Page 45 of Packed Up In Vegas

“You’re more than welcome, precious. I wasn’t sure what all you would like so I picked a bunch of everything in your favorite color. Anything you don’t want we can ship right back.”

“Can you open the rest for me?” she asked, looking at me with watery eyes.

“Of course.” I brought the final box down and sliced through the tape, revealing novelty pillows and plushes. She picked out the apple cider plush. It was in the shape of a paper cup with a bright red apple in the center, and a little smile above it with a plush cinnamon stick poking through a swirl of faux whipped cream. Not exactly accurate for how it was usually consumed, but the aesthetic was cute. I had chosen it for her and Kai, a combination of both of their scents since they were first bond in the pack.

“It’s so cute. Jerry never let me have stuff like this in my nest. He said it was too childish.”

I growled before I could stop myself and Callie leaned back into Kai’s embrace. “Sorry, that was not for you. I can’t believe he would dare dictate what an omega is allowed to have in their nest.”

Miles and Amir hovered nearby, observing but not interfering.

“Do you want to set up your nest, sweetheart?” Miles asked.

“I can have one here?” she asked.

“Of course you can have one here,” I insisted. “It wouldn’t feel like home if you didn’t have a nest.”

Kai helped her stand and showed her the guest room that we were fully prepared to turn into her space, but she hesitated in the doorway, her apple cider plush squeezed in her arms before she turned and trotted directly up the stairs.

Where was she going?

The four of us followed after her and I found her back in my bed, looking at me with wide, plaintive eyes when I stepped into the room. Seeing her in there smoothed down the rough edges of my worries. “Precious, would you like my bed to be your nest?”

She squeezed the plush harder. “I don’t want to steal your space.”

I joined her on the bed, threading my fingers through her hair, gratified when she closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. “You’re more than welcome to turn this into your nest. I can move downstairs if you’d be more comfortable here.”

She brought the plush up until it was covering everything but her eyes like it could shield her. “I don’t want you to move.”

“Then I’m even happier if you want to share this with me.”

“The other rooms don’t smell right. This one smells like you, me, and Kai.”

“You don’t have to explain. If you want it, it’s yours.”

That got her eyes watering again and she tipped forward, curling into a ball with her head on my lap. I didn’t take a bit of her trust for granted, knowing how vulnerable she had to be feeling right now. She felt comfortable touching me and having me close, and I recognized that for the gift it was.

“You’re all being so nice I don’t know what to do with it.”

“You have to get used to being treated well because that’s your future with us.”

Kai joined us, kneeling on the floor so he was at eye level with Callie. “We’ll still take you shopping for more nesting supplies if you want. We need to take you shopping for clothing too. Until you’re ready to go out, you can use anything in the house to build up a spot that’s perfect for you.”

“You can order online too,” said Miles. “I’ll get you my credit card and you can pick out anything you want.”

The doorbell rang again and Amir disappeared to answer it, returning a moment later with another box.

Callie lifted her head, staring at both box and carrier. “What is it?”

“You gave all of your toiletries to your neighbor. I figured you would need new options and wasn’t sure if you would like what we have here.”

Callie let out a quiet sound of distress, getting to her hands and knees to cross the distance to Amir, where she pulled him into a hug he didn’t seem to know what to do with. He did put his arms around her, but he looked at me over the top of her head like he wasn’t sure what to make of her. I knew she was just overwhelmed. Our omega had been through a lot this week. At least Amir rolled with it instead of denying her that basic comfort. He had made it clear he didn’t want a mate, but I was grateful that didn’t mean he was going to be unkind to her.

Miles looked like he was desperate to hold her too, but I could see the anxious tension in his body and I was pretty certain he wouldn’t reach out to her unless she came to him first.

“I’m sorry I’m such a fucking mess.” Callie sat back, wiping her eyes.

“You’re not,” Kai insisted, pulling her close again. “You’re in pain.”

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