Page 31 of Meadowsweet and Marigold (EverAfter CozyXverse #1)

"And yes, Gus makes me laugh. Flint challenges me. They're good men, just like you said. However, I don’t know them fully yet. Not like I’m not up for it.

To know more about the men that bring out the best parts of you.

I do…and it’ll take time." She reaches out, placing her hand over his where it rests on his thigh. "But they're not you. You’re the sticky glue in this equation. The one that keeps us all aligned on whatever orbit we’re on…so again… there are options…but you’re the starting point for me. ”

Meadow stares at her hand on his, then raises his eyes to meet hers.

The vulnerability there takes her breath away — this strong, capable Alpha allowing her to see past his walls. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that whatever this is between us—" she gestures between them, encompassing the fog-shrouded windows, the rumpled clothing, the lingering scent of their combined arousal "—it's not about convenience or safety or being a rebound.

It's about connection. One I haven't felt with anyone else here. "

Maybe he’s not used to an Omega standing her ground or voicing her wants and desires, which is okay with her. She doesn’t mind being the first, though she herself isn’t used to being so vocal to an Alpha.

She never boldly spoke up to Rowan and her pack, but look where that landed her.

She wouldn’t make the mistake again.

She’d speak her mind, no matter how frightening it is.

He's quiet for a long moment, processing her words. When he finally speaks, his voice is rough with emotion.

"I've wanted you since the day you arrived. Covered in dust from the road, looking like you'd rather be anywhere else, but so damned determined to make it work."

The confession warms her from the inside out, spreading like honey through her veins.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You weren't ready," he says simply. "In fact, you’re still not ready.

You needed time to heal. To find your footing.

And I..." He hesitates, vulnerability flickering across his features. "I needed to be sure I could be what you needed. After Eliza…” he trails off, and I can only wonder who this Eliza is, but he doesn’t continue.

Instead, he whispers so lowly, that she barely catches it.

Barely.

“I wasn't sure I had it in me to try again."

Meadow…

She can only wonder what his past entails with this Eliza woman.

Was she an Omega? Or just a normal woman he fell in love with?

She must have been someone of long acquaintance and love for it to haunt Meadow for this long.

She may want to know what occurred, but that story would probably be shared with her with time.

"And now?" she asks softly.

Meadow turns his hand beneath hers, interlacing their fingers.

“Now I think I'd regret it forever if I didn't try."

The simplicity of his answer, the honesty in it, makes her throat tight with emotion. This is the Meadow she's come to know—straightforward, unvarnished, true to his core.

No games, no manipulation, just the plain truth laid bare.

The practical concerns of ranch life intrude on their bubble of intimacy, a reminder that the world continues spinning regardless of personal revelations.

As much as she wants to explore more, between us the potential, she also realizes if they take any longer, the others will worry enough to come to track them down.

"We should head back," she says reluctantly, giving his hand a squeeze before withdrawing to adjust her clothing properly.

Meadow nods, reaching for a box of tissues in the console to help her clean up.

The practicality of the gesture, the care in it, touches her as deeply as any passionate kiss.

When she's as presentable as possible given the circumstances, he starts the engine, the rumble breaking the cocoon of silence that had enveloped them.

Before putting the truck in gear, he turns to her once more.

“Do you still want me to grab you something from the pharmacy since we’re here? Some suppressants?” he pauses to look at her legs and smirks, “Maybe some knotty-preventing underwear.”

Her whole face turns red as she stutters in response.

“K-K-Knotty preventing what?!” She gasps, wondering if she just hallucinates Meadow Calloway daring to say such a repulsive label for the special but very necessarily delicacy in an Omegas life.

“That’s what it is basically. Helps ensure your scent of arousal is under control versus preventing us Alphas from being tempted in pinning you down and knotting nice and deep.”

Marigold is so red, she’d probably faint from embarrassment with this conversation. She’s never spoken with an male, let alone an Alpha, who casually talked about things that were so intimate and basically “forbidden” to speak of so confidently.

“O.M.G. Never say this in public again! I forbid it!” She swats his arm and quickly adds, “Y-Yes…I could use those essentials. Would make dinner a lot more smooth than taunting your pack and friend.”

He smirks and nods in understanding before he turns the engine off.

“I’ll be quick.” With assurance, he’s gone, casually walking to the pharmacy as if he hadn’t given her the best head of her life before those sinful fingers of his pushed her straight into round two.

She doesn’t dare try to imagine what his cock can do…and achieve.

He’s back with everything she needs, including some water and some new scent perfume that could help neutralize her scent. He didn’t necessarily like it, but due to this Cypress being there tonight, he probably didn’t want to take chances.

Cypress probably isn’t a part of their pack dynamic.

As they pull back onto the road that will take them to the ranch, Marigold finds that the clarity in her mind remains.

The path forward isn't simple — nothing worth having ever is — but for the first time in weeks, she feels certain she's moving in the right direction.

The lingering warmth of their shared passion surrounds her like a protective bubble, not obscuring reality but making it more bearable — a blossoming step that can be beautiful in the making.

This new understanding of herself, of Meadow, of the possibility that exists between them and the pack leaves her giddy about the future.

It's not a resolution—it's a beginning.

For now, this favor was more than enough.