Page 20 of Knot Enough

“Thank you. I love you so much. You can’t even imagine.” He said, holding me tighter.

“Ditto.” I replied, leaning my forehead against his. We stayed like that for a long time. Basking in the warmth and security of each other. Gabriel eventually fell back asleep, this time without a nightmare in sight. It wasn’t till my alarm went off the next morning that he and I woke up again. We got dressed and patiently waited for Sorren to get ready, so we could head to a nursery for plants.

“Which one do you like?” Sorren asked from behind me. I blinked, clearing my thoughts to focus on what was before me. There were several tiny succulents in pots sectioned in rows. Sorren thought coming to a flower shop to pick up a few plants would be a good idea. He followed Gabriel and me around as we looked for one we liked. I think he wasn’t quite comfortable with letting us out of his sight yet, either.

“Found one!” Gabriel yelled from further down the row we were on. He ran back to us holding a good-sized succulent.

“Look, look, look.” He repeated excitedly, showing off the plant. Gabriel's plant felt fuzzy to the touch. The edges of the leaves had darker coloring. I read the tag, and the plant was named Chocolate Soldier. Sorren nodded in approval.

“Have you found one yet, Lydia?” Gabriel turned to me. I returned my gaze to the plants in front of me. My eyes zoned in on a funny-looking one. The leaves were round with grooves at the end; they almost looked like ogre's ears. I picked the plant up and turned it around to read the name. Ogre's ears. I shouldn’t be surprised that’s what they named it. The leaves looked adorable.

“This one,” I said softly, not taking my eyes off it. Sorren picked out a few more to bring home before we checked out and returned to the car. He tried carrying our plants, but Gabriel and I growled at him when he offered to take them. He shrugged off our reactions and helped us in the car before driving us back to the house. When we got home, Sorren guided us to the backyard Gabriel and I hadn’t had a chance to explore yet. We noticed an in-ground pool, a large wooden fence, and lots of flowers for the first time. I saw several of my favorites in the flower bundles around the porch.

“Do you have a gardener for all these plants?” Gabriel asked, looking at a particularly bright red flower. Sorren laughed.

“No, I take care of all these myself,” Sorren blushed. He examined a couple of the flowers as we walked by.

“That’s amazing,” I said, awed by how he could handle all of this by himself.

“Don’t get me wrong. I do hire help when I’m busy with a movie, but for the most part, I take care of them.” He explained. He stopped at the edge of the fence and turned back to us.

“This section is my pride and joy.” He finished before stepping back. The side of the fence was covered in all different types of succulents. Some were flowering, but most were shades of blues, greens, or browns. He had them all in uniquely shaped pots that made the succulents look like they were growing all over the fence. It was beautiful.

“Wow, this is incredible!” I was amazed by the plants. Sorren’s face blushed lightly at my words.

“Really? You mean that? I know it's not the most alpha thing in the world, but I wanted to show you this. I mean, you were going to find out eventually since it’s right by the back door, but I wanted to be with you when you did.” He mumbled. My heart swelled at his thoughtfulness. Gabriel walked over to him and kissed him heavily. Gabriel lifted his free hand to Sorren’s neck and pulled him down to get a better angle. Sorren groaned against him, stepping closer to Gabriel.

“Enough of that,” Sorren pulled back reluctantly. “Now, choose a spot for your succulents.” He guided us closer to his masterpiece. Gabriel and I stood there stunned.

“You want to add ours in there?” Gabriel asked hesitantly. “You sure our plants won’t mess it up?” Sorren chuckled and dropped the bags he carried on the ground. He pulled Gabriel to him. I could smell Gabriel’s perfume from where I was as their bodies touched each other.

“No way. I want this.” He gestured to his wall of succulents. “To have something from both of you.” I saw tears swelling in Gabriel's eyes before he shook his head to remove them.

“Well, no need to beg me,” Gabriel said, rolling his eyes before walking towards the side of the fence. He examined the wall with narrowed eyes. I chuckled to myself as I watched him.

“Are you having fun?” Sorren asked, coming up beside me. I felt his fingers rise up from behind me, guiding themselves lightly up and down my back. My skin tingled at the feeling. He wasn’t touching my skin, but he might as well have been, given how much his fingertips affected me. My face flushed at the affectionate touch.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, hiding my face behind my plant.

He chuckled lightly. “Well, you better find a spot before Gabriel takes it, " he said, pushing me towards the fence. I started walking to the succulents before I changed directions and headed back towards Sorren.

“You know. I think taking care of plants is a very good thing to do. Is there a reason you think otherwise?” I asked. His face darkened slightly and he looked back at Gabriel who was still searching for a spot to put his plant.

“I got teased a lot during my youth. When people think one thing and they continue to push those opinions on you sometimes you start to believe them yourself.” He explained. In more than one way I could understand what he meant. It was the same when I was younger and the other omegas would be interested in dating or potential matches and all I wanted was to find my scent match. I wanted to believe they would accept me for who I was and when that didn’t happen it was like a slap to the face of everything everyone ever told me. I watched him rub his neck as he avoided eye contact. Before I had a chance to second guess myself, I kissed him. On the lips. Hard. Sorren’s body froze, but soon he relaxed and pulled my head closer towards him.

“I think you're a very good alpha.” I said quickly, before turning away embarrassed and joining Gabriel.

Gabriel laughed as I came to his side. Apparently, he had watched the entire interaction. I didn’t dare look back at Sorren the whole time we chose a spot and planted our finds.

It was midday when we got done helping Sorren with all the plants. We were all sweaty by the time we finished. Gabriel and I headed back into the house, wanting to bathe. Before I could step onto the porch, a pair of arms wrapped around me, holding me in place. Watermelon entered my nose as I felt a light touch on the side of my neck. Almost just as fast, I was let go. My hands went to my neck, and my flush returned in full force. I looked up to find Sorren looking away from me with a deep blush on his face. He didn’t say anything and walked back into the house, leaving me in shock. Gabriel called for me, and I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I headed inside after him.

The sun had set when Finn and Graham got home. Tonight, Sorren and Finn planned on taking Gabriel out on a date. I was nervous about being left alone with Graham, but I was much more worried about Gabriel. Gabriel and I were hesitant to leave the safety of the house these past few days. We didn’t want to reencounter Brett or Logan after what happened last time. Sorren and Finn kept reassuring us nothing would happen. Gabriel relented to their suggestions and decided today was the day he would leave the house. They were about to head out, but they were all waiting on Sorren to finish getting ready.

“He takes longer than a bloody actress,” Finn grumbled as he tapped his foot impatiently. I chuckled at his comment.

“Okay, okay. I’m done.” Sorren said, rushing into the kitchen. He placed a chaste kiss on Gabriel’s lips before heading toward me. He did the same to me. My face reddened once again, not used to someone besides Gabriel kissing me.

“I’ll see you later, in the nest?” He asked. Warmth filled his eyes as he looked at me. I nodded, not trusting my voice. He smirked at my response.

---