Page 88 of Bonding the Band

“It is!” He nodded happily. “Do you love it? It’s made by hand.”

“Wait, did youactuallymake this?” I asked incredulously, turning over the adorable bell pepper with stitched-on eyes and a smile in my hands.

Arlo snorted. “Unfortunately, no. It seems my magical hands are only good for playing the guitar and making my omega come.” He sighed dramatically. I laughed at his confidence, resisting the temptation to ask him to prove that last part.

I would be a willing test subject, of course.

Slowly, I looked over the gift, trying to understand it. “Okay…you’re going to have to explain your logic, because while the crocheted pepper is very cute, I feel like there’s some context missing.”

“Our little nugget is the size of a bell pepper right now, so I hired someone to make one!”

I took a sharp breath, looking down at the bell pepper, my heart stuttering. Now that he’d explained it, the gift was so thoughtful I had to resist the urge to cry.

“Iloveit,” I whispered, leaning down to kiss him. “I can’t believe Nugget is that big!”

“I know! I thought they would be bigger, given the size of your bump, but that’s all the other stuff that it takes to grow a baby, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “It is.”

“They’re going to be so little when they’re born!”

I grimaced. “They probably won’t feel little to me as they’re evicted from my body.”

“We’ll be there every step of the way, holding your hand. I’m not sure how much use I’ll be, but I’ll be your bitch the entire time. You want ice chips? I’ll be an excellent ice chip procurer!”

“I’ll be sure to put you to work.”

“Are you hogging our omega?” Phin asked, poking his head into the nest.

“If you’d run here like me, then you could’ve hogged herwithme.”

“Dude, you’re like a fucking gazelle. I can’t keep up with you.”

“I’ll trade off with you,” Arlo said. “I have a mission I need to complete.”

“Mission?” I asked.

“You’ll find out soon, princess. Be patient.”

Phin climbed into the nest as Arlo vacated, nuzzling my cheek with a quiet purr.

“Are you all by yourself?” I asked. “Where are Hendrix and Beckett?”

“They got stolen for some press thing. Arlo and I were too fast.”

“You guys are ridiculous.”

“That just makes life interesting.” Phin tugged me to lie back down, curling around me, his purr ramping up until I was drowsy.

“I’d just finally worked up enough energy to think about getting up. You’re undoing all of that.”

“My omega needs rest.” He somehow managed to snuggle even closer, his vanilla and black tea scent a sweet cloud around me.

The ache in my hips eased, and I rooted around, pressing my nose to his throat to get a more direct hit. “You smell way too good.”

The quick praise only made his scent stronger, making me giggle.

“How are you feeling for tonight’s show?” Phin asked.

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