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thirty-seven

JOSIE

V ic and Jesse walk into the house with very different expressions on their faces.

Jesse looks smug, almost like he knows something the rest of us don’t.

Vic looks apprehensive but hopeful. I didn’t think that going to get stuff from the house could be so eventful.

Ray and I are chatting on the couch while she does homework, when we see them come in.

“What did you do?” she asks.

Vic looks at Jesse and back at Ray, “Me?”

“No,” Ray waves him off, “lookin’ at ‘Mr. I’m too cool for people’ over there.”

Her impression of him, as she titles him, is actually pretty good. I can’t help but give her some recognition for it.

“She’s got you down, babe,” I tell Jesse.

He shrugs, “She’s gonna get one thing right eventually, I’m just glad it was about me.”

Ray’s response is to chuck a pillow at him.

He catches it with a grin and walks further into the room, dropping a kiss on my head.

Vic’s apprehension is bleeding down the bond a bit, so I send a wave of love toward him, hoping to ease whatever is bothering him.

He shoots a grateful smile my way before leaving the room to go put his stuff away.

“Do you need anything?” Jesse asks.

I try to think of something, but there’s only one thing I want from him.

“Come cuddle me,” I tell him, and he wastes no time in obliging me.

I burrow as close to his body as I can, and Ray’s eyeroll is almost audible. She closes her textbooks and notebooks before standing.

“Whelp, that’s my cue to get the hell outta dodge,” she says, sweeping out of the room without waiting for a reply.

Jesse and I just look at each other and grin.

I’m not sure if Ray really is grossed out by our PDA or if she just pretends to be.

Either way, it’s fun to poke at her. Jesse and I snuggle in silence, both of us content to just exist together.

He’s taken to spending more time around us, but not necessarily speaking up much. We don’t force him either.

Henry and Vic have been surprised at how observant he is and the insight he can provide as they get to know him. I’m glad they are because I’ve seen it from the start.

“What happened at the house? Can you tell me?” I ask.

Jesse tilts his head in thought, “There were a couple of conversations that happened. Honestly, I’m not sure of the full outcome, but I’m hopeful.”

“I’m not sure that I am.” I bite my lip, assuming that Simon was the topic of conversation at the house.

“That’s okay, Jojo, I can be hopeful for you.”

I raise my eyebrows at him, “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“Sure it is.”

“Do we need to talk about how brains and humans work?” I quip.

“No, but if we had our bond complete, I could definitely send my hope your way,” he laughs.

I huff a small laugh before uncertainty sets in. Jesse catches it immediately because that’s just who he is.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to push. I was just making a joke. You know I’m ready, I know you accept me, the timing will figure itself out.”

I tilt my head to give him a quick kiss. “You’re amazing.”

Before he can reply, the doorbell rings.

I glance over with a frown but decide to go check it out.

Henry’s buried in his office, and Vic’s putting stuff away.

It’s me or Jesse, and I usually make a point to answer the door when it’s just the two of us.

As soon as my hand touches the doorknob, I hear two sets of heavy feet coming toward me from within the house.

I glance over to see Henry and Vic doing their best to look nonchalant.

At least they’re trying. My brow furrows at them, and I make it very clear over the bond that I’m not falling for their shit.

Surprisingly, they manage to hold their smiles in, although I do see a twitch of Henry’s lips.

When I swing the door open, I’m stunned into silence.

Simon is on the other side of the door, looking incredibly unsure of himself, but determined as hell in the same breath.

He’s holding two massive bouquets of flowers, one is all red roses and the other is a mix of a couple of different flowers, with petals that look fluffy and soft.

I see a couple of orchids in the mix, but I’m not sure about the other two.

In front of Simon, there’s a line of bags from various stores, including the Omega shop and his coffee shop downtown.

My inner Omega is jumping up and down, shaking pom poms, and cheering for my last Alpha.

She’s easily won over by gifts, and I think he knows that.

However, the rational part of me is not as easily swayed.

“I know this doesn’t fix anything,” he says before either of us says a greeting, “but I felt like I needed—no—wanted to bring offerings to try and get some of your time. There are no strings attached. If you want to take all of this and tell me to leave, I will.”

My eyes roam over all the bags and the flowers, savoring the difference between the red roses of one bouquet and the pinks and purples in the other.

Knowing I can’t avoid it, I finally look up into his eyes.

Their chocolate brown always sucks me in, trying to see what I can uncover within them.

Today, all I see is remorse and a tendril of hope.

I want to reply, but I feel frozen, unsure how to respond to the massive display before me.

Behind me, there’s a cough that poorly disguises the words “let him in,” and I turn to see the culprit.

Weird, none of the three guys inside are looking this way, and the ceiling seems exceedingly interesting to them.

My bratty side comes out in response, and I step out of the house and close the door behind me.

“That’ll teach them,” I mutter.

Simon must hear it because he laughs as I finish my grumbling. My eyes flash up to his with a small smile, and my fingers twist together in front of me as nerves threaten to overtake my brain.

“Um, hi,” I finally say.

“Hey.”

I reach timidly for the roses, and he happily hands them over, smiling the entirety of our interaction. My hands bring them to my nose so I can inhale the soft fragrance.

“They’re gorgeous, thank you. What’s in the other one?” I ask.

Simon scratches the back of his neck, “Um, orchids, peonies, and carnations. I told the florist I wanted two giant bouquets of love.”

“L-love?” I choke out.

His eyes widen in slight panic, “Uh, more like intentions of love? She broke it all down for me, and none of them translate exactly, so I’m not trying to come over and force an emotion on you. Um, the roses are, like, romance, then the other flowers are refinement, beauty, and, uh, fascination.”

“Wow, it sounds like you put a lot of thought into this,” I comment.

“Not as much as I should have, but I hope that you like it.”

My eyes flick down to the bags and back.

They form a small wall between our feet, the handles ending around our knees.

My feet shuffle back and forth as I try to figure out how to get my hands on the bags without looking greedy.

Simon’s mouth quirks into a smile, like he’s well aware of the dilemma in my head.

“Would you like your presents?” he asks.

My hands clasp in front of my chest, “Is that okay? I don’t want to just assume it’s all for me.”

“Angel, this is all for you, the very beginning of my penance if you’ll allow it,” Simon tells me, his voice low and earnest.

“Will you come in?” I ask, my words quick and hopeful.

“I’d be honored.”

I reach behind me and push the door open before calling over my shoulder to the guys.

“Get over here and help with my bags!” I shout.

Vic appears, chuckling as he passes one to Henry, and I grab the last two.

They follow me to the dining table where I set everything out, and Jesse appears a moment later with two vases filled with water.

My eyes follow him, and he just smirks in response to my accusing look.

Sneaky bastard knew there were flowers coming.

Or he saw over my shoulder, but I am impressed either way with his preparedness.

I grab each bouquet from Simon and gently place them in their appointed vase.

It occurs to me that I should remove the cellophane and any rubber bands that are holding them together, but Jesse just pulls out some scissors and carefully removes the wrappings around each bouquet.

When he catches me watching, he offers a quick wink, and I smile before turning my attention to the bags.

My eyes glance at Simon’s quickly, and I’m a little unsure if there’s an order here.

“Grab whichever one calls to you first. There’s no wrong order,” he encourages.

I grin and dig into each bag. There are about four bags, stuffed with items that are from whichever store is advertised, plus a few other small items. Every single bag has its own stash of chocolate, and I try to be subtle about piling all the chocolate together in one bag.

There are blankets and robes and even a super soft onesie from the Omega store downtown. I find coffee bags, cute mugs, slippers, soft headbands, puzzle books, coloring books, office supplies, and even a cute nameplate that says “Omega Boss” on it with flowers all over.

Everything is a perfect mix, and my words fail me as I look over everything a second and third time.

He’s nailed me down so well for only knowing each other for a couple of months.

It’s a perfect mix of soft and cozy, cute, chocolate, low-key activity, and encouragement in my business.

My throat tightens up a bit, and I have to swallow a few times to get the ball of emotion down.

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so seen, not even with Vic.

“It’s perfect,” I whisper.

Simon just gazes at me, a soft smile on his face, while his eyes hungrily drink me in.

My hands graze everything as I fidget under his stare.

It’s not uncomfortable, but I’m really not sure what to do.

Is this enough to forgive him? Should I demand more gifts?

No, that feels selfish. I’m not sure what the right response is.

Someone in the room coughs, and my eyes look up, trying to find who made the noise.

“Right,” Simon says softly, and I turn toward him as he kneels on the ground in front of me.

“What is it with Alphas and kneeling?” I mutter, thinking about how Jesse did a very similar gesture after I chewed him out. A snicker sounds from behind me, and I know Jesse caught my words.

“Josie. Angel. The words ‘I fucked up’ are not enough to convey how much I hurt you. How scared I was of our connection, and how terribly I handled it all. You deserve none of my anger or dismissal. You deserve every ounce of goodness and love there is in this world. I’m so, so sorry for how I dismissed you and abandoned you.

These gifts are the start of a penance that I hope you’ll let me earn.

Never again will I let my fear and shame come between us.

You and Vic are the best things that have ever happened to me, and I almost lost both of you in my idiocy.

“So, I’m taking my place at your feet, abandoning any Alpha dominance in front of you, to tell you that I want to be a part of your life. In any capacity that you’ll have me. I have more to say to the Pack, but you’re my first priority.”

I stare at him, stunned into silence. There’s not a single thought in my head at the moment.

His words have wiped away any defense I had built up.

It’s way too soon to forgive him, though, isn’t it?

I pull out a chair behind me and plop down into it, grabbing a chocolate and stuffing it in my mouth.

There’s silence for a good few minutes, but he doesn’t make any attempt to move.

“Tell them, talk to them, I need to think,” I say distractedly, trying to work through my tangled reactions and desires. My hand waves at the guys as I speak.

A gut feeling appears, and I think that whatever he plans to say to them will make or break my decision.