Page 23 of Knot My Secret Santa

It was a lovely old Victorian home currently under renovation. The front of the house was kept intact so that it appeared as it was when it was originally built in the 1800s. Yet in the rear, hidden by trees, it was twice as large and much more modern.

I didn’t need to ask who the man was who greeted me at the door. My aunt would be giddy to find out that Lloyd’s beard was almost long enough to touch his abdomen. He smiled widely, and when his spoke, his voice boomed over the noise of the renovators. “Welcome, welcome. We’re so pleased to have you here, Miss Bell.”

I waved to Stella as theUberdriver whisked her away and walked up the front steps into the gorgeous foyer. “Thank you, Mr. Franklin. Please call me Avery. I’m excited to work on this project.”

“Lloyd, dear. Call me Lloyd. And we’re excited to have you. Let me have your coat. Our home is your home while you’re here.” He shut the door behind me and shook my hand before taking my coat which he hung in a closet hidden behind a panel. “Nate says not only do you work with tiny houses, you’re an Omega as well. I’ve never met an Omega architect, or any sort of professional before. It’s amazing what you young ladies can do these days.”

“My God, Lloyd. Stop your babbling. We live in the modern world.” What looked like a runway model walked slowly down the stairs holding the hand of a toddler, who hopped down every step. Lloyd swept in and nabbed the child who squealed with delight as his father threw him up into the air. “Be careful with Henry. He’s not a ball to be tossed around.” She sighed before turning to me with a soft smile. “Hello. I’m Olivia. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

“You as well. You have a beautiful home.” A clearly happy home too. I could not only see it in the way they looked at each other and their child, but I could feel it.

“Thank you. I’ve been told you have lots of ideas to share with me and I can’t wait to hear them.” Olivia turned to kiss her son’s head. “Henry, you be good for Daddy today. Mama is going to do some work on her nest with her new friend.”

“Mama. Coset,” Henry said in a bubbly singsong toddler way. He was completely adorable.

“Yes, Mama’s closet. That damn closet.” Lloyd grunted but didn’t scowl. “It’s no place for a nest.”

“That’s not for you to decide now, is it?” Olivia raised her brows with a smirk. She then made a shooing motion. “Off with you now, boys. Nate’s going to meet you at the old brewery, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he’s likely already there.” This had Lloyd grinning again. “Let’s go show Nate how big you’ve gotten, Hen. Then you can show him your muscles by rolling one of the barrels.”

The toddler flexed his wee arms and gave a childish growl. I giggled, loving this was the family I got to design for on my first real job.

“Boots, coats, hats, and mittens. It’s cold out there today.” Olivia gave each of them a kiss before looping her arm through mine, seeming like we were the best of friends already. “Come, dear. Let’s get some tea from the kitchen and head upstairs so we can get to work.”

We left Lloyd and Henry in the foyer with the child yelling “Boots!” over and over. When we got to the very modern yet country styled kitchen, Olivia exhaled as she switched on the kettle. “I love those two, but they take a lot of energy. We have a nanny, but we gave her the month off for the holidays, and the renovations are still going for another week. We didn’t expect I would go into heat, so things have been a little… noisy.”

I could sympathize in so many ways. “You have a lively household. It’s a lot like my family’s around the holidays.”

“Ah, but do you have a room to escape the noise?” Olivia asked as she fetched two mugs and teabags.

“I built my own tiny house on my parents’ property. I can totally escape the entire packed house, and I don’t have to share a bed with any of my cousins this year.” Though likely one of them would crash on my couch to get away from the noise too.

“Smart.” Olivia smiled and leaned on the counter. “Please excuse my husband earlier going on about Omegas having careers. He’s so sweet, but sometimes he has a caveman mind. I’m an artist, but sometimes he forgets that. He’d stash me away and keep me all to himself if he could.” I got the feeling that Nathaniel would do that with me if I’d let him. A definite Alpha instinct. “But enough about me, tell me about you. Who is this Avery Bell that is going to help me settle into my nest?”

“Let’s see, you already know I’m an intern at Donner Designs and an Omega. I graduated from Cornell and my focus is on tiny living and sustainable architecture.”

“Oh, I love it. Green architecture is what we need for the future. My parents are from Finland, and they have such incredible sustainable buildings there. They hope to have everything made locally by 2030.” The kettle whistled and she poured the hot water, dipping both bags and leaving them to seep.

“Europe is so far ahead of us with the movement. I’m hoping to make a difference here in the Pacific Northwest one tiny house at a time.” I knew it would be impossible to change the mindset of the entire country, but one part of it, I believed I could do it. “I’ve brought the blueprints for my tiny house for you to look at. There are a lot of ideas we could use for you, and I have a ton more I scribbled down yesterday. I just need to see the space and hear what you want in it to set everything in motion.”

We talked more about tiny living as we fixed our tea and took them upstairs to the master bedroom. Lloyd’s walk-in closet was to the right of the grand master bath. The closet itself was bigger than my bedroom loft in my home. I was bouncing on my toes. There would be so much I could do in there.

Olivia sat on the makeshift bed she’d made in one corner. “Come, sit with me. Get a feel for the space. I know it isn’t much, but here we are. Omegas don’t get much of a say in where they nest. Our base instincts give us no say in the matter.”

“Trust me, there’s plenty of space. I can do so much in here. What was it like the other times you were nesting?” I took out a notebook, ready to take down anything that would help bring her comfort. The little things mattered in big ways.

“The first time I went into heat, I nested in Lloyd’s loft bedroom over top of his brewery. The smell was completely him and I couldn’t get enough of it.” She chuckled and sipped her tea. “The second time, after we were married, we had just purchased this house. He decorated our unfinished bedroom with flowers and silky drapes and way too many cushions. It was so romantic. I had my nest of pillows, and that’s when I got pregnant with Henry. This room was only recently finished earlier this year because I settled into that love nest Lloyd made for me.”

I jotted down some ideas with a smile. My mind wandered to the fact I hadn’t started nesting. All Omegas were different, but nesting was a thing we did every time we went into heat. Was there something wrong with me?

“I only recently stopped breastfeeding Henry, so I thought I had at least a few months more before I went into heat again. Of course, our bodies make the decision for us, and they’re never at a convenient time.” Olivia studied me and leaned back. “Are you claimed? No, no. I suppose you aren’t. No Alpha would let his Omega go on any trip on her own, even if it is a short business trip.”

Nathaniel certainly jumped right on top of things to make sure he went on this trip with me. Yet he hadn’t claimed me. Not by bite nor by word. And I didn’t expect him to. With him not talking about anything long term, our relationship would end with my heat. Which didn’t make it really a relationship. It was more a fling, which was immensely depressing.

“Ah, I’m so sorry.” She reached over to give my knee a squeeze. I hadn’t realized I was projecting my emotions so keenly on my face. “I didn’t mean to make you sad. You’re so young yet, and I think you’re incredibly smart to establish your career before you decide you want to find an Alpha. It wasn’t so long ago that Omegas married young so the Alphas could produce more Alphas. I bet your mother married quite young, yes?”

“It’s okay.” I gave her a little smile. “My parents are actually Betas. I’m the only Omega in my family. So I grew up in a very normal home where there was no talk of Alphas and Omegas. It was only when I was sent to St. Anne’s that they tried to make my world be about being an Omega. I want more for myself than that.”

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