Page 49

“You didn’t enjoy working your fingers to the bone and being yelled at all the time?”

“Exactly.” Sorcha grimaced.

“Well, now you can work for fun, on your own schedule. If you want.”

Sorcha thought about the half-baked idea he’d had the other day, contributing to the household income by doing projects he enjoyed. Selling his creations. He thrived on the artistry of it, making beautiful items out of things that were sometimes dirty or broken.

“It’s a good idea,” he said to Niall. “At least, it’s something tangible for me to do.”

“That’s right. And if you don’t want to do it, or if it’s giving you a complex reminding you of your uncles or anything like that, you can stop.”

“I do miss it,” he admitted. “But you’re right that it makes me a little leery. I want to move on from before. I don’t want the work to…remind me.”

“You live here now, little omega,” Niall said sagely.

“And you’re safe. You can make your art solely for the enjoyment of it.

No one’s going to compel you to produce beyond your limits.

Ronan and Teal would never allow that.” Niall walked over to Sorcha and gave him a quick, blink-and-you’d-miss-it kiss on the mouth. “Jax and I wouldn’t either.”

With that wholly unexpected gesture, Niall turned and sauntered into the living room. As though pressing his lips to Sorcha’s was no big deal. Sorcha looked after the beta in consternation. Who knew? Maybe Niall went around kissing all his friends.

Sorcha made his way to his uncles’ old garage.

He was grateful they’d left his tools. Even if they weren’t the best quality, Sorcha was attached to them, and they’d been perfectly adequate for his work.

He ran his hands over the large electric sander bolted into a table and examined a collection of scrap wood in the corner. It smelled nice. Oak always did.

Two hours later, Sorcha was sanding the edges of a picture frame.

He’d used his finishing tools, along with his small torch, to carve and burn designs into the wood.

It was a rudimentary effort, and he’d felt some latent fatigue from his heat coursing through his body, but he’d had fun making it, losing himself in the process.

He’d opened the large garage door for better light. A knock against the vinyl siding had him turning toward the driveway. Jax leaned against the wall, holding a plate.

“Niall asked me to bring you this sandwich. He said to tell you the boys ate an hour ago and he didn’t want to disturb you but thought you ought to eat something.”

Sorcha ran a forearm over his sweaty face before looking down at his phone. “Oh my goodness. I had no idea it had gotten so late.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun, right?” Jax put the plate down on Sorcha’s work bench. “It’s not just you. Niall rescued me from the office a few minutes ago since I hadn’t taken a break either. He made me eat a sandwich and then sent me out here to get some fresh air.”

Sorcha bit into the ham and veggie melt, chewing thoughtfully before asking, “Niall really enjoys taking care of everybody, doesn’t he?”

Jax barked a laugh. “That’s an understatement. He lives for it.”

“He’s really something,” Sorcha said distractedly, thinking about that peck on the lips.

Jax gave him a pointed look, to where Sorcha feared the big beta could read his mind. But all Jax said was, “He certainly is something.”

Sorcha usually felt a kind of bond with Jax, since they were both newcomers to this house.

But in this moment, he felt something different.

Protected. Somehow, he didn’t think Jax would mind that Niall had given Sorcha a little kiss.

But it was impossible to know for sure. The beta was hard to read.

And so…big. Almost as big as Ronan. And maybe even more intimidating, with his long hair and tattoos.

As quickly as it had appeared, the strange feeling evaporated.

“This is really great,” Jax said, picking up the picture frame. “I meant what I said the other day. If your work is something you wanted to monetize, I’d be happy to help you set up an online store, or to figure out a way to get these into a shop in town, maybe sell on consignment.”

“I’d appreciate that. I don’t really know anything about the business side of things. Dale and Abe always handled that.”

“We can talk about it whenever you want.”

“Maybe after the craziness of High Court dies down. It’s hard to think about anything else right now.”

“Completely understand,” Jax said. “We’re all worried about Teal.” He ran his finger along the frame again, feeling the smoothness where Sorcha had used the sander. “I envy you, Sorcha.”

Sorcha flinched. “Envy me? Why?”

“You have a chance here to really settle into your art. Do something you love.” Jax sighed, putting down the frame.

“Maybe you’ve heard that I grew up in the beta neighborhoods.

” He crossed his arms. “Certain ideas dominate there. One of them is placing a high value on being, I guess you’d call it practical .

Many betas believe things like art and music are the realm of alphas and omegas, because they lend themselves to high emotions. ”

“Betas don’t have high emotions?”

“Of course we do. But a lot of beta isolationists believe any excess of emotion is bad. They tell other betas that our highest purpose is to reason and use good judgement, that betas make the world go round through dedication to work and civics, without being burdened by things like scents and heats.”

Sorcha pffted. “I don’t know if very many alphas or omegas would describe heats as a burden. Were you raised to believe those things?”

“My parents were more progressive than that, fortunately. They raised me to support omega rights, but it was more theoretical since I only lived around other betas. It wasn’t until I moved out as an adult that I really understood that all genders can be emotional, and businesslike, and calm, and irrational, that no one group has the market on any trait. ”

“It’s good that you know that. I wish more alphas understood, especially the ones making Teal’s life a nightmare right now,” Sorcha said. “But I don’t understand how that means you envy me.”

“Because I listened to the older betas preaching practicality. I design interiors for office buildings because it’s safe work, steady and reliable.

There was a time when I wanted to do interior design for homeowners.

I had visions in my head of bold color palettes and unique floorplans, things that would make people truly feel at home in their spaces.

Instead, I help companies pick out cubicles and gray walls.

Heck, I didn’t even let myself decorate my own apartment until Niall moved in.

I pride myself on doing my best to make sure clients have great spaces to work in, but I wish I would have gone with my gut and followed my heart into interior design. ”

“You’re young. You can still change your mind. Do what you love,” Sorcha reasoned.

Jax reached behind his head, nervously gathering his hair into a ponytail. “I’ll admit the thought has crossed my mind. Not just because of you, but because of all this.” He waved his hand in the general direction of the McGinns’ house. “Being in such a unique situation.”

“Is that so? Because I thought you and Niall moved in because it’s the most practical thing to help the family.”

Jax shifted his weight from foot to foot, and Sorcha knew he’d hit a nerve. Despite their reasoning a week ago, the betas moving in hadn’t felt practical . It had felt optimal . Necessary. And both men knew it.

“So much has changed in such a short time. For all of us.” Jax looked at Sorcha pointedly.

“That’s certainly true.”

“It’s made me realize how I allowed myself to be thrown into a box and shut away. Meeting Niall was like having the lid blown off, and over the course of our relationship, the walls have slowly disappeared. It’s left me standing here, open to all sorts of new possibilities.”

“I understand,” Sorcha agreed, nodding. “It’s liberating being out from under my uncles’ control.

It’s hard to trust that I can make my own choices now, but I’m learning.

When I think about how hard Teal is fighting for omegas to live the way they want, it reminds me not to take any opportunity for granted. ”

“Right,” Jax said, walking to the interior garage door. “Sorcha, when you’re ready for me to help you…with anything…you let me know, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Because I don’t think either of us should go back into our old boxes.”

Sorcha considered Jax’s words. He wasn’t ready to think about setting up a business yet. That was too much on top of everything else going on. But there was a change he could make that would show his partners that he trusted what was happening between them.

That night, after the household went to sleep, Sorcha tiptoed into the main bedroom and pulled back the covers on the bed. He climbed in behind Teal and wrapped his arms around him, placing a kiss on his neck. “I love you,” Sorcha whispered.

The alpha stirred on Teal’s other side and draped his arm over them both, resting his hand on Sorcha’s ass, grunting softly.

They said nothing more. They simply shared the bed, their three scents mingling together, and Sorcha experienced the deepest, most perfect sleep of his life.