Beth

H oly fuck.

Holy fuckity fuck.

I needed to keep my cool, but that was hard to do, considering Cullen Noble was on his way to pick me up.

My humble home consisted of a small studio that I did my best to keep neat, all my decor in shades of pastel purple or pink.

Even though I tended to dress in muted colors, my home and my nest were another story. I was a pink girly, and I wasn’t ashamed of that.

As I looked over the space, I started to doubt that pride. Did the space seem childish, immature?

Not that Cullen Noble would be seeing it, because I had every intention of meeting him outside on the street. Rushing as fast as I could, I threw on a pair of comfy leggings and an oversized hoodie and yanked my hair into a messy ponytail.

Despite the short notice, I managed to make myself look somewhat presentable as I grabbed my bag and laptop before heading down the stairwell to the street.

I could always use the time once Joey was asleep to study.

When Jensen called me, I had jumped on his request because I wasn’t going to turn down an opportunity to make a little extra cash.

And it also helped that I really liked Joey.

My timing was impeccable because as I closed the door behind me, the black Lexus pulled up to the curb.

That car probably cost more than my yearly tuition.

Cullen slid out of the car in one graceful movement, walking around the hood and toward me before I could even make a move.

“Hi,” I greeted him lamely as he stalked toward me with a serious face.

Was I in trouble?

“Thank you for this,” he said softly, taking my bag from my shoulder and opening the passenger side door for me.

Had he really gotten out of the car simply to open the door for me and take my bag?

“You really didn’t have to pick me up,” I insisted as he stood there with the door open, looking at me intently.

“Yes, I did. Now get in the car.”

I got the distinct impression that there was no use arguing with him, so with a small sigh, I slid into the passenger seat. The car was luxurious—the leather of the seats felt all buttery.

“I’m sure you need to get to work instead of wasting time picking me up,” I pointed out as he waited for me to buckle my seat belt before pulling away.

Sitting so close to him in a small, confined space meant that his scent was almost overpowering. Usually, when I was exposed to one of their scents, it was at the ice rink, where I could take a step back, or it was muted by all the other smells wafting around.

Oak and some sort of alcohol—bourbon, maybe? It was hard to describe, but it was so painfully Cullen . Warm, inviting, with a hint of spice.

“You’re doing us a favor. There is no way in hell I’m going to let an omega take a bus when it’s starting to get dark.”

I bit my lip, resisting the urge to gape at him. Of course, I had heard of alphas who were protective and were concerned about omegas’ well-being, but that hadn’t been my personal experience. “I take the bus plenty. It’s really not dangerous.”

Cullen’s eyes locked on me as we paused at a red light. “Just how often do you take the bus?”

“Every night I teach, I take it back from the ice rink. Well, maybe not every night. Some nights, I walk if I’ve worked really late and had to do some cleaning around the rink.”

A strangled noise left Cullen’s throat. “You walk?”

I nodded. “Nothing bad has ever happened, and what other choice do I have? I need to work.”

“You shouldn’t be walking home in the dark!” Cullen growled.

He muttered something else, but I couldn’t make it out as he glared at the road in front of him.

“It’s sweet that you’re concerned. You don’t have to be, though. Honestly, I’ve been looking after myself for a long time.”

He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. After a moment of silence, he opened his mouth. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Not yet. I tend to eat later in the evening because I’m usually skating or pulling a shift at the café.”

“Joey hasn’t eaten yet either—I’ll give you one of my cards, and you can order dinner for the both of you.”

“Does Joey have any allergies?” Part of me wanted to turn down his generous offer, but considering it was going to feed Joey, I couldn’t say no.

“None, but she will reject anything that contains mushrooms.”

I shuddered. “I can’t blame her.”

“Mushrooms are amazing!” Cullen cried.

“They are fungus!” I laughed loudly. “I have no desire to eat random moss I find in the woods or lick the mildew off my shower wall. I am not friends with the fungi!”

Cullen looked horrified, but then burst into laughter.

We drove through a nice part of town, far nicer than any area I had been in. I knew Joey’s fathers did well for themselves, considering one was a lawyer, another a doctor, and the third a restaurant owner. I just hadn’t realized how nice of an area they lived in.

Every house had massive, well-manicured lawns and their own private gates.

We pulled up outside a particularly large property, and like magic, the gate opened.

“Do you press a button to open the gate, or does it just know to do that?” I asked, amazed by their fancy-pants technology.

Cullen glanced at the gate as he turned into the long driveway. “Our cars have chips in them that the gate recognizes and lets us in.”

“Fancy,” I said, suppressing a gasp as the house came into sight. It was gigantic, modern, and gray.

I resisted the urge to say anything as we pulled up outside the house and Cullen got out, rushing over to my side to open my door before I had the chance to do so.

Quietly thanking him, I slid out of the seat.

“Bethany!” Joey’s excited shout reached my ears only a second before a small body hurtled into mine. Arms wrapping around me, the child beamed excitedly.

“Hi! Looks like you’re happy to see me.” I smiled. Her grin was infectious.

“I am! You are way cooler than the other girl my dads get to babysit.”

I chuckled as she grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the entrance. Jensen was standing at the door, arms crossed, a loving smile on his face as he watched his daughter drag me into the house.

“Hi,” I greeted him breathlessly.

“Hey, thank you so much for this,” he said, nodding to Joey, who was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“My pleasure.”

Now that I was in their house, all I could think about was how strong their scents were. It was overpowering, but in the best way. Having both of their scents mixing together in one space was a heady experience. There was also a subtle hint of parchment in the air. Gideon’s scent.

“She hasn’t eaten yet,” Cullen said gruffly from the doorway.

“You need to eat.” Jensen frowned. “Give her a card. She and Joey can get takeout.”

Next to me, Joey gasped. “Pizza!” she cried in excitement.

“Don’t get too excited, munchkin,” Jensen admonished. “What if Bethany doesn’t like pizza?”

Joey’s face fell. “Oh, well, that would be sad. But we can order different food?”

Jensen was clearly holding back a laugh.

“Well”—I squeezed her hand as I beamed down at her—“I happen to love pizza.”

Joey’s face broke out into a wide grin as she started bouncing on the spot. “Yes!” she cried excitedly, her little curls bouncing around crazily as she did so.

“That’s good,” Jensen agreed. “I hesitated to mention it, but if you didn’t like pizza, I was going to be convinced you were a psychopath, and I wasn’t sure we should have a psychopath looking after our daughter.”

“Pizza is a very good litmus test for psychopaths,” I agreed, keeping my tone serious.

“Thankfully, in this house, we all like pizza, so you’re safe.” Jensen laughed.

“Is there anything else I need to know—bedtime? Routine? Homework?”

Jensen sighed. “We try to get her to bed around eight, but she’s got a mind of her own, and I’m sure all the excitement of having you in the house will mean she’ll be hopping around like a bunny on crack for hours.”

“That’s a mental image.” I smiled. Kids had boundless energy—it was something I loved about them, even when I was bone-deep tired myself.

“That’s a seven-year-old.” He laughed. “She’s a good kid, though. Since it’s the weekend, she can stay up a little later if it makes things easier for you. Just make sure she brushes her teeth when you sense she’s getting sleepy. If you leave it too long, it becomes a battle that you’ll never win.”

I nodded. “Noted. Sleepy women should never be messed with.”

Jensen raised his brow and nodded. “A sentiment I completely agree with. I don’t know who will be home first, me or Cullen.

Usually, I’m back about midnight from games like this, but Cullen will come home whenever the restaurant dies down and he can leave it without the place imploding. How late can you stay?”

“I can stay as long as you need. I’m not working in the morning.”

“You teach in the mornings?” Cullen asked, confused. They had inquired once about morning lessons, and I had explained it was something I didn’t do.

“No, not at the ice rink. I have barista shifts at a café on campus a couple of times a week. The pay isn’t great, but they provide plenty of caffeinated drinks.”

“You work two jobs and take classes?” Jensen asked, a frown marring his features. “How did we not know this?”

Because I didn’t like to advertise it.

“It’s how I pay for college—well, that and a few scholarships. Don’t you guys need to be getting to work?” I asked pointedly.

They both nodded.

“Okay, you go do that. Joey and I will order pizza and watch one of those animated movies she’s been telling me about.

Don’t worry, you’ll come home in a few hours, house still intact and child happy and healthy—though I plead the fifth if she eats too much sugar.

” I smiled easily at them, my words a diversion.

I wanted the topic to move away from me and the mess that was my life and onto the situation at hand.

Joey tugged my hand. “You know, the pizza place near us makes warm cookies as well!”

Thirty minutes later, Joey and I were settled on the plush seats in the theater room.

You heard me right. Theater room. This pack was so freaking fancy, they had a room just for viewing movies.

Joey had directed me through the house with all the skill of a tiny dictator.

We had gathered a variety of pillows and blankets from the storage boxes in the room and spread them across one of the three-seater recliners that sat in front of the projector screen.

The added layers of alpha scents only made the room feel that much more luxurious and welcoming. I could easily sleep on the plush chairs surrounded by those smells.

For a moment, I had panicked, thinking I wouldn’t be able to set up a projector to play a movie, but the tenacious child had simply grabbed the remote and started swiping through.

As she did, I looked up the number for the pizza joint. It was fancy, but what else could I expect from this neighborhood? When every house cost at least seven figures, even the fast food was going to be impeccable.

Cullen had left his card on the table, but I was pointedly avoiding that. There was something about using his debit card that felt oddly intimate, and I wasn’t sure if I should.

So I paid for the pizza.

It cost way too much, but Joey was so excited for the cookies that I didn’t mind. Maybe I would see if there were any extra barista shifts I could snag over the next week to cover the difference.

“How many times have you watched this movie?” I asked.

“Too many to count.” Joey shrugged as the animated film started playing, pulling the blanket up around her. “Do you watch anything again and again, Beth?”

I nodded. “There was this movie about a girl who wanted to be an ice skater when I was your age, and I loved it so much. My mom was a skater, so she would watch it with me.”

“Do you miss her?” Joey asked the question casually, but her body tensed as she spoke.

“I do,” I said softly. “I love my family, but they’re all boys, and boys can be smelly.” I scrunched my nose playfully.

A giggle escaped her. “They can! Well, my daddies smell good, but at school, some of the boys are so stinky! Some of the girls are stinky too—you’re not stinky, though. You smell nice.”

“Thank you. You’re not stinky, either,” I assured her with a grin.

“Where do your daddies live?”

“In Nebraska with my brothers.”

Joey’s eyes widened. “That’s far away!”

“It is, but I really like the school here. I go home a lot to see them. I’m even going this weekend! I leave tomorrow morning.”

In fact, my fathers had texted me several times throughout the day, expressing their excitement over my impending visit.

Joey nodded. “That’s good,” she said, her face a mask of seriousness that made me bite back a smile.

Before we could say anything else, the doorbell rang, and Joey paused the movie while I dashed to the gate to grab the pizza.

Returning moments later with a large pizza and a box of cookies, I placed them on the little fold-out table in the theater room. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to eat in the fancy room, but Joey didn’t seem bothered, so I would just ensure we didn’t leave a speck of food behind.

“What did you get on your half?” Joey asked curiously.

“Peppers and sweetcorn,” I said, opening the box. We had split the pizza in two, half cheese for her, and half with my toppings.

“I don’t like peppers….” Joey trailed off, her face confused. “But those smell nice…”

“You’re welcome to try it,” I said, pushing my plate toward her.

For a moment, she looked at it like the slice of pizza was going to attack her, before gingerly picking it up and bringing it to her lips. I had to resist the urge to giggle at her facial expressions. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off from trying something new.

Taking the tiniest bite, she chewed it for a while, her face deeply concerned. Slowly, her face broke into a smile. “This is good!” she declared, taking another, larger bite.

“Good! I’m glad you like it. Sometimes, trying new things is the best !”

“Unless it’s mushrooms,” she said solemnly.

“Unless it’s mushrooms,” I agreed.