Page 26 of Nesting With My Three Alphas
"Sleep," Jonah said softly when he noticed my drowsing. "We'll be here."
We'll be here. And for some reason, I knew he meant not just for today, but for as long as I needed them.
As I drifted off, wrapped in Jonah's flannel and surrounded by the quiet sounds of people who cared about me, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I'd found something worth fighting for.
Even if I had to fight myself to keep it.
Chapter 9
Jonah
Istood on Kit's front porch Monday morning with a loaf of cinnamon bread wrapped in one of my dish towels, feeling more nervous than a simple neighborly gesture warranted. She'd left it behind after yesterday's nesting session and pizza dinner, and while I could have just texted her about it, some part of me had wanted an excuse to see her again.
The woman who answered the door looked different from the anxious omega who'd first arrived in town over a week ago. Kit's hair was loose around her shoulders, she wore a soft burgundy sweater that brought out the warmth in her eyes, and there was something lighter in her scent. Less sharp anxiety, more settled contentment. The kind of peace that came from a good night's sleep in a proper nest.
"Jonah," she said with genuine pleasure. "You didn't have to bring that by."
"Charlie insisted," I said, which was only partly true. "She was worried you'd miss having something sweet with your morning coffee."
"Where is Charlie?" Kit asked, taking the loaf and immediately unwrapping a corner to smell it. "This smells incredible, by the way."
"Still getting dressed. We're heading to the pumpkin patch this morning, and she's trying to decide between her dinosaur sweatshirt and her witch costume."
Kit's face lit up with interest. "There's a pumpkin patch here?"
"Best one in three counties, according to Charlie. The Corbin family runs it out on their farm, every October. Hayrides, hot cider, the works." I paused, then took the leap. "You should come with us. If you want."
"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude..."
"Kit!" Charlie's voice called from behind me as she came tearing down the street, having apparently escaped the house wearing both the dinosaur sweatshirt and a witch hat. "Are you coming to pick pumpkins with us? Please say yes, please, please,please?"
Kit looked between Charlie's hopeful expression and my carefully neutral one, and I saw the moment she made her decision.
"Just for a little while," she said. "Let me grab a jacket."
Fifteen minutes later, we were driving through the countryside in my truck, Charlie chattering excitedly in the backseat about pumpkin-picking strategies while Kit watched the scenery roll past her window. The October air was crisp enough that our breath fogged slightly, and the trees were showing off their autumn colors in shades of gold and crimson.
"I don’t think I’ve ever been to a pumpkin patch," Kit said softly.
"Really? Not even as a kid?"
"My parents weren't big on seasonal activities. Too messy, too unpredictable." Kit's smile was wry. "They preferred indoor entertainment."
"Well, you're in for a treat," I said. "The Corbins go all out."
We pulled into a gravel lot already dotted with families and couples, the air thick with the scent of woodsmoke and apple cider. The pumpkin patch stretched out across several acres, orange globes scattered through the field like fallen suns. A red barn served as the main hub, with signs advertising hayrides and a cider stand.
Charlie was out of the truck before I'd fully stopped, bouncing with excitement. "Come on! We need to find the perfect pumpkins before all the good ones are gone!"
"Charlie," I called after her. "Stay where we can see you."
"I will!"
Kit laughed as we watched my daughter dash toward the nearest cluster of pumpkins. "She's got a lot of energy."
"That's putting it mildly." I fell into step beside Kit as we followed Charlie's meandering path through the patch. "She's been looking forward to this all week. Usually we manage to convince her Aunt Emma to come with us, or Micah and Reed. Last year it was just the two of us, and she kept talking about how much more fun it was with more people."
"Did you used to come here with..." Kit hesitated delicately.
