Page 79 of Talk About… History

“Is your sister part of the shop?”

“No, my sister went on to work in finance. She’s a few cities over, living her best life with her pack,” she said with a small smile. “I preferred the small-town life that we have here. I felt like Rockwood Valley was the perfect place for a shop like this. I even expanded to sell online when my PackVlog got some attention, so I keep the girls down at the post office very busy.”

I didn’t realize she was on PackVlog, especially since she was so uncomfortable on camera. I’d have to look it up and add the links to her page on the town website.

“I’ll make sure everyone has the link to your page so they can see the rest of the work for themselves,” I promised.

“I have some behind the scenes videos,” she promised, her eyes lighting up now.

“A shop like this is at the heart of Rockwood Valley. We’ve always been a central hub for artisans to show off and sell their amazing work, and we’re hoping to build that back up again—to show the world that Rockwood Valley is just as amazing as it was years ago.”

The rest of the interview continued a little more smoothly. I asked a few more questions and took the rest of my footage. After that, I posed her at her workbench, paintbrush in hand and a soft smile on her face.

It was Mariana in her natural setting, and she looked perfect.

The rest of the pictures were enough that I knew I could make her page stunning.

By the time I packed up and said my goodbyes, I felt like I was on a high, the smile plastered on my face refusing to budge. It felt like finally, finally, things were starting to settle for me.

Now I just needed my pack.

Since Mariana’s shop was only a few feet away from Cohen’s, I veered that way instead of heading for my truck, popping my head in to see him stacking jars on the shelf.

He turned to greet me when the bell over the door chimed, his smile widening even further when he saw me.

“There’s my mate,” he said, stopping what he was doing and rushing over to me. I didn’t hesitate to do the same, wrapping my arms around his waist and tipping my head back, demanding a kiss.

He brushed his lips over mine, then placed a kiss on my forehead. Cohen had a way of making me feel so loved and seen, my omega settling immediately in his embrace.

“Is it stupid that I kind of miss you guys?” It felt silly to say out loud, we talked and saw each other, but the hours apart stretched on.

“We miss you, too,” he promised. “Why don’t you come by the house for dinner tonight? You could stay if you’d like.”

“I think I’d like that,” I admitted. “Maybe I’ll pack an overnight bag this time.”

“We would love that even more. Having the guys there is nice, and you know Molly and Lola are loving it, but we miss you. It doesn’t feel right without you.”

Those were the words I really needed to hear right now.

My chest swelled, warming from the inside out at the idea of my pack wanting me there, noticing my absence, and trying to fix it. At the same time, they were all taking their time and giving me the space I needed.

I was a lucky omega.

“That’s probably for the best, because I was stress-baking, and I have an insane amount of cookies and treats to bring over with me.”

“I think Ford and Mason are there now. You can head over anytime you want. I’ll be off in a couple of hours. I can always swing by the grocery store and pick up stuff for dinner. What would you like?”

“If you let me help you, I’m up for anything,” I teased. He almost looked like he wanted to protest, but instead, he nodded in agreement.

“I think that would be perfect. I’ll see what I can find.”

The last thing I wanted to do was walk away from him, but I couldn’t occupy his entire work day and I had some of my own to finish now that the interview was over.

“I’m going to head back. I’ve got a lot of editing to do still, but I’ll head over to the packhouse as soon as I’m wrapped up,” I said. “I’ll be there before you get off work, though.”

“Good. I expect to come home to my omega tonight,” he said. The heat in his voice was enough to have slick pooling between my thighs. It was insane how their tone of voice, a simple touch, was enough for my body to react.

“It’s so much different than they were,” my brain told me, as if trying to reassure me as well. I felt like I was in a constant battle between my heart and my brain, but my subconscious was right.

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