Page 64 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

“Delicious.”

“Oh, girl, you lucky omega,” the omega behind the booth grinned at her. “If you guys want to do more of that later, I have a variety pack right over there.”

She pointed toward one of the shelves lined with baked goods.

“Perfect,” my omega declared, immediately snatching one off the shelf.

I stepped forward to pay, leaving a generous tip before ushering my omega onward.

Thankfully, one of the earlier vendors had sold tote bags because I kept tucking each new purchase inside.

By the time we reached the end of the market, it was practically overflowing.

I’d discovered that while my girl definitely had a sweet tooth, she leaned more toward fruity pastries and cinnamon than chocolate.

I filed every little detail away for later. I’d need to know what made her happy and how to cook her favorites. Especially as my cooking classes progressed.

“Okay, now I’m officially starving,” she announced.

At least ten food trucks stretched out in front of us, and thankfully the picnic tables were mostly empty.

I set our bags on one of them.

“Does anything sound good, or should I just get a little bit of everything?”

She considered it for a moment. “I’m here for variety.”

“Perfect. We can divide and conquer.” I pulled out my wallet, counted out a few bills, and handed half to her. My omega plucked those bills from my hand and glanced around before pointing to the right.

“I’m starting over there.” She took a few steps before stopping and turning back around. “Do you think our stuff will be okay?”

“Yeah. We’ll keep an eye on it,” I promised.

I watched her walk away. She turned back once, smiling at me over her shoulder. I wished I could freeze that moment forever. My omega was gorgeous in the afternoon light, her honey blonde hair practically spun of gold and her blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

Once she turned away again I made my own rounds through the food trucks, ordering a couple of dishes from each one.

She was already waiting when I made it back to the table, nibbling on a fry and watching me just as intently as I’d been watching her.

“Looks like you found some good things,” I said as I sat down, taking in the mix of fried food, stir-fried noodles, tacos, and a dozen other things spread across the table.

We had at least five different cuisines sitting in front of us now.

“You, too,” she agreed as she reached for a crab rangoon.

We ate for a few moments just enjoying the afternoon. It was nice to slow things down for a moment. Between courting, classes, hockey, and trying not to lose my mind worrying about her, there weren’t enough moments like this.

“I know Lachlan has been playing Twenty Questions with you but I’d love to know more about you, too.”

She looked down for a moment, considering the question.

“I’m afraid I’m sort of boring. I never really got a chance to figure out who I was... or who I wanted to be. She stole that from me.”

“Was she always like that?” I asked quietly.

She took another bite of her taco before answering. “I remember being alone a lot before Gavin was born. I was cooking for myself before I really should have been. But the physical stuff didn’t start until after he was born.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, reaching for her. She gave my hand a squeeze but shrugged. I hated that she was used to this. No one should be used to this kind of neglect and abuse.