Page 21 of Talk About… Rivalry

This wasn’t exactly a sprawling ranch, but the old owner had plenty of space. They cleared out the trees, and a creek ran just behind the house. Off to the side, they had partitioned off a garden.

And the house itself? It was perfect.

The old farmhouse was huge, and it had character. Sure, the white paint was fading, the roof needed work, and I knew theinside was going to be a mix of terrible wallpaper and plenty of fixer-upper projects.

But the moment I saw this house for the first time, I just knew in my bones that this was it. I also knew that Taylor would see the potential just like I did. I may not seem like the typical dreamer, but at heart, I always had been.

There was always a plan underneath the productivity—a determination that had always simmered in my bones to achieve this life. I worked hard so I could be here one day, and this was the beginning of that new chapter of my life—of our lives.

“I really just can’t believe you’re back in Rockwood Valley. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Rockwood Valley has always been home.”

It’s where I first met Taylor, where I grew up until we moved away in high school. Taylor and his family had their dream of opening up the restaurant, and it wasn’t like their family was going to pick up just because ours moved, but we stayed close.

My family moved closer to my grandparents, and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done. My parents always made sure to swing by and pick up Taylor, too. We had our weekend and summer hangouts as often as we could.

Grandpa Harvey knew how much I loved this place. He had his own memories of the Artisan Fair and bringing Grandma down here whenever he could.

“Let’s see the inside,” Taylor said. I had a feeling I’d missed a few comments he’d made, but he didn’t call me on it. He was already bounding up the porch steps, ignoring the creak of the worn floorboards under his feet as he stood next to the door, bouncing from foot to foot, waiting for me to open it up.

I stuck my key in and turned. The old metal groaned, but the door was even louder when I pushed it open—the sound echoing in the empty depths.

The air was musty, both of us wrinkling our noses in unison as it hit us. The weak sunshine streaming in through the half-covered windows was full of dust, and I swear I heard movement somewhere inside. Clearly, the first time I saw this place I was wearing rose-colored glasses.

An apology to Taylor was on the tip of my tongue. I knew that it wouldn’t be pretty, but he was already walking further and pushing past me, a wide grin on his face.

“This is going to be perfect,” he gestured to the right. “Over here would be perfect for a big pack table. I know how you are about family dinners,” he said, offering me a wink before moving further. “Oh man, this is going to fit one of those big sectionals that packs love, and we can mount a big TV right over the fireplace.”

I was struck quiet as he continued walking down the hallway, stomping his foot a little. “Oh, these floors are sturdier. Much better than the porch. I think we’ll be able to refinish them and save tons of money there. Nothing beats old architecture and hardwood flooring. You know I want to keep as much character in this place as we can.”

“I agree,” I said, some of the shock wearing off as I followed him. He didn’t even realize yet that he was all in, but it was glaringly obvious.

Hope bloomed in my chest. Maybe this mystery omega, and the spaces I’d secured, were the key to our pack and we just had to make those pieces fit.

Taylor went room to room, dreaming up the perfect pack house, and I agreed on everything. I was the one who made plans, who made sure things unfolded the right way, but Taylor? He was the one with an eye for making things perfect.

I knew this pack house would be nothing less than perfection by the time we were both done with it.

“You know the best part?” I said, leading him up to the second floor. “Two nests.”

Taylor stumbled a little at the news, and he looked at me with wide, blinking eyes. “What?”

“Look, I know that you’ve always been weird about the nesting thing. Some bullshit stereotype about male omegas not needing one, but you’re wrong. You do need one; you deserve one, and you’ll have one,” I said firmly. “This is the main master, and then on the opposite side is one very similar, just a little bit smaller.”

“This one’s for her then,” he said, nodding his head as if the words were finally sinking in. He didn’t argue with me, but I saw him blink a few times. I clapped him on the back, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before letting him go and taking over the tour.

You could definitely tell that this house was built for a big pack. Not only were there two nests, but there were six bedrooms in between. The bedrooms themselves weren’t huge, but they didn’t need to be.

“There’s also an attic,” I continued on. “You’ll have to think on what to do with that space.”

“I want to see it,” he said, turning around and looking for the stairs. He opened up the last door to find it, making it halfway up before devolving into a fit of sneezing.

We were definitely going to need to open this house up before we started work of any kind. We probably should have worn masks coming in, but we were both too excited.

“We have enough space for a pretty cozy living room downstairs, but this—this would be a pack space,” he said, shaking his head as if he was agreeing with himself. “The big windows will have plenty of light. There’s enough space for one of those big couches, a bigger TV, a huge rug to cover the floor so it’s a little softer for us, some bookshelves, maybe a couple desks.I don’t know if our pack will be gamers or not, but I know you haven’t dusted off your old PC in a long time.”

He was right. There was a lot I hadn’t done for myself in a long time, and looking at the amount of work in this house, it would be a little longer. But that was fine with me.

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