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I ran a hand over my stubble, curious how she’d take it. “No. That’s my next goal.”
“Come on, you big scaredy alpha. Let’s go,” he said. “I was just about to see if she needed a food break. I know it’s been a bit since you got attacked, and I want to take her out of the penthouse. She needs fresh air, and you do too.
“Aren’t alphas supposed to be the ones taking care of omegas?” I challenged, but he shrugged it off.
“We take care of each other here. Deal with it,” he grumbled, walking away and expecting me to follow.
He knocked on the door, and we could hear shuffling around before she pushed it open. Her eyes were red and puffy, and tears coursed down her cheeks.
“Briar?! What’s wrong?” I demanded. Miles shot me an annoyed glare before putting his arms around her and gently stroking her hair. Shit. Should have thought of that.
“I was just watching this TV show, and…” The rest of her words were undecipherable under the sobs. “Damn hormones.”
“Okay, yup,” Miles said. “Come on. You can tell us about it over some dessert. I found a bakery two blocks away.”
She stiffened, and that clued me in on something I hadn’t consciously acknowledged. What Miles said was true; she hadn’t really been out since we were attacked, aside from the doctor visit. I realized that she really was hiding away in here, and with that realization about Briar came one about myself. It was easy to say I’d go to something in a week, but when it came down to it, I didn’t want to. I was hiding away as much as she was.
“We’ll be somewhere random. He won’t find us there, and Graham has men watching him, so he won’t be able to surprise you like that again. We’d have a valid reason to call the police if he showed up,” I reassured her. “It’s been really hard for me to go out too, but we can’t hide in here.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re right.” With fresh determination, she stripped out of her clothes, only realizing what she’d done when we both groaned. “Whoops?”
“Damn it, woman,” Miles grunted. “Now I’m hard as fuck. Want to forget about the food?”
“Not a chance! You had me at bakery.” With a smirk, she went into her closet and pulled on fresh clothes. By the time she came out, she was all smiles. Pregnancy hormones and mood swings are insane.
The moment the elevator door closed, she was onto us. Her head swiveled from Miles to me and back again.
“Out with it,” she ordered, hands on her hips. Her face was pinched into a grimace. “I don’t do secrets.”
“That’s fair,” MIles said, giving me a pointed look.
“Graham wants to throw a baby shower,” I blurted, not loving the horror on her face. “Breathe, omega. It’s Graham-style, aka all of us sitting around a table for dinner. You’ll also get to meet what families and friends we do have despite our workaholic lives.”
“Beckham will never let it be just a simple dinner,” she argued.
“I’ll keep him in line,” Miles said. “This time, at least.”
“This time?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, the next time you have a baby, you might not be so lucky,” he said evenly. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, then she snapped it shut and faced forward with wide eyes. She looked more shocked than upset, meaning she still hadn’t truly accepted that we weren’t going to leave her.
She didn’t talk much until we entered Karl’s Bakery and Coffee Shop. As soon as we walked into the room, she took a deep breath and let out a pitiful whine.
“I miss coffee. When I pop this baby out, someone better get me a caramel latte,” she huffed.
“Done and done,” I agreed. “For now, they have hot chocolate if you want a hot drink. Be careful with the hibiscus tea. I read in one of the books that it’s not safe. It can cause early labor and complications.”
She grinned at me with a sappy smile, the same one we got any time we spouted off a pregnancy fact from the books we were reading. It had started with just a few of us reading, then it escalated into book swapping and reading everything we could. We owed it to her to have as smooth a labor as possible. That included us being prepared enough not to panic when it was time. Though I wouldn’t be watching the baby crown. I’d leave that for stronger alphas than I was.
She couldn’t decide, so we ended up with a platter of pastries and three hot chocolates. Drinking a coffee in front of her felt unnecessarily mean even though she’d assured us it would be fine.
“So, give me the gossip. Who do I need to avoid during this baby shower? I know these people can’t all be sweet,” she said before taking a bite of danish. Her subsequent moan was borderline inappropriate.
“First, don’t do that, or we’ll be in trouble for public indecency,” Miles joked, dramatically fanning himself. “To answer your question, I think you’ll only have to watch Tallon’s parents when they’re with him. They can take that man from a confident, take-no-shit badass to a child closing in on himself with a single comment. It infuriates me.”
“Kick their asses. Noted,” she said. “Make sure he sits next to me at dinner, please.”
I grinned at that. “Done. I’ll spread the word. Now, what’s a girl gotta do to find a massage in this city?”
“Graham has one on speed dial,” Miles said. “She’s magical. Every time one of us approaches heat, he calls her in. I swear she must have sold her soul to the devil.”
“Of course he does,” she laughed. “Does he have someone on speed dial for everything?”
“Yes,” I said. “My mom always talked about how privileged he was thanks to being an alpha, but they both grew up with money and, in turn, connections. He cultivated his by being personable.”
“Glad we’re on his side,” she joked. “Anyway, I’m in desperate need of a nap. Who wants to come snuggle me?”
“Me,” Miles said without hesitation, getting up to grab a box for our leftovers. We laughed at his enthusiasm , but I was right there with him. After all the stress we’d carried lately, I would kill for a long nap with my omegas.
“Let’s go home.”
* * *
