Page 107 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

“Good,” he says, taking the black box Oliver holds out. He sets it between us and I lift off the lid.

“Ohmigosh,” I whisper, running my fingers over the cover.

The dark brown leather scrapbook is smooth against my skin. Embossed on the cover are the words Packed Full of Memories.

“My dads gave my mom one very similar to this forty years ago,” he says, palming the back of my head.

Oliver appears setting down another set of boxes, but these aren’t wrapped.

One is a digital camera and the other is a small photo printer.

“There’s another box of goodies. It’s paper and border, glue and tape, stickers to decorate it. That kind of thing.”

“I-I . . .” My head shakes and I have no idea why I burst into tears again. I seal my mouth to Miller’s as Oliver pulls the items free.

“I’m glad you like it,” Miller says, nuzzling his cheek to mine.

“I love it.” My heart races. I honestly don’t know how I lucked out finding these guys, but I’m really freaking happy that I did.

“You assholes,” Carver grumbles. My eyes fly to the door and he’s standing there, glaring at the guys.

He’s got on dark jeans, combat boots, and the same long-sleeve security polo he always wears, but he looks extremely hot despite the fact there’s nothing different about what he’s wearing.

I think it’s his energy, or maybe it’s the glare he’s shooting at my alphas, but Carver is gorgeous.

“You didn’t wait for me?” He sounds more hurt than I’d expect.

“Shit,” Nik says, sighing heavily.

“It’s fine,” Carver says in an icy tone. He heads my way with several bags on his arm. “Can I give you my gifts in the nest?”

“It really wasn’t purposeful,” Oliver says, grimacing.

“Yeah, well, check your texts next time.” Carver offers me a hand.

I give Miller’s shoulder a quick squeeze and let Carver pull me up. He guides me toward the nest, and once we’re inside, he closes the door.

“The cushion or the den?” he asks, nodding between the two. He kicks off his unlaced boots, giving me an expectant look.

“The den is good.” I aim for the stairs, and since the curtain is open, I climb inside.

“Goddamn,” Carver mutters. “Your ass is so damn juicy. It makes me want to bite it.”

I laugh, settling myself down against the pillows. “Is that crossing the line? I haven’t been out on a date with you yet.”

“That will come,” he assures me, tossing one bag to the side and bringing the other between us.

“I didn’t know you wanted to be included in the gifting portion,” I say, rolling toward him. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think they purposely excluded you.”

“Maybe not,” he mutters, giving me a tight smile. “But I’m making my intentions clear now in case you were too hazy to remember.”

He grabs the bag, setting it on my stomach.

I reach inside and pull out a journal. It’s spiral bound with a pink and silver cover. I immediately flip it open to study the pages. There are character information sheets, plot points, possible plot twists, world information pages, and the list goes on.

“This is amazing.” My fingers run over the pages. It’s even in a girly font that I love. “Wow, Carver. I love it.”

“Good, there’s one more thing in that bag, but it’s small.” He nods.

I reach in and find a black pen box. Inside is a heavy pen that’s pink and glittery.

“Thank you.” I shove it all back into the bag and put it aside before tackling him.

“You’re welcome.” He laughs, squeezing my ass. “Will you sleep in here with me tonight?”

My eyes widen, but a smile crosses my face.

“Yeah,” I agree. “I’d like that.”

“Don’t go gettin’ any ideas like trying to seduce me.” He bites his lip, looking like sex personified. “This is just a cuddly snuggle.”

“I think I can manage,” I say, but my face heats. I remember begging and demanding him to fuck me. It feels like we fast forwarded and now we’re rewinding the clock.

Carver and I fall asleep in the nest. I’m not sure what time it is that I wake up nauseous and miserable, but I wiggle out of his hold and bolt for the bathroom.

I slide across the tile floor, barely making it to the toilet in time to vomit up stomach acid and pure bile. It’s a terrible experience. My mouth burns with the rancid taste while my throat feels like it’s on fire.

I rinse at the sink, frowning at my reflection in the mirror. Rough doesn’t cover how I look. My face is pale and my hairline is sweaty.

“So this is probably crossing a line,” Carver says, coming up behind me. He runs his hand down the back of my head, looking at me in the mirror. “But I’m a little afraid you’re all thinking like alphas and omegas.”

“What?” I turn to face him.

A shopping bag from a popular pharmacy dangles from his outstretched finger.

“It’s not exactly a traditional courting gift, but I thought you might want to know . . .” Carver grimaces as I take the bag. He brings his hands back to my hips as I peer inside. My jaw falls and my heart pounds like it’s trying to take flight out of my chest.

“It’s too early for a pregnancy test,” I say, shaking my head and closing the bag.

“It might be, but—”

“They don’t show positive for weeks,” I reply, gently pushing out of his hold to toss the bag on the counter.

My head is a mess. I haven’t really let myself consider it. I’m not dumb, despite what people have always thought. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told you’re pretty enough you don’t have to worry about being smart.

That particular damage doesn’t matter right now.

My birth control shot would have only worn off a week or two before I got here, and I’ve only been with Nik, Oliver, and Miller since before Christmas.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says, pulling me into his chest. “You’re coming out of another relationship. Is there no possibility?”

“No,” I say firmly. “My birth control shot was effective until right before I got here. I haven’t been with anyone in months.”

It’s a terrifying thought to consider what that would mean. I can’t be tied to Ben for life. I’m finally starting to embrace a future without him in it.

“Okay,” Carver says, leaning down to brush his lips over mine.

“I just puked,” I grumble, giving him a shove.

“You’re still cute,” he says, smirking.

“You’re still a pain in the ass.”

“Aww, Mel. You better get ready. I’m going to date the fuck out of you.”

I scoff. I’m pretty sure I slipped into an alternate dimension or something. That, or he’s just being nice because he feels sorry for me. He’s the only one who really had a conversation with Ben to know what he’s like when he’s been drinking.

I’ve always done everything in my power to ensure no one knew exactly how crappy things got at times.

No, there’s absolutely no way I could’ve been pregnant before I got here. They gave me a test at the other Exchange location before they sent me home.

I can’t be stuck with Ben’s crap for life.