Page 7 of Pack Plus Three

I was going to fall head over heels for this omega if I didn’t control myself.

So, after practice, I had driven an extra thirty minutes out of my way to go to the larger Asian grocery store on the other side of town. Clearly, Asian food was helping her, so I wanted to ensure I was well stocked, because I definitely wanted to cook for her again.

I had stocked up with enough food to last a normal person several weeks. Pregnant women eat for two, so it made sense to gather plenty of supplies for the cute pregnant omega next door. My knowledge of Asian cooking was minimal, but I was prepared to call my stepfather and ask for more recipe ideas, if need be.

While in the grocery store, I’d searched on my phone for what kinds of foods were good for pregnant women. Turned out, there was a lot of food they couldn't eat, including seafood. Unfortunately, a lot of the dishes I'd learned to cook with my stepfather when I was younger happened to include seafood, so I had to get creative. One thing that didn’t require seafood was kimchi stew—and I made sure I bought the kind of kimchi that didn’t have any seafood in it.

If I had more time, I would have made kimchi from scratch. The premade type that I got in the store would have to do that night, but I had purchased everything I needed to make a batch of fresh kimchi myself. My inner alpha would be far more relaxed if I knew exactly what I was feeding Daisy. Pre-packaged food was an unknown, especially when I couldn't pronounce half the ingredients. That sort of crap was fine to put in my own body, but there was no way in hell I was going to let Daisy have any of it when I could help it.

Maybe I was jumping the gun. I didn't even know if she was going to come to dinner again. I wanted her to, more than anything. I couldn’t remember the last time I had enjoyed myself so much.

Daisy had no idea what my real job was. She wasn't interested in me because of my money or my career. She was just someone who was feral for my cooking—which I took as the greatest compliment.

The stew was bubbling away half an hour later, ready to eat, and I still hadn't heard a knock on the door. I couldn't decide if I should just go talk to her or wait for her to come to me. I wasn't usually so indecisive, but something about this omega sang to my senses and made me that much more nervous.

After ten more minutes of indecision, I decided to go for it. My alpha desperately wanted to see her, and I was worried that, if I didn't go over, she may not eat at all—that idea really didn’t sit well with me. Not bothering to put on shoes, I checked my appearance in the mirror before leaving, since my alpha wanted the approval of the pretty omega. My hair was a wavy mess, but there was really no taming it.

Gilbert followed me as I walked next door to her apartment. He was such a Velcro dog, I had no concerns about him running away from me. Knocking on her door, I shuffled from foot to foot as I anxiously waited. Why was I so nervous? I was tall and athletic, I made good money and considered myself a nice person. Would that be enough to keep her attention?

There was no answer for a long moment. As I was about to raise my hand and knock again, I heard a light thump from inside the apartment, followed by the sound of footsteps. Had she fallen over? My hand reached for her door handle. If she had fallen, she could have hurt herself. Surely, I had to go in and make sure she was okay?

Before I could let my hindbrain take over and storm into the apartment to make sure she was all right, the door opened, and a very bedraggled-looking Daisy stood in front of me. Her hair was wild and messy, and she wore skintight leggings and an oversized sweater that fell off one of her shoulders, exposing her collarbone and neck.

“Jeremy! Hi,” she chirped, rubbing sleep from one of her eyes. Her cheek had a crease on it, like the kind from sleeping deeply.

“Did I wake you?” I frowned. She had been looking exhausted the last few days and needed her rest. I mentally cursed myself for disturbing her. I could have made her food and left it until she was awake.

“I must have dozed off. No worries, though. If I didn’t get up and move soon, that lumpy mattress would have made my back ache like a devil.” She laughed lightly, waving off my concern. “Is everything okay?”

Lumpy mattress? Back pain?

My alpha hindbrain was insisting that I grab the fragile omega, throw her over my shoulder, and drag her back to my place. My mattress was brand new and fancy—Nate’s doing. I could rub her back and ensure she slept without pain. Drown her in pillows so she was always comfortable. Maybe I needed to buy her one of those long, noodle pregnancy pillows Della had during her pregnancy. My sister had kept that thing with her constantly and declared her love for it on a regular basis.

But this was only our third time meeting, and she would likely freak out if I came on that strong. I needed to play it cool, let her get used to me.

Because I certainly wanted to get used to her.

“I, uh...” I scrambled to find the words, my mind hyper focused on her. Why had I even come here again? “I cooked,” I said lamely.

Daisy stared at me with wide eyes, saying nothing. She looked so damn rumpled and adorable. It took a moment to realize I hadn’t actually asked her if she wanted to join me.

“I made plenty, and you’re welcome to join me. It’s kimchi stew—it’s similar to what I’ve made the last few nights. I thought it might be good for your stomach.”

Her eyes somehow widened, and she shot me a small smile. “Are you sure? I won’t lie—it smells amazing again.” She bit her lip. “If it’s not an imposition...”

“It’s no imposition at all!” I insisted. “I made extra just in case you were hungry.”

“You thought of me?” She shot me another shy smile that made my stomach flip in happiness. I was pleasing her. Good. I wanted to do that more often.

“I did. Are you hungry?” I asked.

“I’m always hungry!” Daisy laughed. “Let me just get changed.” She turned to leave, but I stopped her.

“No need to get changed for me. If you’re comfy, just stay as you are. You’ll probably get covered in Gilbert hair, anyway.” I laughed.

“That’s fair.” Daisy grinned, leaning down to pet Gilbert. “Have you been a good boy for your daddy?”

Daddy? Just hearing that word out of her mouth had me feeling a whole load of things. Immediately, I imagined her holding a newborn, referring to me as Daddy, and a deep longing seeped into my bones.

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