Page 58 of Slick Handling

“Oh, I love this song. You want to dance, cherry girl?” Vaughn sets down the drinks on the table. Not seeming to care that it’s just elevator music that is playing.

Vaughn is already helping her stand up, twirling her to the song as he moves around like this is what everyone should be doing.

Her laughter comes out and I watch Griffin snap a picture of them together. Vaughn close to the Omega and whispering in her ear between some of his terrible dance moves.

“Ariel, our Omega presented a little late and hasn’t really adjusted to her designation yet. Maybe there are some options you can show her to make this easier?” McKinley speaks up and she nods her head, cheeks burning red.

“I didn’t mean to upset her. I am so sorry!” She’s honest and I appreciate it.

Clover laughs again and then Vaughn’s laugh hits us too. Griffin grabs McKinley, his eyes wide at the sound. Vaughn has been down in his feels for a while and hearing the sound of his laugh is nice.

The Omega is standing on his feet as he does a box step and she giggles in his arms. He’s so good with her. I wonder if it’s because he was in a relationship for so long. He makes it look so easy with how he just steps in to take care of her. He’s less afraid of being around her than the rest of us. Without a doubt, he is the one that’s the most afraid of getting involved with her. I wonder if Vaughn’s aware of how much we need him in this.

She’s falling into the booth beside Griffin, smiling as Vaughn falls beside her.

“Can we look at some samples of nests? Clover just wants to make sure she can see what’s the latest trend.” Vaughn speaks easily, his arm thrown around her.

For a second his mouth falls, like he realizes what he did. He raises his arm, but Griffin is already throwing his arm on top of his, keeping him there. Clover is none the wiser, leaning forward as Ariel starts to show her all the options that she will have for her nest.

A nest, that I suddenly seem to realize, we need to make room for.

Shit.

CHAPTER 20

CLOVER

This is so overwhelming.

At first, I was excited. Walking into the store, I was filled with all these new possibilities. It felt like I was being treated as a real Omega. It made me feel valued.

Part of me wanted to take back my earlier statement about not being exclusive. If a pack was willing to take me through this experience and create a nest for me, it felt like a step to forever. This was my first chance to pick out everything I wanted for my nest.

This morning, I texted Marcus. I wanted his advice on what sort of things an Omega needed for their nest and asked him how I should handle this all. He tried to invite himself along, saying he could help me better if he was there.

As much as I liked Marcus, this felt like my moment. That this was just for me. I had told him that I wanted to do this alone and he had just responded to text him if I needed help. Also, he reminded me that this was just one day. There had been plenty of days before that they could have been kind to me.

That hit me in my gut. A reminder that I hadn’t been enough for them before.

Lemon had tried to talk to me about things when she had been over but, I don’t think she understood the whole story. At the end of our conversation, I slept more than I got to know her.

Maybe Joy would be a better person to talk to or I did have Omega class Tuesday and could bring everything up.

When Ariel had asked about my inspiration for my nest, I had froz up. Overwhelmed by the fact I didn’t know what my nest should look like.

When I lived in the Beta village everything had basic colors. There were a lot of browns, whites, and blacks. Sometimes things were various shades of blue or, occasionally, there would be purple.

Maybe, that’s why I was drawn to Marcus’s nest. The neutral tones were safe colors and reminded me of my home, growing up.

But my nest? What was my nest supposed to be like?

“Oh, I love this song. You want to dance, cherry girl?” I can’t even think as Vaughn pulls me up and is twirling me around the cafe.

No one is dancing and I’ve never even heard this song. Vaughn doesn’t seem to notice this and starts counting out the steps, as if we’re in some ballroom dance class.

It’s all so out of character for the Alpha, that I have to laugh.

His eyes meet mine. He has brown eyes. Dark eyes that aren’t like McKinley’s dark chocolate brown or like Griffin’s golden brown. Vaughn’s eyes are cinnamon brown. Earthy and rich, they remind me of the sweetness of his soda scent.

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