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“A mess.”
“It’s gorgeous.”
Wilder chuckled.
“Yes, it’s a mess, but a long time ago, this was someone’s jewel.” Avery smiled. “It could be again.”
Wilder nodded. “It could.”
Avery spun. “If we get it… I want our ceremony to be here. Inourbackyard.”
“You want to wait until the house is finished?” Wilder wanted the ceremony sooner than later.
“You expected to have it now? It’s nearly winter, Wilder.”
“So?”
“You don’t think folks might be cold as hell?”
Wilder shrugged. “There are such things as tents and space heaters.”
“Nooo…I want late spring or summer. Beautiful flowers. All this colorand life.”
“You’re going to be very, very,verypregnant by then.”
“So?”
And you might serve time.Wilder met Avery’s gaze. “I hoped… we’d do this… before…”
Avery leaned in close. “Not before. After. After I’m free and all this nastiness is behind us. It’ll give me something to dream about at night in my bunk. Something to look forward to when the days are long and I think it’ll never end. I can plan everything there to take my mind off what I’m doing. The time I’m wasting.”
Wilder didn’t want to wait. He wanted to secure their bond before anything separated them… but he saw the desperation in Avery’s eyes and sensed his omega would need to cling to that happy moment if times got bad. “Something to look forward to.Okay.”
“Thank you,” Avery whispered. He lifted to his tiptoes and kissed Wilder’s lips.
Wilder drew his omega closer and kissed him intheirbackyard.
27
After a night of tossing and turning, Avery awoke early the morning of his Tribunal hearing. He carefully slipped out of Wilder’s arms and took care of his needs before heading to the kitchen in search of what he’d cook them for breakfast.
One thing he’d learned since spending his days with Wilder, the alpha didn’t eat a solid breakfast often enough. A slice of dry toast and a cup of coffee would not get the man through the day. While he didn’t want to become a little homemaker, as he’d been awaiting trial, he’d cooked a few meals. It had given him something to do during the hours he was alone and made him feel he was contributing.
He found a couple of potatoes in the pantry. After washing and dicing them, he put them on to boil before starting a pot of coffee. He diced up some vegetables before fishing out a pack of eggs. As the potatoes cooked, he flipped on the small TV in the kitchen to check on the news.
“The Southern Provinces have reopened negotiations on the assumed dead Inter-province Transit System bill. Revived, some say thanks to the new progressive direction of our Congress. The deal includes a new overland bullet train line that is proposed to be built, connecting north and south by rail for the very first time. While many say this is impossible—the last attempt at interprovincial train service ended with a fatal derailment some thirty years ago, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. This new project includes faster engines and safety walls to protect from Ferals. Construction of those walls surrounding the tracks alone would cost an astronomical sum—but building them would also be dangerous, putting workers out in the middle of No Man’s Land. Others call rail service unnecessary, given the ease of air travel. Yet air travel is expensive and only an option for the upper classes, leaving lower and middle class citizens unable to visit Southern tourist attractions, attractions which might benefit from the influx of travelers and their renos. We’re here with Marshall Ungland, the head of Southern Transit. Thanks for being with us today—”
Avery poured the potatoes into a strainer before rinsing them with cold water. He added some oil to a large frying pan and tossed the diced vegetables, mainly onions, mushrooms, and peppers, inside. Soon enough, he added the diced potatoes and fried them all together with the potatoes.
“Something smells wonderful.”
Two muscular arms wrapped around Avery from behind. He smiled to himself as he flipped everything in the pan with a flick of his wrist.
“Oh my, my little gourmand. I love it.”
“Don’t get too accustomed to this. Papa’s gonna work.”
“Oh, I know the lay of the land,” Wilder mentioned before laying a kiss on Avery’s neck. “Morning, baby.”
