Page 23 of Bailey-Rose: The Complete Duet

Gareth hit the button to start the car, and it rumbled to life. Rock music blared from the radio, and he scrambled to turn it down. “Shit, fuck, goddammit… sorry about that.”

I covered my mouth to hide the fact I was laughing at him.

He cleared his throat as he buckled his seat belt. “As for your question, this is the car I drive pretty much every day.”

“Then if you don’t mind making it a little easier for me to ride in your tank, it would be appreciated,” I said, trying to peer over the dashboard.

“Should I get a booster seat too?” Gareth teased.

I glared, pointing a finger at him. “Don’t push it, buddy. We might be scent matched and destined to be together, but you have yet to earn the right to make short jokes.”

“Duly noted, baby girl. I won’t let it happen again,” Gareth assured me.

Satisfied with that answer, I turned to stare out the window at the beautiful summer day.

Maybe this day wasn’t turning out to be so bad after all.

Our breakfast location had been left up to me—not sure why they thought I would have the pulse on the restaurant industry. Yeah, my family was a major player in this field, but I didn’t like the politics of it all. Lucky for them, I did know of a few spots that would be perfect from doing my market research before opening the bar. The Giddy Grill was known for their top-notch food and setting, making it the perfect place. I called and asked if they had seating for all of us, knowing it was a smaller restaurant. My hope was to get a table on the patio that looked out over the city community garden. They promised to try, but no matter where we sat, the food would be killer.

“Our little kitten is perfect, yah?” Vili commented as he sat there smiling like a fool.

Perfect was an understatement. I’m not sure a more stunning woman could ever exist. Bailey-Rose was pure sunshine, and her smile was infectious to the point I’m not sure anyone could be upset around our Omega. Of course, the fact she was a petite walking color explosion with her hair and choice in personal aesthetic all created such a vibrant life that I was itching to know better. I wanted to learn everything there was to know about the Omega who has appeared in our lives.

“We are one damn lucky pack,” I agreed. “Shit, V-man, I don’t even know what to do with all the feelings that are happening right now. All I want is to snuggle with her in bed all day, but then I also want to know everything she hasn’t done yet and check them off the list. Hell, if I could go on national television and tell the world that she’s ours, I would.”

“Yes, I have big feeling too. She makes my heart explode,” Vili agreed, then turned to look at me with a worried expression. “Why would people say she is broken? I see nothing wrong with her.”

“I don’t know what it’s like in Numoland, but here in Preidon, people see anything less than perfect as wrong. It sounds like the Matchers wouldn’t take her because they don’t want her birth defect to be passed on to any children she might have. It’s sick and disgusting, but Preidon has always cared more about appearances and wealth than anything substantial,” I explained. “You know, sometimes I question why we didn’t look at living in other countries.”

Vili shifted in his seat as he started to fidget with the spinner ring on his finger. “Preidon, like all places, has bad things, but they are less than other countries.”

We learned pretty quickly that Vili didn’t like to talk much about life back in Numoland. If we ever asked, he’d change the subject or give us basic answers that didn’t really tell us much. From what I was gathering, he didn’t fit into the social circle his family lived and worked in, so they sent him away under the pretense of starting this international branch. Well, it was their loss because Vili happened to be one of my favorite people. I could always count on him to join me in having a bit of fun or exploring new places. Windermere was the largest city in Preidon, providing us with lots to do.

Bailey-Rose’s family lived in the upper-crust part of town where gated communities or estates with large properties were. It made it feel less city but kept them close to all the major corporations they ran. The Giddy Grill was on the northern side of the city, so it took us longer than it should have, being a weekday, but that was the city life for you. There wasn’t parking close to the restaurant, but the parking garage wasn’t too far, and it was such a lovely day, a walk would be nice. Hell, anything would be nice if our cutie was doing it with us.

The sight of Bailey-Rose leaping out of Gareth’s Hummer and the owner of said Hummer rushing forward to catch her was priceless. She would have been totally fine. It wasn’t that far to the ground, but the look on Gareth’s face—priceless. With a grunt as she crashed into Gareth, the valiant knight kept our darling Omega safe from the perils of her exit strategy.

“What are you doing?” Gareth demanded as he placed her on her feet.

She looked up at him, perplexed, and I just watched and waited to see how this would go down. It could turn one of two ways. I was betting the reaction Gareth was about to receive wasn’t what he thought it would be.

“Getting out of the car,” she answered. “What did you think I was doing?”

Gareth rubbed a hand on the back of his neck as he studied her. “Leaping out of a car like that isn’t a smart choice, baby girl. What if oil had been on the ground, or you landed funny and twisted your ankle?”

“I’d pick myself up, dust off my ass, and remember to be more careful next time. Why are you making this seem like I almost stepped off a cliff?” Bailey-Rose challenged with hands on her hips.

It took everything in me to tell him to shut the hell up and not say what I’m sure he was about to say. Gareth always meant well, but many times what came out of his mouth made him sound like an asshole.

“Bailey, your safety and well-being are now at the top of my list of things to worry about. As one of your Alphas, it’s on me to keep you in one piece,” Gareth pointed out.

With a quiet groan, I palmed my face, knowing that statement was going to fly like a lead balloon.

“On you? Is that so?” Bailey-Rose snapped. “So the fact that I’ve been looking after myself for the past twenty-five years means nothing? That now I have you five, suddenly I’m a delicate flower too fragile to even be breathed on?”

“Bailey, tha—” Gareth started to speak, but our sweet, gentle Omega snapped out a hand, cutting him off.

“No, you listen. On second thought, all of you better listen up because I will only have this discussion with you once,” Bailey-Rose warned, looking each of us in the eye. “I might have a heart defect that limits me in many areas of my life. However, what it doesn’t make me is a woman who needs five men to protect her from the world. I’m well aware of my limitations… they get thrown in my face every day. What I will not tolerate is the men I’m supposed to be living with for the rest of my life fearing every move I make. So much life has been taken from me, don’t make me feel like you’re stealing more of it by trying to be overprotective.”