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Honestly, nice wasn’t enough. I was walking through a beautiful small town with my baby, holding hands with my handsome bonded alpha who smelled like spiced apples and sex.

“So, what do you think of our small town?” he asked halfway through the tour.

I turned to him, smiling and not letting go of his hand for a single second. “I like it.”

Chapter 16

Noah

Waiting for class to finish so I could go home and see our omega was an immensely difficult task.

I wasn’t usually one to wish the day away, but knowing that Summer was at home waiting for us motivated me to get back as soon as possible. I was kind of jealous of Marshall because he could finish work early if he wanted to, considering he owned the garage.

Tobias was the only one in a similar position as me. He worked until four when the pharmacy closed.

Teaching a bunch of teenagers about government wasn’t easy at the best of times, so when I was extremely distracted, it was beyond difficult. Eventually, I played the oldest trick in the teacher playbook and put on a documentary.

As soon as the final bell rang, I was packing up, just like my students. I shoved the papers I needed to grade into my messenger bag and slung it over my shoulder as all the kids filtered out of the room. I purposely didn’t look at my email. I didn’t want to be dragged into any last-minute meetings at the end of the day.

I wanted to get home to my omega.

Somehow, I managed to stay slow and steady on the drive home, mainly because I knew people would complain if they noticed me speeding—and they would notice. Everyone knew everyone in Willow Grove, and they would recognize my car in a heartbeat.

So, despite the desire to floor it, I drove safely and eventually got home. I parked in the driveway, practically throwing the car into park, but then quickly forced myself to calm down. I didn’t want to look like an overexcited puppy.

Sucking in a deep breath, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the door. “Hey, I’m home,” I shouted as I wandered down the hallway to the kitchen, where we tended to congregate. The house usually smelled like the four alphas who lived there. It never changed, but now that Summer was here, I could pick up just a hint of her scent.

Hopefully it would get stronger as the months passed. I was obsessed with her scent. It was an addiction, and I wasn’t even ashamed of it. I wanted it to be the first thing I experienced when I woke up, and I wanted to fall asleep with her next to me.

“Shhh!” Emmett hissed as I rounded the corner and he came into view.

He leaned against the counter, holding a finger to his lips in the universal gesture for keep quiet. He was wearing a dark gray contraption, Milo snuggled up against him.

“Do not wake him,” he whispered theatrically.

Summer was sitting at the counter, watching him with an amused smile. Spread out in front of her were several takeout menus. From the looks of it, Emmett was introducing her to the local cuisine.

“Why are you wearing a sleeping baby?” I asked in a much quieter tone, cocking my head.

“Because he fell asleep while we were exploring town, and I didn’t have the heart to disturb him.”

“I’ve told him several times that Milo is a deep sleeper; he can move him to the crib, but he won’t listen.” Summer giggled, turning to me. “How was work?”

“Good, all things considered. There’s always a little pushback when you try to teach teenagers about how the government is structured.”

Her nose scrunched adorably. Waves of silver-blonde hair tumbled over her shoulder, and I knew if I got closer, I could smell the sweet tea slowly filling the house.

“I can imagine!”

“Takeout?” I asked, nodding to the menus as I placed my messenger bag on the floor.

Summer nodded. “Emmett and I were out later than we planned—mainly because he wanted to keep walking around and not disturb Milo. He said when you guys are particularly busy, you tend to do takeout, so he insisted that I pick, which I think is a dumb decision.”

“Why is it dumb?” I asked, stepping up beside her at the counter.

“Because I’ve never tried any of these places. You guys have. You know if the food is decent.”

“If the menu is there, it’s decent. We culled all the not-so-great ones a while back.”