar slips from my hold with a fluttery gaze and turns her attention to the selection in front of Dash. “We could. I know we try to make the recovery rooms as home-like as possible instead of the sterile-looking rooms at a regular hospital, so cozy blankets could help with that. They’re ridiculously expensive, though, and we like to send them home with our patients so they can keep something with them that they had during labour.”

“Is there anything else you want for the clinic? I imagine it isn’t easy running a business,” I say while Dash begins dumping an array of blankets into the cart.

It’s filled quickly, even after just adding a few pillows and blankets. They could have been at least double the size.

“You’re not buying things for the clinic. But, yes, it’s hard. When we first started, we didn’t pay ourselves for months because we were already paying out of pocket for everything else. I’ve never advocated for private healthcare a day in my life, so it took a long time to get everything up on the back end, mostly with the government. We’re a non-profit, so government funding and donations are what we need to keep the lights on. These omegas . . . often come to us with nothing other than the want for a safe, controlled birth somewhere safe. Being a private clinic meant charging for that. Clover and I would rather make sure we never alienated anyone because of how much money they have.”

Briar keeps her head high and hums, turning the cart out of the first aisle and down a second without waiting to see how we respond. Dash and I linger a few paces behind. The love she has for her work is incredible. Not only that, but it’s admirable. She cares so much for the omegas who come to Harbour of Hope, and I’m at a loss for what we’ve done to deserve her.

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