Page 51 of Crushes and Confections

It smelled like tamales, if I had to guess from the level of spice in the air. My dads loved to make it hot enough that their eyes would water. It was some strange pack bonding ritual at this point.

“Mom, we’re here!” I called out. Both of our moms poked their heads out to greet us. My mom was the more serious of the two, but Claire’s mom rushed forward and threw her arms around her daughter. They seemed more like sisters than anything, between their youthful looks, bright eyes, and wild red curls.

“I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you two!” She said in mock annoyance, moving on to hug me and then giving each alpha their own hug. For a moment I froze, worried it would be too much for them, but both returned the gesture with a smile.

“Welcome, hope you’re hungry,” my mom said, raising one manicured eyebrow to wait for their response.

“Starving,” Adrien promised dutifully. It was adorable watching these strong alphas bow to my feisty omega mom.

“Ravenous,” Vance agreed. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No,” my mom said quickly as she dragged Blaire back to their space. “We’ll eat in twenty minutes.”

“She always says that,” Maria said as she walked in. “And we never eat in twenty. An hour, minimum.”

“I heard that! Twenty minutes!” mom shouted back. Maria rolled her eyes and hooked her arm through mine, leading our group outside.

“The cousins already have the little ones running in circles, and the dads are trying some chip challenge thing,” she summarized. “If you guys don’t like spicy, tell them no. Don’t let them bully you.”

“Noted,” Adrien said as he took in the entire backyard. It was beautiful chaos. Talking, laughter, music, and the sound of a bonfire roaring filled the air. They’d already set up several rows of tables and chairs, lining everything with red and pink decor. Likely from early Valentine’s Day sales because neither of our moms could resist every store’s sales in town to nab candy and decorations at lower prices, a tradition they kept for every holiday known to man.

“There they are!” my cousin Ava shouted. The next twenty minutes were a blur of greetings, giving names the alphas had no hope of remembering for the next year, at least, and promises to hang out soon.

The dads all watched it from the sidelines, not doing a damn thing to help. It was as if this were some sort of family hazing ritual.

Finally, the cousins were torn away by someone pulling out a fresh case of drinks. That left it open for my alpha dad, Hector, to swoop in. He was possibly the most un-alpha-like alpha of all time. He was a huge teddy bear and hated macho bullshit. The man was always impeccably dressed and welcoming to everyone.

“It’s a lot at first, but they grow on you,” he promised Adrien as they shook hands.

“That’s my dad, Hector,” I introduced. “Next to him is Elias, my other dad.”

The beta gave a friendly clap on their shoulders and held up a chip that was so red it looked fake.

“You like spicy food?” he asked excitedly.

“I’ll have to ease into that,” Vance said with a laugh that had everyone else joining in.

Claire reached for my hand and I glanced over, both of us smiling. It felt like the alphas belonged here and they were already fitting in well. Hell, I’d even say the dads took to them quicker than anyone.

“Food!” Blaire’s voice was loud enough that everyone heard, the tables filling up quickly. Of course, they automatically sat our pack with our parents for the normal twenty questions to commence.

We’d barely made it through the first few bites before the normal questions went around. Tell us about your jobs, what do you do for fun, what brought you to Holiday Hollow?

“Did you know Adrien makes amazing chocolate? And Vance writes complex fantasy worlds? I can’t wait to read them,” Claire said quickly, redirecting the conversation before they could dive too far into their pasts. That wasn’t a first meeting conversation, and Adrien was getting visibly tense. He shot her a grateful smile as everyone started asking about the business.

Soon he had a promise from at least ten family members to come by and check out the business, while Vance now had a line of people who would no doubt be calling up the bookstore to order his book, even if they weren’t necessarily readers.

“So, how did you meet?” Maria asked, leaning forward to see us around my parents. “Is it an adorable, swoon-worthy story?”

“Vance came into my shop,” Claire said. “He became a regular I couldn’t help but check out. There was something so magnetic about him, and I looked forward to seeing him every day and coming up with new drinks for him to try.”

“But she may have needed a push from the bestest friend ever,” I said with a smirk. “So you can basically thank me for getting us all together.”

“I’d like to think I played a part in it too by calling Adrien,” she said in faux mock outrage. “Adrien and I weren’t as smooth, but he was truly a knight in shining armor.”

She launched into the story of the burst pipes and his dashing save. Maria and Blaire were sighing happily by the end. They already loved the alphas.

And honestly, there’s nothing more reassuring than your picky, crazy family, accepting your pack as one of their own.

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