Page 41 of Fragile Heart

Olivia passes me as I settle in next to Melissa, pulling a large charcuterie board and small pitcher from the fridge. She sets the board in the center of the island before grabbing a glass and filling it with ice. She brings both the pitcher and the cup with her as she sits on my other side, setting both in front of me.

“Melissa said you still like cold brew, so I had Joan make some,” she says in explanation.

I offer a smile and nod. “Thanks, Liv.”

She smiles and grabs a strawberry. She takes a deep breath before eating it, almost like she’s offering a silent prayer to the gods. Her face scrunches as she takes the first bite, though, and then she drops it and rushes to the sink.

“This is better?” Melissa asks, her voice filled with the same concern that has a frown pulling at my lips.

Olivia nods as she tilts her head back.

“Yep. I can actually keep down some foods now without medication.” Even as she says it, she reaches for a small pill container resting on the window sill above the sink. After a minute, she turns around and focuses on me. “But enough about me and this dang baby that’s already thrown a wrench into my life and won’t even be here for another six months.”

“What happened to never having a baby on a holiday?” I ask with a smirk. “And Christmas, no less?”

She sighs even as she grins. “A stupid, charming Alpha is what happened. It didn’t even happen during my dang heat. If ithad, we’d be having a baby before Thanksgiving.” She purses her lips and leans against the counter. “Hopefully they’ll come late and we’ll have a New Year’s baby. That’ll be way better.”

I smile. “Yeah, we could use some good news for New Year’s.”

Her eyes dim and her smile falters.Ah, crap.

“How are you holding up?” she asks.

I shrug and focus on pouring the cold brew. I’m getting really tired of everyone asking that question.

An awkward silence stretches between the three of us, and I swallow back my frustration.

“I have some friends coming out in a couple weeks,” I offer. Olivia cocks an eyebrow. “They’ve found a cool spot near the Tetons to go camping. Melissa’s coming. I thought you and Hudson might want to come, too?”

She smiles and nods. “Mel brought it up when we were heading back from the rodeo. We’d love to join.”

I take a bite of a strawberry.

Melissa bumps her shoulder against mine. “Do I get to ask about that hickey you tried to hide on your collarbone? Or the one that’s almost blending in with your tattoo?”

My cheeks flush, and I duck my head, covering the flowers and adjusting my shirt to sit a bit higher. Olivia giggles and settles in the seat beside me again.

“I’d heard he’d taken you out. I wasn’t sure if I could believe it though. Joan heard it from Miranda who heard it from Molly. And it’s not like she’s a trustworthy source nine times out of ten.”

“Molly Bailey didnotmanage to find out,” I say, putting down the piece of cheese I’d been about to eat. “Please tell me I heard that wrong.”

Melissa laughs. “She always manages to find out.”

I groan and drop my head into my hands. The last thing I need right now is Molly freaking Bailey getting into my business. It’s bad enough that everyone in town knows I’m the widowed Omega. Them knowing I spent an entire afternoon with Caleb Taylor before he left for another round of piloting wildfires? I grimace as I imagine the looks I’ll undoubtedly get the next time I have to run to the grocery store.

“It obviously went well, then.” Melissa’s voice is full of smug curiosity. When I lift my head, she’s smirking and tracing the rim of her mug. “I haven’t seen you covered in hickeys since college.”

I grimace again and shove away all of the memories that single sentence brings up. I’m not thinking about Brett today. Not when I’m still sore from Caleb knotting me even days later.

The memory of him covering my body with his own causes my scent to explode, and I sigh. Melissa laughs, dropping her head back and letting her shoulders shake with her amusement. Olivia smiles, her eyes full of her own laughter. It fades after a minute, though, as the acrid edge of being touch-starved sours my scent. It had faded after being with Caleb, but apparently even just a few days without his touch is enough to have it getting bad again.

“You all right?” Olivia asks.

I shrug. Being touch-starved is not something I want to discuss. Ever.

“Better,” I offer.

A set of footsteps cut off whatever Melissa’s about to say. Hudson pauses a few steps from the landing, his eyebrows furrowing.

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