“You’re right.” Mabel sniffs once. “I haven’t. I was too busy bein’ sold off to a pack, force bonded, and then experimented on for three years. I haven’t exactly had time to hold down a job. But…I’m no stranger to hard work.”
Nolan appropriately looks like he’s swallowed his own foot. “Right. Well, I just wanted—”
“We heard,” Jo snaps, crossing her arms.
“Right.” He says again, running a hand through his hair. “I’ll be going now then.” He moves to walk out of the kitchen, but pauses right in front of Mabel. “I just want you to know…they wouldn’t lie to you. If they say shit about a scent match, it’s because they genuinely believe it, not because they’re trying to pull the wool over your eyes.”
She eyes him warily. “You don’t believe it?”
He gives a sad smile. “It doesn’t matter what I believe. Take care of yourself, okay?”
Mabel nods once, not meeting his eyes as he leaves the house.
“We really need to get a deadbolt orsomethin’,” my omega sighs, rubbing her eyes.
Hayden walks over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You sleep okay?”
She smiles up at him. “I sure did. What about you?”
He smirks. “I slept like a damn baby, minus the fact I woke up to Daddy-O’s morning wood poking me in the thigh.”
I scowl as I move the bacon to the stove. “It wouldn’t have been on your thigh if you hadn’t thrown your leg over me in the middle of the night.”
In truth, it wasn’t sleeping in the same bed as the guys that made it hard to sleep. It was knowing that Jo was just down the hall and not with us.
Mabel’s cheeks are red, but she lets out a shocked laugh. Hayden does a double take, before going to her and covering her ears with his hands. Jo rolls her eyes at his antics as Mabel’s eyes double in size. “Sam!” he whisper-shouts. “No talking about B-O-N-E-R-S in front of the S-I-S-T-E-R!”
“You said it first, dipshit.”
“Hayden, do you think I don’t know how to spell?” Mabel asks, her brows furrowing.
Hayden sighs, his head falling back as he drops his hands from her ears. “Just wishful thinking, Mabes. Damn wishful thinking.”
Jo smirks, shaking her head. “Mabel was a straight-A student, Darlin’.” Her gaze catches on me draining the bacon grease from the pan and adding the meat to the pancake batter. “Uh, Sammy? Whatcha doin’?”
Hayden grins. “Have you ever seen the movie ‘Ratatouille?’”
Fifteen minutes later, we’re all sitting around the kitchen table, West and Kole looking skeptical as they cut into their bacon chocolate chip pancakes. Mabel took her pancakes to-go, walking back to the omega housing in a hurry.
“If you don’t like it, blame Turnip.” I shrug, taking a bite of my own.
That’s surprisingly…good.
“Holy shit,” Hayden moans, his eyes closing as he chews. “This is the best damn pancake I’ve ever had. What are we gonna call them? Bacon-chocolate. Bocolate Chip? Chacon?”
“The Sammy-Special.” Jo winks, her voice lilting in a way that goes straight to my groin. My chest puffs up at the fact thatI’mthe one feeding her, providing for her.
But then Turnip scurries in front of her plate, chittering defiantly like she’s fucking tattling on me.
My chest deflates.
“Sounds like it has to be the Turnip Special,” West smirks. “Considering you were going to blame her if they sucked, it only seems fair that it’s named after her.”
Kole nods, chewing slowly. “It is delicious, Turnip, well done.”
The ratpreensat the praise.
“What a smart girl you are,” Hayden coos.
