Page 47 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

“It is,” I confirmed for us, waving between me and Gavin

“Well, we’re glad to have you. My name is Jason. and I’ll be taking care of you tonight. Since we’re a bit of a different restaurant, your table is yours whether you’re sitting here or not. You can put in your order, get a game card, and go have a blast. They’ll page you over the speakers to let you know when your food is ready.”

“That sounds perfect,” Lachlan said. “I’m definitely going to need one of those game cards.”

“Amazing. I can absolutely do that for you,” Jason said easily, writing it down on his order pad. “Can I get you guys started with some drinks as well?”

Gavin looked at me, nervous now. Lachlan stepped in before either of us could overthink it.

“Order whatever you want. Please, don’t hold back on my account. Just order whatever sounds good. Let yourself indulge for one night. We’re here to have some fun.”

“Okay,” Gavin said, his voice quieter now.

Some of the excitement had drained out of him, and I hated that.

I had a feeling we could take Lachlan at his word. I didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness at all, but I also knew I had to take the lead before Gavin would order something he actually wanted.

I started flipping through the menu toward the drink section. Jason was helpful, jumping in with their specials. They didn’t serve alcohol, but they had plenty of fun mixed drinks and lemonades.

“Oh, look. They have blueberry lemonade. Do you like that?” I asked him.

“That sounds great,” Gavin said, looking relieved that I had stepped in.

Jason wrote it down.

“You know what? I’ll try one of those, too,” Lachlan said.

“Make that three,” I chimed in.

“You guys are too good to me,” Jason teased before he walked away.

“Now the question is, do we order one appetizer or two?” Lachlan joked.

“Maybe we opt for dessert instead since he’s going to be excited to go play. We’d have to come back to the table pretty quick, otherwise.”

“Good point, gorgeous,” Lachlan said.

The way he let the nickname fall from his tongue without even trying warmed my chest.

I busied myself looking through the menu, trying to decide what to order. My stomach was full of nerves, but the moment I spotted the pasta section, it was over.

Carbs were my weakness and they came with breadsticks.

What was an omega to do?

Once I made my choice, I looked over at Gavin to see if he needed help. “What did you pick?”

He was chewing on his bottom lip, a telltale sign that he was conflicted.

“I was thinking about the burger. They also have cheese fries,” he said, his voice pitching lower. “Do you think that’s too much?”

“He offered us appetizers, Gav. I don’t think your cheese fries are going to tip him over the edge.”

Lachlan pretended not to hear us, but I could see the pleased smile on his face.

Neither one of us knew how to handle the situation, but we were doing our best, and he wasn’t making us feel bad for it.

Lachlan was different now that I was open to them. I expected deltas to be pushy and rough around the edges like August. Yet, my two deltas were opposites. Lachlan was thoughtful and sweet, just as protective, but also laid-back. He didn’t fill the silence and gave us space when we needed it.