Page 62 of Bonded By Christmas
“Is Callum home too?” she asks, sliding between the chair and the table to come around to meet me. Once she’s only a foot or two away, she chucks herself at my middle.
I wrap my arms around her, giving her a tender squeeze. “He is. He’ll be in soon.”
Wilder sighs. “Glad to see you’re in one piece.” He shoves his chair back, stands, and comes to linger behind Lacey. “I’m going to run upstairs and handle a few things.” He leans around her, kissing her temple, but his eyes meet mine. “Maybe she’ll actually listen to you because I’ve gotten exactly nowhere.”
Lacey releases me to turn to him. “I’m not trying to be difficult. I just don’t see the point of eating if I’m not hungry.”
He gives her a tired smile. “I’ll let you and Grim hash that out.”
“I think I hurt Wilder’s feelings, and I didn’t mean to,” Lacey whispers as soon as he’s gone.
“Don’t worry about that. He’s an adult. If he’s still upset later, he’ll discuss it with you.” I pat her back, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “He’s got a lot on his plate with the deal between Vanessa and the pack she’s betrothed to.”
“Vanessa.” She frowns. “Yeah, I met the O’Connor brothers.”
“This is the first I’m hearing of that. I’m starving. Will you let me hold you while I eat? You can tell me all about what happened while we were apart.”
“Okay,” she agrees.
It takes everything in me to keep from grinning.
Wilder means well, but he’s used to issuing an order and having everyone follow it without question.
Callum would goad her into misbehaving just to have an excuse to punish her, and while she might enjoy it under most circumstances, I think she needs a little extra pampering at the moment.
She’s been under a fair amount of stress, and I tend to take a softer approach, anyway.
If her frustration continues to rise, we can have a conversation about what will help put her at ease. If that comes to pass, and she has trouble verbalizing what she needs, I have no problem taking the lead or even putting her over my knee if it comes down to it, but we need to negotiate that and build trust first.
I guide Lacey to the table, grab the plate that was in front of where she was seated, along with her fork and the bottle of water, and we make our way into the living room.
I put everything down on the end table next to my chair and get situated. Once I’m in place, I pat my lap, giving her an encouraging smile.
The way she scrambles onto my thighs fills my chest with joy. By this point in the week, the effects of our appointment would usually be wearing off. My thoughts would be more truncated, and even my vocabulary would grow more limited as the days went on.
It was frustrating as fuck to know what I wanted to say while not being able to verbalize it. Knowing I don’t have to worry about that anymore leaves me more emotional than I expected, and I grab the plate to keep myself busy.
“You met the O’Connors?” I ask, scooping up a bite of the carrots.
Collins does amazing things in the kitchen, and tonight he made some kind of fork-tender roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes, and carrots.
“Yeah, while I was locked on Wilder’s knot,” Lacey says, laughing. “But don’t worry, he covered me with a blanket. I actually feel really bad for them. It sounds like they’ve been waiting for a long time, and they’re just worried about their brother going rabid…” She goes on to explain more of the situation, which I had no idea about.
I get a little sneaky, offering her a bite with no pressure. She takes it without complaint, so I give myself several more small bites before trying again. Once again, she eats without a word that she’s not hungry.
I tease my free hand down her back, balance the plate on the arm of my chair, and offer her a drink of the bottle of water.
Lacey takes a big swig and goes on to mention how the O’Connor brothers are going to keep an eye on Charlotte and her son while we determine if the men I killed have any lingering affiliations that could cause trouble.
I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or an awful one, but the call is ultimately Wilder’s to make. I’m also not sure how it couldhurt, considering how little Vanessa is interested in honoring her marriage contract.
I continue feeding myself while offering Lacey bites, and by the time the plate is empty, I’m confident she got at least a reasonable amount of calories into her system. Putting the plate down on the end table, I focus back on the snuggly little omega.
“I need to take a quick shower, but afterward, how do you feel about letting me cuddle with you in the nest?” I ask, trying not to get my hopes up.
Omegas can be particular about who, if anyone, they let into their nest in the days leading up to a heat. They tend to focus on setting it up like a wolf would do for their den, and I was always taught you don’t enter an omega’s nest without an explicit invitation.
Lacey bats her long lashes, smiling up at me coyly. “You’re more than welcome in my nest, but how do you feel about a bath? I’ll scrub your back.” Her perfect teeth dig into her lower lip, and she shrugs. “Something about lavishing in boiling hot water has my muscles tingling. It sounds heavenly.”
