Page 5

Lily

The boys backed off once the booth was set up. They tried to help. Bless them, they did. If Rumor’s mates had their way, they would line up all the products and yell, “Come and get it.”

We had a better way. Because females.

“Where are the new shelves we ordered?” I asked. Online ordering was a new thing for me. Rumor and Wilder showed me how and set me up with my own account, but unless I really needed something, all my money went into savings.

No way would I ever rely on someone else to feed and clothe me. Never again. Reliance made a person a servant.

I’d done enough serving for a lifetime.

“They’re right here.” Penn leaned down and pulled some cute wooden shelves from a box. They would stagger the jars so the customers could see everything clearly. He placed the shelves on the table instead of handing them to Rumor.

“I can lift things, Penn.” Rumor giggled as he tickled her sides and kissed her temple.

He must’ve realized what she was saying and turned to me. “Umm…”

“I already know.” He released a sigh and we all laughed. “I’m so happy for all of you. Really.”

He cringed. “Even if it’s really soon after Bernie?”

“Not my body,” I replied. “The best thing about me? I don’t judge. Or I try very hard not to.”

“Your support means a lot to us. We think of you as one of the pack.”

I nodded. “Thank you. Plus, I’m kind of the midwife, so…”

Everyone laughed. Even little Bernie, perched on Vargas’ hip, gave a giggle. Cutest baby ever.

Rumor waved her mates out of the booth so we could finish picking up. “This is where the peach cobbler jars go?” She fumbled with the jars, almost dropping one.

“Yes. That’s where we said they would go.” Instantly, I heard the snap in my voice. “I’m sorry. Shit. I’m so sorry.”

She put her arm on me. We’d been together for so long and as many times as I had to console her after her family did bad things to her, she soothed me now as I learned who I was in the aftermath of abuse. “What’s going on, Lily?”

I let out a long breath. “I don’t know. My wolf was unruly last night and this morning, she’s insane. Anxious, even.”

“It’s going to be okay. Are you taking your suppressants? Something going on with your wolf?”

I shrugged. Rumor had filled me in on all she’d learned about being an omega, and we had more books from her mates than I could read in a lifetime on the same subject, but this wasn’t covered in any of those texts.

“I’m on my suppressants. I don’t miss a day.

And I’ve got all the sprays and powders and scent…

other things covered. I probably don’t even smell like an omega anymore. Which is a good thing.”

“Maybe you just need a run. Happens to all of us.”

“You’re right. Let’s finish getting set up. Thanks, Rumor.”

“Anytime, babe.”

The farmer’s market was a great success. By noon, we’d sold out of most of our offerings. The peach cobblers and cheesecake jars sold like hotcakes. Everything else did as well. Wilder sat behind us and said the pre-orders for the next week were already piling in.

We had ourselves a business. A successful one too.

And it was ours. No one else’s.

“What are they ordering?” I asked, sitting down for the first time since we arrived. Rumor sat down as well and immediately a lemonade and scone were delivered into our hands by Penn. I chuckled a little.

“What?” Rumor asked. Her mouth was already full of cinnamon-blueberry scone.

Some females got morning sickness during the first part of the pregnancy.

Rumor? She got morning starvation. By the time lunch came around, she’d have eaten three breakfasts.

I loved it for her. I loved that she’d found this life.

She deserved every minute of it.

“Nothing. You sit down. Scones and lemonade are served.”

Giggling, she raised one eyebrow. “Hey, what can I say? I’m spoiled rotten.”

“As you should be.”

The farmer’s market ended at two, so we only had two more hours left and only a quarter of the inventory. “How about we take down the two side tables and move everything to one? That way, we can pack up faster and go home.”

“Good idea, Lily.” Penn was the first to start taking tables down. We had a system of putting things away so that our process moved as efficiently as possible. “Hold the monster, please.”

The monster was Bernie. Penn called her a monster and had taught her to growl pretty early on. “Hello, Monster. I haven’t gotten to hold you all day. That’s a record.”

“She’s in a clingy phase. All she wants to do is be held by her daddies. I’m just the milk supply.”

While the boys were putting tables away, and Rumor worked on her snack, Bernie and I stood up to greet two males approaching the table.

“Hi, can we help you? We have a lot of different things. All homemade. Except the honey, the bees make that.”

One of the men was tall and lean, almost willowy. He had blond hair and piercing blue eyes. The other was a bit shorter and definitely stockier. Bordered on chubby, but both of them were equally handsome.

“Bernie, I don’t think they want to buy anything.” I pretended to bite her neck.

My wolf howled inside me. Not at Bernie, either. My wolf loved her.

My animal…she wasn’t really howling at two males, was she?

Better not be.