I tilt my head down, watching her intently. “You good?”
“Um, yep, I’m great,” she says. “I never thought I’d be so addicted to smelling smoky campfire, but I love your scent.”
“You smell good to me too,” I admit.
She coos, and my jaw falls.
Cooing is a sound omegas release when they’re safe and content. There’s no other sound in the world like it, and ridiculous alpha pride strums through my chest.
“I wish we could all stay home tonight.” Vanessa’s voice is muffled by my T-shirt, but I think I understand her words. “I normally love getting out of the house, but I’m having waves of anxiety that don’t make any sense. What if I have a panic attack during my date with Moretti? Are he and Magnum even going to come back in one piece? Jesus. I’m turning into?—”
“They’ll be fine,” I assure her. “They’re grown men. They can handle themselves. As for your date tonight, tell Moretti you’re not up for it.”
“I don’t think I can do that. I made a deal to be extra agreeable if he would promise not to hurt Magnum.”
“I’ll talk to Emory for you,” I offer.
“It’s always strange to hear you call him by his first name,” she says, her fingers digging into my back. “But it humanizes him, which is a good thing. Thank you, Hawk. I appreciate it. I think I have to learn to fight my own battles when it comes to my husband.”
It gets under my skin, hearing her call him her husband.
That’s a bad sign.
Especially knowing how much I want her to be mine.
“You’ve known about the marriage thing for two days,” I say, keeping my tone gentle. “Give yourself some time to come to terms with it.”
If Moretti could hear me now, he’d kick me in the teeth.
“Yeah.” She stretches out her legs, and I move mine to give her room. The fetal position is one a person gets into subconsciously for safety, and I hope it’s a good sign that she’s finally settling down. “Okay, tell me about you.”
I quirk an eyebrow, but I doubt she sees it. Her face is still firmly plastered to my chest.
“That’s random.” I chuckle. I don’t talk about myself often, so it’s hard to know where to start. “Let’s see. I grew up around here. My dad died so long ago, it’s hard to remember if it was tenor eleven years. My mom stayed in Boston, which is nice around the holidays. Both my parents are betas, and they were mighty confused when I presented, but they did the best they could to be supportive.”
“That’s crazy. I bet it was a big surprise,” she mumbles. “You didn’t grow up in a pack, then?”
“Nah, it was just me, my mom, and dad.” I wrap my arm around her, teasing my hand down her back. “It was rough on both of us when we lost him, but I help out where I can. She finally started dating again. That was a relief. She’s still young. My dad would have hated the idea of her waiting around for him forever.”
“Julian didn’t even wait a year after my mom died before he started dating,” Vanessa says. “And I get it. No one wants to be lonely. It just didn’t seem like he was all too broken up about her death.”
“I don’t think Julian has the capacity to care about anyone but himself.” I grimace, freezing.
No matter if she hates her father, it likely still hurts to be reminded that he’s incapable of loving her.
“You’re not wrong about that,” she says softly. “Was it lonely growing up without any brothers or sisters?”
“Not really. My father worked for the Morettis back in the day. There were a lot of other guys who had kids my age…” I continue on, and before long, her questions get fewer and farther between before she stops asking any altogether.
I wish I could have forced myself to purr, but it looks like I put her at ease without that biological response.
“I’m really starting to reconsider my approach to life.” Moretti’s voice wakes me out of a dead sleep. “How the two of you have found your way into bed with my wife before I have is mind-boggling.”
“That sucks for you.” Magnum chuckles softly. “She sure does look comfortable.”
My eyes pop open, and my hand tightens on Vanessa’s lower back. We were lying face to face when I fell asleep, but she snuggled right on top of me as I slept.
“She’s exhausted. Get out,” I whisper, pointing at the stairs to exit the den nest.
