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Briar
My hair was tiedup in a messy bun, and I had on an old outfit that I wouldn’t mind getting messy. Cleaning gloves were pulled up to my elbows, and I had a bucket of natural cleaning products in hand. I was ready to face the suite. Sure, the guys had overhauled the whole thing, but was it truly clean? I couldn’t shake the compulsion to make sure every bit of it was devoid of even a speck of dust.
I kicked on my favorite playlist then got to work. I knew I looked like a crazy lady, crawling around on the ground to clean baseboards and every surface in reach, but I needed everything to be perfect.
“Briar?” It was Ellis calling out my name, but I was too focused to answer back, stretching so I could reach the portion of the blinds that was still untouched. “Uh, what are you doing?”
“Cleaning. It needs to be dusted, wiped down, and aired out. I think we should get some air purifiers,” I ranted on. His eyes went wide as he dropped the box he was carrying and came over to take the dust rag out of my hand.
“Okay,” he said. The man was confused, but I couldn’t explain my need to get this perfect. “You know we have people who come in, right?”
“They’re not me,” I countered with a huff. Instead of answering, he dutifully cleaned the blinds while I watched with an eagle eye. Smart man.
“Guys?!” Wells was the next to call out. He came in with three boxes that he dropped next to Ellis’. “Packages for you, Briar. Uh, what are you guys doing?”
“Cleaning the already clean room,” Ellis said, but he shut up when I turned a glare on him. He held his hands up and went back to dusting.
“It’s not clean enough! It has to be completely clean. Babies crawl on floors and breathe in dust if it’s not properly cleaned,” I argued. “Here, you’re tall.” I handed over the broom. “Dust the ceiling and corners.
“Don’t argue, bro,” Ellis said. He was keeping up his good humor, but I knew they both thought I was crazy. Whatever. They could think what they wanted as long as they cleaned for me.
“Dude, what’s with all the packages?” Beckham asked as he dropped four smaller ones on top of the growing stack. I didn’t offer an explanation. Those could wait until I was satisfied. “Oh, is she nesting?”
“But she’s not in heat?” Wells asked. The poor alphas were beyond confused.
“Nesting happens even outside of heat, which you should know.” Beckham rolled his eyes. “In this case, it’s a pregnancy thing. When it’s nearing time for the baby, omegas get an urge to make sure everything is clean. I’ll get all hands on deck.”
While he was gone, Ellis and Wells worked on their tasks as I started in on the mantle and tops of the tables in the common room.
“The cavalry is here,” Beckham called out when he walked back in with Miles, Graham, and Tallon behind him. “We’ve called in a personal day, so we’re at your disposal.”
“Aw, guys.” I teared up from how sweet they were being. Then the tears were gone, and I was barking out orders to the pack. Pretty soon, we were a flurry of dusting, mopping, moving furniture, vacuuming, and singing along to the ridiculous playlist I had. I didn’t think I’d ever been so fucking happy in my life. This right here was what having a pack was about, real partners who supported your crazy and stuck by your side.
The elevator intercom sounded off, and Ellis practically sprinted for the door to answer it. He was gone so long that I was starting to get worried.
“If he ducked out of cleaning duty, he’s getting the spanking this time,” Miles huffed. “I’m going to go drag his ass back here.”
When they both came back, I burst into laughter. Between them, they had two more large boxes, and Franklin, the security man, was carrying another full stack.
“You guys redecorating the whole penthouse today?” he mused. He’d had to field several deliveries already, and I made a mental note to give him a tip later. If he’d even accept it. Maybe cookies? Oh, those sounded amazing.
“Uh, Briar?” Beckham asked with a laugh. “Why are you practically drooling?”
“The baby wants cookies,” I answered with a shrug. “Thank you for the help, Franklin. Hopefully this is the last of them.”
“No problem, ma’am,” he said with a tip of his hat before he took his leave. The guys were gaping at me, all except Graham who came over to rub my belly. It was funny that this man, the biggest workaholic who had dedicated his life to his company, was the biggest softie in regards to the baby. If he put the same dedication into fatherhood that he did his company, this baby would want for nothing.
“Ask and you shall receive. What kind?”
“Chocolate chip… No, peanut butter! Oh, but chocolate,” I whined. He laughed and shook his head.
“Peanut butter chocolate chip, it is,” he answered before hurrying out. I glanced around the room and realized it was practically sparkling. Every surface, including the floors and walls, was shining.
“This is great, guys. Thank you for the help,” I called out. “Can you help me take care of the cleaning supplies?”
“We’ll get them,” Beckham promised, and they all moved so quickly I couldn’t grab anything. “Put your feet up, woman.”
“I can’t,” I muttered. “One more thing to do.” I ignored more protests as I walked into my room to grab the small tool box I’d gotten in last week. It was blessedly quiet when I walked back out with my box cutter in hand, ready to tackle the mountain of packages they’d carried in for me throughout the evening. The guys had done such an amazing job on the suite, but it felt like the rest of the house—homey but not my home. I needed my touches in this suite and my room. They’d made sure my room had the coziest corner, and I was ready to set up my nest. The idea of snuggling up in a comfy space that smelled like my mates was too enticing to ignore. I’d also bought some baby detergent that smelled amazing, and I wanted to wash everything in it.
Box after box was emptied until I was surrounded by an insane amount of stuff. I’d gotten Oliver a whole set of animal blankets. The website had had the cutest gray and white fluffy bear set, so he had blankets, plushies, and even a few things to hang on the walls of his nursery.
Once I was satisfied with that, I moved on to the living room. With just a few candles, lamps, throw blankets, and rugs, I had pops of color in a room that had previously been decorated in muted tones. It was satisfying, and the more things I added, the more I felt settled here. Like this was truly my space.
After finishing in the common room, I went to my room. I draped the new blankets and burp cloths over the bassinet, then got to work on my nook in the corner. I added a few blankets and pillows and large plushies before grabbing the small stash of nesting items I’d collected. Graham’s button-up shirt went on the giant stuffed bear, the throw pillow from Tallon’s couch was tucked between all of mine, Beckham’s t-shirt was draped over the back of the couch, Wells’ boxers were tucked in the corner, Ellis’ pillow was now on the couch along with the throw blanket I’d “borrowed” from Miles’ room.
The scent was stronger now, but not strong enough. Needing more, I grabbed my phone and sent an SOS text to the guys. It was almost comical to see them run in like their asses were on fire.
“Whoops, maybe not quite an emergency, but I need you all to rub yourselves all over this corner,” I ordered. Their faces went through a range of emotions—shock, relief, confusion, then amusement. At least no one complained. I wished I had a video of them throwing themselves into the nest I’d made, rubbing their bodies along the pillows, blankets, and fluff surrounding them. When Miles threw himself across the bear, I couldn’t keep my laughter contained any longer.
“You guys are the best pack a girl could ask for.”
