Page 12 of Such a Shy Omega (His Alpha Desires #8)
Erik
While I waited for Heath to finish his shift, I went to the bar and got a lime and tonic water then returned to sit with some of the owners and their mates at the conversation area.
It was such a comfortable location, I couldn’t imagine why I hadn’t come for such a long time.
Sure, I’d been busy at work and tired at the end of the day, but nothing new about that.
At some point, my work friends/partners had begun to move in a different direction in their thinking, and I had more in common with the people at Cuffed.
Talon and Liam were discussing the plans for the little garden, and I settled on one of the leather chairs, interested in how that was going. I’d never been a daddy or a little, but I kind of loved the fact that they were planning to let others use the playground equipment some of the time.
“Kind of letting our inner child free,” I blurted out without intending to speak at all.
The two looked and me and burst into laughter. “I guess so,” Talon agreed. “As if it isn’t enough to have a wolf taking up space in there, we have a child too. No wonder I’m getting a belly. The child is growing.” He patted his flat abdomen and grinned.
“It’s not because you and your mate are cooking more at home,” Jabez leaned over and put in. “They’ve been watching a lot of cooking videos and trying out recipes.”
“Also, you don’t have a belly,” Liam added. “But either way, you’re willing to work off some of those risottos on the swings.”
It was so funny to think of wolf shifters who could get out and run miles in their four-legged form needing exercise, but while we were naturally more fit than humans, we could benefit from moving our bodies.
They went back and forth, working out details, and Hirsch came over and cuddled next to Liam. They were so sweet together, the alpha and his omega, and although I was happy for all my friends and their mates, usually I had the tiniest bit of jealousy as well.
But not tonight. I was taking Heath out for a drink. Heath, who my wolf was hinting at being our mate, and who I was more attracted to than anyone I’d ever met. I felt like they should all be envious of me. If they knew.
But now was not the time to say anything.
This wasn’t seventh grade where I might brag that I was having tacos after school with a cute shifter from another pack.
Instead, I brought the conversation back to where it had been.
“I’ve been thinking about these outdoor spaces, and I have an idea or two, if it wouldn’t be butting in where I don’t belong? ”
“Not at all.” Talon leaned back so Jabez could be part of things without leaning to see past him. “We’ve had a lot of members with suggestions, some good, others impossible.”
I chuckled. “Mine could go either way. What are you planning to do to make the outdoor spaces usable at night?”
From their expressions, this wasn’t something they’d put much thought into. But Liam’s eyes lit up. “Since I’ve been dying to do a garden with flowers that bloom at night or put out their scent at that time…”
“Like what?” Jabez asked. “I always think of gardens as a daytime experience.”
“Moonflowers, evening primrose, night-blooming jasmine, mock orange, I could go on and on.” He probably could too.
“If we make the outdoor spaces accessible after dark… Oh, and the bridges between the buildings on the second story. Imagine looking down as you cross and seeing the flowers glowing. The scent of jasmine wafting up to you. Gardenias, some of those are amazing in the dark and…”
He did go on for quite a while until a server came over with some plates of apps they had ordered before I arrived, interrupting him.
Then he looked around, cheeks darkening. “I get excited.”
“We know!” Jabez patted his shoulder. “That’s why you’re the one in charge of all the landscaping out there. It’s going to be fantastic.”
Hirsch gave him a big kiss and rested his head on his chest. “My alpha has the greenest thumb in Christendom.”
“He what?” Talon laughed.
“We’ve been watching a lot of Arthurian-legend type movies,” Liam explained. “They are all right, but they don’t have capture the gardening techniques from the era.”
“So, Erik,” Jabez asked. “Were you talking about natural beauty?”
“Not me.” I reached for a skewer of veggies.
Apps were for sharing, always, and I hadn’t had any dinner.
No sense in having a growly tummy when I picked up Heath.
“I have a black thumb, can’t keep a cactus alive, so I don’t think a whole lot about plants except to appreciate their beauty.
And eating them is good too.” I popped a chunk of zucchini in my mouth and chewed.
“Okay, if not landscaping, what were you thinking?”
I shrugged. “Tech stuff. I am not Mother Nature’s friend, but I am pretty good at wiring things.
If the outdoor areas were open at night, then we’d need lighting and sound, but set up in such a way that the neighbors wouldn’t get us shut down.
I know you’re building sound walls and there aren’t any other buildings this tall close by, but it could be an asset or a problem depending on the techniques employed. ”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were applying to fill Grant’s job.” Talon arched a brow. “If we could only afford you.”
“Or if you had time to fit us in and be our next investor. We all have our specialties here.” Jabez piled a few tiny dumplings onto a small plate. “But you’ve been too busy to come at all, so I guess that’s a no go.”