Page 46 of A Pack of Honey
"Oh my god, the pot roast!" Sunny leaps off my lap and runs pantsless to the stove. Hunt and I stare at her for a minute before looking back at each other, chuckling.
Sunny
Theguysaretakingme out. Some people do individual pack dates, but I think it's old-fashioned. Who has that kind of time? Imagine you have upwards of four alphas in a pack. An omega would have to make time for every member to take her out. In a scent-sensitive pack courting is fast due to its certainty. Back when omegas weren't allowed to work, I could see how it could happen. But in these times? Forget it.
When they asked me how I'd like to do the courting, I said I was down for group pack dates. I've been swamped with extra orders and specialty requests all week, and three couples asked me if we do weddings on the property. I've started looking into the idea. Grandma never considered it, but I'm interested in it. Maybe it's because of my pack, but giving couples that kind of happiness excites me.
My Pack. Are they my pack? I still haven’t discussed my heat with them.
I've also been working on the nest. I've decided to stay true to the rest of the farmhouse. I've always enjoyed the charm of rusticelegance, so I added some vintage French flair.Lots of cream colored blankets, shiplap and hand painted flowers.
The guys have also been busy. After they presented their idea of a farmhouse-inspired resort with plans to preserve the natural landscape and leave as small a footprint as possible, everyone seemed much more on board. It helped that they made a sizable donation to the environmental groups in the area. I'm really proud of them. Their plans are as environmentally conscious as a new hotel can be.
So, construction has begun. The pack has some of the best and fastest contractors. The amount of work that's gone in already is astounding. It’s only going to be a few miles from the Apiary. That fills me with a sense of hope and dread. It means the mixing of our lives which is great if they want to stay with me. But we still haven’t discussed it yet.
We have a small window of time tonight when we're all free. For the date, they told me to dress in something suited for the cool lake nights, and to wear bug spray, so outside is a given.
I come down in my super-soft leggings and a cozy sweater. I did my hair and makeup, so I'm not a slouch. My omega definitely made me.I wouldn’t do makeup if it was solely up to me but she insisted.
The guys are all in sweats, t-shirts, and hoodies too.
They still look absolutely scrumptious. Jess's hair tumbles over his shoulders, making him look like a wild man. But one that has access to excellent hair care products. Cole looks like a soft-life god in cozy, casual pants and a zip-up hoodie. Hunt has shorts and a tee that V's in the front, showing off his stone-hard chest. Luca also has a long-sleeved black shirt and soft grey pants. He really rocks the casual professor vibe, even in these soft clothes. And I want to be his naughty student.
"Okay, where are we going?" I ask, because they haven't told me a thing outside of what to wear, but they've been sneaking out one by one to do something mysterious.
"Nowhere," Jess announces. He's practically bouncing. The excited energy rolls off of him in waves. Hunt reaches out and takes his hand to calm and steady him, and I smile. It's nice to finally see them open together.
"Calm," Cole's bark is lighter than when he first arrived. It's meant to guide and unite rather than command, and it helps to smooth out Jess's energy.
Luca steps up and bends down to smooth his cheek along mine, scent marking me. His coarse stubble sends a shiver down my spine. Days ago, he’d said that he'd argued with the guys during previous courtings about being open to emotional intimacy, but that hasn't been a problem between us.
Luca takes my hand, and we follow the other guys onto the front lawn and through the gate. But instead of heading for their car like I expect, we turn across the meadow toward the back acre. Along the way, Luca continues to hold my hand. Jess and Hunt fall back so that Hunt can snake the hand not holding Jess's, around my waist. Cole's in the lead, hands in pockets, as though he doesn't have a care in the world. A content smile on his face.
Luca and Hunt talk over my head about details for the Resort, and Jess squeezes my hand, which I'm holding behind Hunt's back. Everything is perfect, and I'm so happy my cheeks hurt from smiling. We approach the barn—the same one that Craig had vandalized. The whole side that held the spray paint was repainted not long after. They lead me around to the back of the barn.
I gasp. The empty grass behind the barn has been completely transformed. Poles have been erected in a rectangular pattern, and twinkle lights twist upward and cross over the space.A large, fluffy, couch-like piece of furniture lies directly underneath. It's more of a bed than a couch, but it has a back and arms resembling one. It’s stuffed and looks as soft as lamb's wool.
Blankets layer across the couch, blankets from each of their bedrooms. Even without climbing in, the scent of every member of the pack in one place calms some latent anxiety deep inside me. Snacks are also strategically placed throughout the area. An old-fashioned popcorn maker stands near the back. A sideboard holds a candy station, and another has a cheese board.
I turn to the guys. "You did all of this?"
"Yes! And getting that couch thing out here was a bitch. It doesn't come apart and weighs a million pounds even though it looks like a cloud." Jess basically word vomits.
Note to self, keeping secrets is not suitable for Jess's mental health. It's clear holding in the info has come close to giving him an aneurysm. He looks visibly relieved at being able to finally talk to me about this. Hunt nudges him, and he turns slightly pink, but I just beam at him.
"I love it," I confess.
"Get any snacks you want and meet us on the couch," Hunt says.
I grab some of everything, and Cole mans the popcorn machine like an expert. "I worked at the movie theater as a kid," he admits. I can't imagine Cole being anything younger than he is today.
The candy is a perfect mix of modern and vintage. There are candy bars and M&Ms, but there are also candy buttons, gummy bears, and even those candy cigarettes that blow puffs of “smoke” on the first breath. I don't know how they got those. I thought they were outlawed or something.
I gather up one of each and snuggle into the very center of the couch. The guys climb in around me. Hunt and Jess are onone side, and Luca on the other. For a moment, I wonder where Cole will sit, but he prowls over the back of the couch, easily stepping over it to slide in directly behind me, one leg on either side of mine. He firmly jerks me back so that my ass rests against his groin, and my back is plastered to his chest. His arms band around me, making me feel both caged and safe.
Luca mutters something that sounds suspiciously likeomega hogbefore accepting Cole's presence and snuggling into my side. He shields himself from Cole's girth with a pillow between him and Cole's thigh. Hunt does the same on the other side, with Jess pressed to Hunt's back and a big arm wrapped around us both. I feel firmly ensconced in a pile of alpha.
I never want to leave.
