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I really hoped today would be a solid start to friendship between Sidney and my girls. Luna was basically a German Shepherd, circling me for protection and ready to bite anyone who meant to harm me; I just had to get her accustomed to the fact that Sidney wasn’t one of the people she needed to protect me from.
A fancy fresh-squeezed juice appeared in front of me, the waiter setting down the glass with a grin and handing me a slip of paper. “From the gentleman in the corner.”
I spared a glance, seeing a sleek blond alpha raise his glass to me with a dazzling smile. His suit looked like it cost more than what I made in a month, and he seemed to take as much consideration with the rest of his appearance. I dropped my gaze, turning back to the waiter to thank them.
Meg and Luna stared at me before Meg finally spoke. “I assume the answer is no since you’re bonded, but I’ll ask the question anyway. Are you going to do anything about that number?”
My insides squirmed. “That would be weird. I’m bonded and happy.”
“You did say you wanted to be sure,” Luna pointed out. “And tons of omegas pack up.”
Meg nodded. “No pressure either way, but it does stand to reason that there are faster ways to be sure whether you want to be with Sidney because of who he is or because of the bond. Being bonded doesn’t make you uncomfortable with other people; it just makes you more comfortable with your bondmate.”
I couldn’t fault the logic, as much as I didn’t love it. I was reasonably sure of the answer, but I still kept asking myself the question anyway. Sidney was wonderful, of that I had no doubt, but lots of wonderful people were out there. I had let my obsession with him talk me out of plenty of dates over the years. Maybe I should take this opportunity…
I fidgeted with the paper, crumpling it up and stuffing it in my pocket. I could talk to Sidney about it later, maybe suggest that he go on a date with someone too. I swallowed down the spike of jealousy at the thought.
Focusing on my food felt like an impossibility when I could clearly see my friends scoping out the alpha who had sent me the juice. Even picking up the glass felt like I was committing a crime, so I eventually pushed it over to Meg, who finished it off for me.
By the time we were ready to meet Sidney at Nest is Best, I was a bundle of nerves. It was ridiculous to be anxious about this. My friends were good people and my mate was a good person. I couldn’t stop thinking about the alpha in the corner and whether I should toss his number to the ground or actually have a conversation with my mate. What harm could there really be? Part of me didn’t want to know if I only liked Sidney because of the bond. That part was desperate to live in ignorance forever, a safe and quiet bubble where I could rely on hormones to carry me through the rest of my life at peace. Was that actually fair to either of us? Would it be complacent, lazy even, to just accept we were it for each other because of a trick of biology?
“Are you okay?” Meg asked, taking my hand in hers with a comforting squeeze.
“I am freaking out,” I whisper-hissed at her.
“Deep breaths. By the end of today, Luna will be in possession of something soft that will endear Sidney to her, and I have no doubt he’s going to continue treating you well in front of us and we both know she’s gonna be watching him like a hawk. All she’ll see is good behavior.”
“I can hear you,” Luna pointed out.
“I know.” Meg smiled at her. “Sometimes you need to be reminded when you’re being sweetly ridiculous.”
Luna stuck her tongue out at Meg and took my other hand. “I refuse to be bribed.”
“It’s not a bribe.” We all turned to Sidney as he stepped up behind us with an easy grin on his face. My body gravitated toward him like a magnet. “Just a gift. How was brunch?”
The question sent a zing of panic through me. Both of my friends squeezed my hands.
“What’s wrong?” Sidney asked, as if he could see all the screaming that had filled my brain with his words.
I turned plaintive eyes to Meg.
“Someone asked Allie out,” she answered for me.
Sidney raised an eyebrow, giving no indication that he was upset by this information. “What did you say?”
“Nothing,” I replied, feeling the weight of the paper in my pocket.
“If you want to say yes, we can talk about it.”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to say yes for that particular alpha, but simply to satisfy my curiosity, to confirm for myself this really was a dream come true.
“I don’t know what I want to say,” I confessed.
“Think about it,” he prompted. “Let me know whenever you decide.”
I would’ve much preferred to not think about it at all and instead focus on the rainbow of soft and fluffy that made up the Nest is Best.
“Pick out anything you want,” Sidney said. “Get as much or as little as you need, but don’t worry about price.”
