“I’m home.” I heard Auburn come through the door. The man was on time, every time. It was important to him to be consistent, and didn’t every omega dream of that?
“Oh, do you hear that, cutie pie? Your papa is home and I smell the sugar already.”
My alpha smelled like sugar and cream and vanilla when he came in from work and we were used to it. Another thing I loved about him.
“I brought home a new flavor. Are you ready to try it?”
I gasped and held our daughter close to my face. She was really starting pay attention when we spoke and sometimes gurgled back at us. Her smiles were Auburn copycats. “He’s trying to fatten both of us. Should we hide?”
Auburn came in chuckling. “You two are trouble.”
“You are trouble, mister,” I countered. “Bringing me ice cream while I’m trying to get rid of the rest of the pregnancy weight.”
“It’s only been six months since you had our little girl, Oakley. Give yourself a minute to breathe. Besides, I made this flavor just for you.”
I sighed. He really did make flavors just for me. It wasn’t something he said or used as leverage. “Well, if you say so.”
Auburn took Selene from me and rocked her back and forth, peppering her pudgy face with kisses. She giggled a little at papa’s five-o’clock shadow.
“What’s the flavor?” I asked as they followed me into the kitchen where a plain white carton sat on the table, begging me to eat it.
“Dark chocolate chunk with blobs of ganache.”
“No name yet?”
Auburn shook his head but his eyes were worshipping our little one. “Nope. You know I have trouble naming them. That’s where you come in.”
“Mmm,” I said, taking a big bite. “That’s chocolate explosion for sure. Chocolate earthquake? Oh, how about Chocolate Thunder?”
“There it is. You always give them great names.”
“Do you have to go back after dinner?” I checked the meal in the Crock-Pot. Simple meat loaf and mashed potatoes. I’d seen a social media video telling people how to layer it and everything cooked all at once. That instant Crock-Pot thing was a lifesaver.
“I don’t. I’m off tonight. I have a date with my omega.”
I turned around. “You do?”
Nodding, he came over to kiss me. The kind of kiss that made me want to do anything but leave. “I do. Babysitter comes in at six, so you’d better get ready. Dinner and shifting.”
I hadn’t shifted since giving birth.
“Like our first date. You’re the sweetest.”
He kissed me again. “You make it easy to love you.”
