Page 49 of Let It Snow (Eden’s Omegaverse #7)

I swallow hard, and my chest tightens a little. That creeping feeling of having done something stupid comes back. Snow took care of my little pet while I was gone. That’s… sweet. He could’ve left it for Jordan or Lake to deal with, but he didn’t.

My eyes flick to the bed. My makeshift nest is untouched, exactly the way I left it. The only thing different is a thin sheet laid over it to keep out the dust, which Lake now removes and folds neatly.

Only then do I dare ask him the question that’s been sitting on my tongue.

"Is Snow mad at me? Did he say anything about me?"

Lake tucks the cover into the bottom drawer of the closet before coming over and placing both hands on my shoulders.

"Why would Snow be mad at you, kid?"

"I left."

"Snow just waited for you to come back to him; he hoped for it."

"And you? You… asked me to stay."

Lake sighs softly. "I asked because my heart believed you two belonged together. But Aiden reminded me of something. His dad used to run away from home during heat recovery, rushing to his parents’ place. It’s a thing with some omegas."

"Really?"

"Yes. It’s just a messy period. On top of that, everything you’ve been through this past year was a massive upheaval, and no one has the right to judge the way you’re handling it.

You went through hell, Summer. I don’t want you to be too hard on yourself.

Deep down, I believe everything is going to fall into place. It just takes time."

With some hesitation, I nod, even though right now I have no idea how to approach Snow or bring back what we used to have, that sweet, magical dynamic between us.

I want so badly for it all to work out. I make up my mind that I’m going to do whatever it takes, step by step, to fix things.

The coming days will set it right.

◆◆◆

That night I go to bed alone in my room after a solid dildo session. I don’t go back downstairs or say good night to the family. It almost feels like I’ve hit a reset button and my shyness has taken over again.

I replay dinner in my head. Aiden, Bay, and Snow didn’t say a single word, they just ate. It was Lake who kept talking to me, the only one making an effort to help me feel at home again without any awkwardness.

Does it seem strange to the rest of the Nolans?

In their family, there are so many True Mate relationships that they have different standards.

Once the couple's mateship level is confirmed, there’s no such thing as running away or breaking up.

My situation and the fact that I can be away from Snow and not…

die is something they probably need to wrap their heads around.

Or maybe… they don’t trust me?

Maybe they think I’ll hurt Snow again and run off at the first excuse like some emotionally unstable brat.

I lie in bed for a long time, thinking about my life. The trip to Iceland didn’t bring me anything unexpected, no breakthroughs that hadn’t already happened inside me.

Also, I suffered such intense headaches that I had to be on strong medication just to get through the days.

My parents were happy to see me and wanted me to stay with them longer, but it was obvious from the start that there was no place for me there.

Every day, I kept replaying the airport scene in my head, his face, his light violet eyes framed by dark lashes, looking at me, wistful, melancholic. Because of that damn heat recovery, all my mental energy was stunted.

I just stood there like an idiot, unable to tell Snow that I was only leaving for a few days, that I could never leave him for good, that of course I wanted to build our relationship, that I wanted to be a dad to his children.

I had already made up my mind, and the damn hormones made me just freeze there, quiet like a mute.

It felt impossible to force the words past my throat.

My hormones were raging, every little thing felt like a huge problem.

Snow could have thought I was leaving him forever. But if he saw the future, shouldn’t that have reassured him? That was what I kept clinging to throughout my stay in Iceland.

That’s what I’m still counting on!

I can’t sleep for a long time. I toss and turn in my messy nest, watching the play of garden lights flicker across the ceiling of my room.

I know challenges are waiting for me, but funny enough, part of me feels… excited. I know exactly what I’ve taken on, what I agreed to.

Becoming a dad. To his children.

It’s a huge leap for me, from being a traumatized twenty-year-old with amnesia, fresh out of my first heat, to undertaking this enormous responsibility.

But I believe that with six months still left to prepare, I’ll have time to open myself up gradually and shift my mind toward this new way of living.

I just need to figure out how to start. Perhaps I could talk to Lake about what it was like to adopt Nathaniel?

In the morning I wake up, open my eyes, and realize I’m still not fully used to the fact that my mind is clear, that all my memories are available to me again.

I lie there for a while, savoring it, knowing I owe it to Snow.

He healed my mind. And because of him, because of our connection, the scars on my neck have healed too. And the lash marks on my back.

My throat tightens.

I’m ashamed when I remember all my complaining and whining on that beach. It sounded like I was throwing it in his face, telling him we are not enough! That he could never be enough for me. Fuck… what a bitch I was.

I pull Snow’s folded letter out of my backpack pocket and read it again.

I’m a disappointment. Our status is a disappointment to you. And you didn’t agree to accept my bitemark. Because who am I? A guy who lives in a basement and has kids on the way with another omega. What can I possibly offer you?

Every word here hurts. Again, I fight back tears because he’s so wrong. I love the basement lifestyle, I’m the same. But the worst part is that from the outside, I know it might have looked exactly like he described.

Suddenly, I hear soft music, the kind that immediately fills you with calm and comfort. Snow always knows how to match it perfectly to my mood.

My beautiful, pale-haired alpha is playing the harmonica somewhere out in the garden. The melody carries new notes, drifting through the air toward me. Its tone feels like a gentle invitation, yet it leaves me all the space I might need.

The music stirs something in me. Snow used it to help me regain my memories every single day I needed it. He was there for me from the very beginning, quietly in the background, helping even when I was angry with him.

And those headaches?

He’d take the pain from me, sitting outside my door, pushed away, yet still… always helping, always there.

His gentleness, his patience…

I never even thanked him! Instead, I lashed out, telling him how insufficient our bond was.

I step out onto the balcony. The sun is already high, the lake shimmering silver and navy blue. The view is as stunning as always, but I didn’t come here for that. With one smooth move, I swing myself over the railing and drop onto the grass.

It doesn’t take me long to find him.

Snow is sitting under a tree, leaning against the trunk, playing. He notices me but doesn’t stop the melody. With the breeze stirring his light strands of hair, he looks almost like a Greek Apollo.

I stand there for a moment, just watching him, and all I can think about are the ways to rebuild what we have.

Maybe we could use the fact that the Pull between us is subtler than it is with True Mates and let our relationship grow gradually, day by day, healing and building itself without pressure or rushing.

Perhaps, after all, there’s something about that I can appreciate?

My nature has always been cautious, shy.

I’ve never been the type to push for drastic changes.

The music shifts, adding tones that feel like a greeting. I think I’m starting to understand his music better, admiring the way he can shape its emotions, the way he reaches for me through the notes he breathes into that harmonica.

Words aren’t even necessary. It’s kinda his way.

I walk closer, hesitate for a moment, then sit down beside him, leaning my back against the tree too.

And for a while, we just sit there, connected through the music. Our first days at this lake were like this. This exactly. Silence, but inside it… Something was being born. I want that back.

Then he stops playing and slips the harmonica into his pocket.

The silence lingers.

My heart beats a little faster. I want something small, something to mark a new, good beginning. A little shy, I reach over and take his hand where it rests on his thigh.

"I’m sorry, Snow," I simply say.

Our fingers intertwine, and my body trembles lightly as a spark passes between us. It feels so good, so right, so peaceful.

"I’ve heard you fed my fish… thank you."

"Of course, Summer. Do you want to pay it a visit?" Snow tilts his head.

"Sure!"

"Some changes have been made…" he murmurs.

As we enter his basement, I gape in disbelief.

On the long sideboard sits a completely different aquarium, beautifully lit and truly extravagant.

Lush underwater plants sway gently in the currents, delicate bubbles rise from hidden air stones, and small smooth rocks and pieces of driftwood create little hiding spots.

Tiny decorative elements, a miniature castle and a few colorful shells, add interest and give the fish places to explore.

In the middle, two betta glide gracefully. One is mine, golden and shimmering in the light, and the other completely white, the same species but a different gender, the opal variety that shines like fresh snow.

I smile widely, unable to hold back.

We stand beside it; I’m mesmerized, watching them drift slowly beneath the glass surface, tails fluttering and fins undulating like silk in the water. The light dances across the ripples, casting shifting patterns on the walls and our faces.

And then, through tears, I whisper,

"Now… it’s finally perfect!"