Page 23 of Saving Nevin
I dipped into the bathroom to take a leak and wash my hands while Nevin got dressed, then busied myself with gathering all the ingredients for the snack mix on the kitchen counter. Three different kinds of Chex, mixed nuts, pretzels, rye chips, seasonings—and my big-ass roasting pan, of course.
Nevin joined me a few minutes later. Neither of us bothered with breakfast; we made a pot of coffee and some toast, then started mixing together the Chex Mix. While it was in the oven, Nevin queued up some weird reality TV show and we lounged together on the couch to watch it. I got up every fifteen minutes to give the food a stir, to make sure nothing burnt and stuck to the bottom, but I always came right back.
When the timer on the oven beeped for the final time, Nevin followed me into the kitchen. He helped me spread out paper towels all over the table. I carefully scooped the Chex Mix out onto them and spread it out so that it could cool evenly.
But of course it being too hot didn’t deter us from picking at it. Nevin plucked a singular wheat Chex between two fingers and brought it to his lips, blowing on it for a moment. I watched his eyes brighten as he took that first bite of salty, seasoned crunchy goodness. “Oooh.”
“Right?” I chuckled. “Told you it was a winner.”
Once it had cooled enough that we could handle it safely, we filled a couple of bowls and retreated back to the living room. We spent the rest of the morning into late afternoon watching trash TV and eating Chex Mix and chatting about anything and everything.
Could life get any better?
As it turned out? Yes it could.
Sometime later, my phone went off, buzzing quietly across the coffee table. I’d put it on silent because I hadn’t wanted to be interrupted, but since we were honestly just chilling, I decided to check it. It was a text from Sevren.
Hey, K. You up for some company tonight? Klei is getting a bit stir-crazy and I want to meet your mate. Plus, we’ve got some news to share.
Uh-oh,I replied.Hopefully good news.
Very good news. What time works for you? We could pick up a few pizzas on our way over.
I relayed this information to Nevin, who seemed a little hesitant but agreed when I mentioned pizza. It seemed a way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, after all. At least, it was mine. Apparently, Nevin wasn’t too far off the mark himself. I grinned at the thought and texted Sevren back, and we agreed on a time.
At six o’clock, Sevren’s new orange hatchback came putting up the driveway. After Ofelia Rose was born, he’d traded in his trusty truck for a more family-friendly vehicle. He complained about it, but secretly, I think he loved it.
Like me, he’d spent a lot of years single and alone until Klei just happened to come into his life one blazing hot summer. It hadn’t mattered to Sev that Klei was already pregnant with another Alpha’s child; he’d adopted Ofelia Rose as his own when she was born, and he’d never looked back.
When I opened the door to let them in, Klei strutted in first, his long ginger hair pulled up in a messy bun. His arms were full of pizza boxes that he handed off to Nevin, before heading back out to the hatchback to help Sevren unload the baby.
A few minutes later, they both came strolling up the porch, baby carrier between them and a diaper bag slung over Sevren’s shoulder. He wore a grin so wide, it made my chest ache.
I glanced at Nevin. One day, that would be us. It didn’t matter if the baby wasn’t ours, just like Ofelia Rose wasn’t Sevren’s blood-daughter. It would still be family—pack—and that’s all that would ever matter. Nevin would get a child to raise and cuddle and love, and I would be one happy Alpha dad.
“Hey, guys. Long time, no see.” I greeted Sevren with a side hug, clapping him on the back. It was really good to see him again. “Sev, this is Nevin, my mate. Nev, this is Sevren, one of my best friends.”
“Nev and Sev,” Klei joked dryly.“That’snot gonna get annoying at all.”
“Be nice,” Sevren singsonged, before turning his attention to Nevin. He gave my boyfriend a once-over before smiling. He reached out and gently squeezed Nevin’s shoulder. “It’s so nice to finally put a face with a name. Kace has only waited forever for you to come along. I’m glad to meet you, Nevin.”
Nevin smiled shyly up at him. “It’s good to meet you, too.”
Klei unharnessed the baby from her carrier and then straightened up with Ofelia Rose in his arms. She cooed and reached for the strands of hair that had fallen down from his bun, but he was quick to intercept her grubby paw. He turned sharp blue eyes on Nevin, though I saw them soften when Nevin’s attention focused on the baby, his expression all but melting.
“I’m Klei, and this is Ofelia Rose.”
“She’s beautiful,” Nevin whispered. “You’re very lucky.”
This seemed to take Klei by surprise. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Would you like to hold her?”
Nevin quickly glanced up at me, as if asking permission. “Can I?”
“Go ahead,” I insisted, nudging him towards Klei.
Nevin bit his lip. “I… I’d love to hold her, if that’s alright?”
Klei surprised me by smiling. He wasn’t the quickest to warm up to strangers, I knew, but there must’ve been something about Nevin that warmed the ice around his heart, because he gently handed his daughter over to my Omega, guiding Nevin’s hands until the baby was cradled in his arms.
