Page 28 of Luna

I swallowed my gag and retreated for the edge of the kitchen.

Halos shot me a funny look, and then went back to the pan. “How was work?”

I debated on telling him the truth or giving him a lie that didn’t make me sound like a needy whiny omega. I settled for somewhere in the middle. “It was too people-y today, so I went home early.”

“Yeah.” Halos rolled his eyes. “Everyone has magically remembered it’s time to do their summer planting, so we were swamped.”

“Right? It comes the same time every year,” I said. “You’d think they would remember to plan better.”

“Nope.” I watched his arms flex as he stirred the meat. He was in his usual outfit, jeans and t-shirt, complete with a hoodie.

I immediately began plotting how to steal that one was well. It was red and made out of the same stretchy material as his other hoodie. Maybe I should “remember” to give him his other one back. The scent was mostly gone now, but I didn’t love the idea of taking something out of my nest.

No, that hoodie was mine. It was forfeit the minute he left it over at my cottage.

“We’re probably gonna hire another man to help us with the deliveries.” Halos grinned, moving the spatula around with ease. He looked too good in my kitchen, like we had a future together. “I keep getting women asking me to personally deliver their order myself, and there’s only so many hours in a day.”

“Who?” I growled.

Halos looked as shocked at I felt. I rubbed my arm and ducked my head. “I mean…it’s not safe.” I said lamely. “They could be serial killers.”

“You’re right.” He looked amused. “Good thing I keep telling them no.”

He was telling them no. Good. The irrational urge to hunt down these random women and growl at them dissipated.

“Okay. Good.” The snarl mostly left my voice. The kitchen filled with the scent of cooking marinara, and the last bit of queasiness left me. I pulled out the stock pot and filled it with water.

Halos finished off the sauce, and I put the water on the stove. It was too soon for the pasta yet, not when the sauce needed to simmer for hours for the flavors to really develop.

“Did you see the latest episode of Garden Hunters?” Halos put the lid on the crockpot.

I shook my head. “It’s recorded but I didn’t have time.”

I couldn’t concentrate on the show, so I skipped it.

Halos perked up. “We could watch it. If you want? While we wait for the sauce.”

“Please?” I tried not to look too hopeful, while cheering to myself.

“We need to give the sauce time to work its magic anyway.”

I went into the living room to turn on the TV. Halos still had his hoodie on, and I debated turning the heat on to force him to take it off. But turning the heat on in March might tip him off.

I sat on the couch, glad I wasn’t the one making the choice of where to sit and flipped through the recorded TV to find Garden Hunters. A bonded Alpha and Beta took tours all over the world to find the best garden. Spoiler alert: they were all the best gardens in their own way. It was a comfort watch up there with Cozy English Gardens and Pollinators Around Us.

After shutting off the light in the kitchen, Halos took his hoodie off and set it on the back of the same armchair as last time. He sat down on the couch near me, but not close enough. There was at least half a foot of space between us. He might as well have been in another country.

I pulled my favorite blanket off the back of the couch and handed him some of it. At least I would get his scent on it. It was a start, and I felt so much better having him here with me. Just because there was enough space between us for an entire herd of elephants didn’t mean we couldn’t work up to closer.

We binged-watched Garden Hunters and then ate spaghetti, and I had an amazing evening, even with the Great Wall of China between us. I managed to ask him to come over again as he was leaving, and he agreed quickly.

After he was out the door, I snatched my new hoodie off the back of the chair and almost ran to my nest. I put it on, zipping it up and snuggling into the comforting scent of spearmint and vetiver.

Now all I needed was the rest of the pack. Even if we all agreed we didn’t want more. Couldn’t be more.

My heart and my baby wanted what they wanted.

What I wanted, so badly, was to smell Quinn again. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes, and I exhaled. I wanted Colton and Dante and Halos with a need so strongly it felt like I was starving. The spaghetti sat heavy in my stomach, and I cried myself to sleep.

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