Page 60 of Crushes and Confections

“It’s funny,” Vance laughed in surprise. “We have opened up. Already we’ve spent a few days doing this whole thing, and I know more about you two than before. And cluing you in on our own stuff wasn’t quite as painful as I anticipated.”

“A pack is a delicate process, just as glass is delicate. We have to take our time and be careful as we build it. The glass makes sense,” Adrien agreed. We moved on to the snacks as the conversation veered away from intense topics.

“Where did you two end up going?” Riley laughed at my question, as if he were reliving the memory and I just knew it was going to be another Holiday Hollow type of moment.

“The theater in town was having their horror night. I know you hate them so I convinced Adrien to go with me. Apparently, you and Vance are both cowards,” he teased and blew a kiss our way. “We walked in, paid for popcorn and drinks, and Lettie nearly pulled Adrien over the counter and gave him the stern ‘you hurt my brother and I’ll unalive you’ talk.”

“Which included some horror movie variations of how she’d handle us if we hurt you two,” Adrien mused. “My favorite was the very colorful description of taking us to a corn maze and letting the town hunt us down.”

“She’s nuts, but her heart is in the right place,” I said as a yawn overtook me. “Two down, three to go. But for now, how about we pile into bed and put on something not so scary.”

“Sounds perfect,” Riley agreed. He helped me up, and we both laughed as we headed right for the alphas’ bed, claiming our space on it until they came in and made a Riley and Claire sandwich. My eyes were already closing. It had been an insanely long week, and with their warmth already surrounding us, it wasn’t long before I gave in.

CHAPTER 20

Adrien

The past few days had been nothing short of a dream. It was filled with our fair share of learning curves, yes, but that was the special part.

Claire and Riley hadn’t been kidding when they said they had a lot of stuff. Somehow I didn’t mind the explosion of pillows and blankets and clothes and keepsakes everywhere. It made me smile to see their stuff giving life to the house.

Each of us was finding our groove with one another.

Claire and I were the early risers, and the first thing she did each day was make coffee. I’d never been a fan of the Americanized version but the freshly roasted beans she ground, coupled with her French Press, converted even me.

Riley seemed to alternate, one morning he went for an early run with me, and the next he said he was sleeping in because it was off-season. The one thing we had been able to discern was that he wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t at home in the kitchen. It was something he freely admitted before we tried to provide a bit of instruction, but ultimately it just ended with him coming home with food from his mom the next night.

But the best parts of it all were the small intimate moments we’d spent together in bed or all gathered together at the end of each day. Every day I looked forward to coming home, and every day I looked forward to waking up. And that fear that I wouldn’t be able to give Vance what he deserved in a partner was slowly disappearing.

He deserved to have a house bustling with life and love, to have a family around him that supported him. I’d done my best to be that for him, but no matter how much he’d assured me that he was perfectly happy, there was something more there now, for both of us. It was as if I was falling in love with my husband all over again too.

Claire and Riley had us opening up in new ways, and I couldn’t wait to see what our future together would bring.

The Confectionery had been busy this afternoon, this season being an especially busy month. The door chimed again, and in walked none other than Claire’s mom, Blaire.

“Adrien!” She said, giving me a full smile. “How are you my darling boy?”

I shook my head at her familiar enthusiasm. It was easy to see where Claire had gotten it.

“I’m well, Mrs. Dawkings,” I said with a smile.

“Oh, none of that, you’re family now, it’s just a matter of time,” she said, waving her hand at me. “You either call me Mom or Blaire, but none of this Mrs. Dawkings crap.”

“That will take some time to get used to, Blaire,” I said sincerely. “But thank you, that means a lot to me.”

“Nonsense, not only did you help pull our babies' heads out of their asses and get them to confess their love for each other but you’ve made them happier than they’ve been in a long time. Claire would never admit it as business driven as she’s been for almost a decade, but she was missing something she always wanted. Clearly, that was you and that cute to boot partner of yours. Vance is such a charmer.”

We hadn’t explicitly said to anyone that Vance and I were together, but it had probably been plain enough to see. I know I looked at him like he hung the moon.

“I’m lucky to have them all,” I said, knowing I made the right decision to trust my mates and this town. “Now, what can I get you today? I’ve been working on something special for Claire, would you mind being my taste tester?”

“I’d love to,” she said with a clap of her hands. “Maybe you can put together a box of truffles for Charlie too? He’s got a sweet tooth to rival Claire’s, and I wanted to get him some.”

“I can definitely help you with that,” I said, grabbing her one of the bon bons I made and putting it on a plate. “Why don’t you go enjoy this over there, and I’ll grab the tester from the back and put something special together for Charlie.”

She accepted the plate happily, and I went to work pulling down a large onyx box from one of the shelves behind me.

Keeping in mind what I knew about Claire’s omega dad, I built a custom assortment of truffles and chocolates that I thought he’d love, taking care to wrap the box with the iridescent gold ribbon I’d chosen for just these occasions. When all was said and done I set it on the counter and went to the back to retrieve the masterpiece I was working on.

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