Page 9 of Alpha’s Sunflower Smiles (Sweet in Silford #8)

Chapter 9

Wilfred

I t was nearly closing time when Alder came bounding into the shop.

He was talking before I’d even finished saying hello.

“Do you have anything for morning sickness?”

I blinked at him.

“Are you—?”

“Huh? Oh, not me, no.”

“Ronnie?” I asked.

Alder shook his head.

“No, it’s not me or Ronnie. We’re not at the baby stage yet.” He reached the counter in front of me and leaned close, conspiratorially.

“Although Ty and I are hoping to knock Ronnie up once he graduates. He’s going to look so sexy all round and pregnant.”

“Oh, well, congratulations seem a bit premature, then.”

Alder laughed.

“We’ll let you know when he’s pregnant. We’ll be here constantly anyway, asking you to make baby stuff for us.”

I couldn’t help but smile at the idea of that.

I’d love to make things for a baby, especially one I’d get to know well.

“Like a wooden train set or something? Hand-carved. I could use recycled wood, too.”

I was already planning it in my head, which meant I didn’t quite keep up with Alder when he said, “So?”

“Um….?”

“So do you have anything for morning sickness? I thought you might have a magic candle or something.”

I couldn’t help but laugh outright at the way Alder viewed my shop.

I liked to think of it as a wonder emporium of sorts, sometimes, but magic candles was a bit beyond me.

Still, that didn’t mean I didn’t have anything at all.

I led him over to the herbal teas.

“Here,” I said, grabbing the packet I wanted.

“Ginger tea, perfect for morning sickness.”

Alder eyed it sceptically.

“Are you sure?”

“Well… no. I haven’t experienced it, so I don’t know what it feels like and people are different, so they respond to different things. But several people have used this and told me it works wonders. Tell you what: take this one and see if it works, and if it doesn’t, no harm done.”

Alder raised an eyebrow at me.

“Didn’t Richard tell you to stop giving things away?”

I cringed guiltily.

“Oh, yes, I remember now.”

I couldn’t take back my offer, though, could I?

Alder bounded over to the till and took out his wallet.

“I’ll buy this one, Wilfred, and report back to you about whether it works.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. I don’t want Richard shouting at me.”

As I processed his payment, I asked, “So who’s pregnant?”

“It’s Waggoner, my boss. He’s only gone and allowed his alpha to impregnate him and now he can’t keep anything down.”

I murmured my sympathy.

Pregnancy looked like an awful lot of hard work.

Alder nodded in agreement.

“I told him he shouldn’t have let Liam near him with his knot, but Waggoner said he thought he was too old to get pregnant. For the smartest man I know, he’s a bit of an idiot. It’s like he thinks he’s a hundred and two or something. He’s barely into his forties. And now he’s lugging his alpha’s massive baby around inside him all day. The man’s exhausted.”

For someone who was looking forward to seeing his own partner ‘all round and pregnant’ he didn’t seem that taken with Waggoner’s pregnancy.

“Don’t you like Waggoner’s alpha?” I asked.

Not that it was my business, but I didn’t like to think of an omega – especially a pregnant omega – in a relationship with someone who didn’t treat them right.

Alder sighed in a long-suffering way.

“He’s awful. He’s all… big and alpha-y. It’s only because he’s pretty smart about engineering that I put up with him at all. He still owes me a second lesson on that, but he keeps avoiding it. I think I can get him to talk to me again, though, when I take this to Waggoner. He can have a ginger tea and take a nap and Liam can tell me more stuff.”

Alder really did like to absorb information in a way I’d never seen before.

I could tell by the steely look in his eye that he actually meant it.

He’d have that poor alpha backed into a corner and make him tell him what he wanted to know.

“But is he… nice to your friend?”

“Oh yes, he takes good care of Waggoner. I’d have dismembered him by now if he didn’t.”

The casual way he mentioned it made me cringe.

I wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not.

He carried on, seemingly oblivious to my reaction.

“He does his fair share of the cooking and he never treats Waggoner like he doesn’t know his own mind – good thing, too, since Waggoner’s smarter than anyone else – and he satisfies Waggoner sexually—”

I choked on air as I handed over the tea.

As I coughed, Alder looked at me in surprise.

“Are you okay, Wilfred?”

“Yes, I just wasn’t expecting to hear about your friend’s sex life, that’s all.”

“Oh. TMI?”

“Maybe.” I smiled as I said it, though, so he wouldn’t think I was mad or anything.

“Yeah, Ty keeps reminding me that other people are prudish and I shouldn’t talk sex stuff with them. But it’s important, right? And it’s nice, to know that Waggoner’s being given a thorough seeing-too on the regular.”

I nearly choked again.

Alder cackled at me, making me think he’d said that deliberately.

“What about you, Wilfred? Has that alpha of yours made a move on you yet?”

My face fell.

“Oh,” I said, stumbling over the words.

“I don’t have an alpha.”

“No?” Alder’s eyebrows went up almost to his hairline.

“Are you sure? Because last time I was here, you were telling me you had an alpha who wanted to protect you with a new door. Alphas are weird like that. Very particular about their doors, they are.”

“Pete’s not my alpha,” I repeated.

“Pete…”

I realised I’d just given Alder a name, which actually worried me.

The man was a bit unpredictable, especially without Ty there to restrain him.

And I also realised I’d basically confessed that I wanted Pete to be my alpha, or else I wouldn’t have had a specific alpha in mind, would I?

I hurried to rectify my mistake.

“He was just being neighbourly.”

“Are you sure? Because he got awfully growly with Ty when he caught him in your workshop. Ty said he was a totally stereotypical alpha. But I’m sure he’s got good points, too.”

“He was being kind. He’s not interested in me. He’s got someone in mind.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

The lump that had suddenly formed in my throat had blocked the words and I felt bad for trying to get Pete out of my shop quickly when normally I’d love for him to stay and talk to me, but I’d felt suddenly hollowed out and had needed some space.

“Hmm,” said Alder.

He had the air of someone planning something reckless.

“What did he say?”

“That he didn’t want to go out with the omega his papa was trying to set him up with because he already had his eye on someone.”

Alder went quiet for just long enough to make me nervous.

If he said something to Pete, it might make him too embarrassed to ever talk to me again and I’d lose a friend.

I liked Pete.

I liked seeing him every day.

He made me feel…

well, he made me feel fluttery inside.

Luckily, Alder shrugged.

“Ah well, alphas are weird anyway, Wilfred. Stick to pottery.”

I managed a smile, not sure whether he’d been joking or not.

I actually couldn’t tell.

He put his hands flat on the counter.

“Now, Wilfred, serious question. When can I come back for my next lesson? Ty’s been stopping me from coming because he says I can’t take up your time but you promised.”

“How about tomorrow? The shop is closed on Sundays, so I’ll be all yours.”

“Perfect! And Ty can’t complain about you missing customers, either.” He bounded to the door with his bag of ginger tea.

“I’ll report back about this tea once Waggoner’s tried it. See you tomorrow. I’ll bring Ronnie to take some pictures and Ty can do his DIY stuff with your CCTV. We can supervise while we’re painting.”

I barely managed to wave and say, “See you Sunday,” before he was out the door.

He left a silent shop behind.

Alder had that effect.

He burst in with such energy that, when he left, the place seemed extra silent and still.

I wasn’t quite sure what I’d agreed to but I liked Alder and I trusted Ty, so it didn’t matter.

I’d see them in the morning.

I looked forward to it.

It would keep my mind of Pete.