Page 118 of Rut Bar

“Ifwelike it,” I say, stressing thewepart. No matter how much they insist that my opinion on the nest is the most important one, it’s not true. It’s theirs too, and I wouldn’t want to pick out a bed they hate. “You guys should try it too.”

“Am I getting on the bed now?” Jamie asks, looking at me for guidance.

When I nod, he sits down beside me and flops on his back, folding his hands together on his stomach. I mimic him, lying beside him so our shoulders brush. It feels right.

Anthony joins us, cuddling up on my other side. He drops a hand on my thigh and strokes. “This is nice.”

“I like it,” Jamie says. “Is this the one we’re getting?”

“Brendan? You have to try it too,” I say.

Anthony squeezes my thigh, then gets up off the small mattress. “I’m gonna go find someone who works here. They can tell us what size we’ll need.”

Brendan takes the vacated spot, and after a few moments of lying there, he sighs. “Oh, that’s good. He did a good job picking this one.”

“He has weirdly good instincts,” I say. “I don’t know how he does it every single time.”

Some people are lucky like that. Me, I’ve had nothing come easy to me. I’ve always had to work twice as hard as anyone else to get where I am. Omega. Female. Orphaned. But I don’t resent Anthony for making everything seem so effortless all the time. It’s like the minute he wants something, the universe makes it happen.

“Luck?” Brendan asks. “No. He spent weeks researching brands and models and reading reviews. Then he called here the other day to see which models they had on the floor. Then he made us study the store’s layout from the photos people left in their reviews.”

“He did?” My stomach flutters at the thoughtfulness of it.

“Yeah,” Jamie says. “He also made mood boards on that site, Pin It, and had us study them so we’d know what we were looking at before coming here. This means a lot to him. To all of us. Planning today’s outing and putting the money aside and helping you put your nest together is his courting gift. We all want your nest to be perfect.”

I reach for their hands and grasp them, threading my fingers through theirs. “It will be.” Because they’ll be in it with me and because I don’t need to do this alone anymore. If I’m weak, they’ll be strong. If I need a soft place to land, they’ll hand me the blankets and down pillows. And when they need me, I’ll be there. Because that’s what pack—what family—does.

“Good news,” Anthony says, returning. “They have one Wyoming King in stock in their warehouse, and if we pay a rush delivery fee, we can have it delivered in two days.”

Sitting up, I pull him to me and make him curl down so I can place a chaste kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”

His surprised expression melts into something tender. “You’re welcome, baby. Now, do you still want that stuffed flamingo and vampire bedding or…”

Pretending to be irritated with him, I roll my eyes. “Have I told you what a pain in my ass you are sometimes?”

“Not today, but if you want to sneak into that dressing room together, I can show you what a pain in your ass I can be,” he grins, flashing me his panty melter smile.

Standing up, I force him to spin and point him toward the display window where the blanket that Jamie picked is. All the items on the display are stocked nearby. I trust him to find it while I browse. “Be useful and go get me that blanket Jamie liked. I see the display for it over there.”

Anthony tugs me to his side. “So bossy.” His hand drags down from my back to my ass, and then he swats me lightly. “Say please.”

Blushing, I’m glad that nobody is close enough to hear him or see this. Right now, there’s a spat brewing over a diminishing table display of some spinning light up globe that throws colors on the ceiling and walls. There’s a small crowd gathered and squabbling right by the end cap where Jamie’s blankets are displayed. I don’t want to wade into the fray to get one, but I’m not playing his games in the middle of a crowded store.

So I bargain with him. “Get me that blanket and I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Oh yeah? What are you going to do for me, baby?”

“I’ll make it worth your while. What do you want?” I know better than to give him carte blanche. I want to know what sort of payment he wants in advance.

He thinks for a moment. “I want to have you in the car on the drive home.”

“Hmm.” That’s still pretty public, although if we’re careful and nobody is in a huge lifted truck…

“You’ll like my next idea even less.”

I sigh. “Fine.” I’m surprised he didn’t insist on sneaking into a changing room near the back

He squeezes his handful of my ass, then lets me go. “Deal.”

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