Page 42 of This Fate That Guides Us
Fuck, I’ve messed it up. Maybe I should have chosen a different box. Or ordered wine and chocolates instead. Or–
“I’m sorry, it’s all wonderful. It’s–This is… a lot. I’m not used to…” She trails off looking even more unsure of herself.
Regret pulses through my heart seeing her so uncertain. I should have checked in to make sure this was okay. I got so wrapped up in the idea of pampering her–of pampering us all–the thought never crossed my mind. Maybe I should let Nebula and Titan take the lead with courting gifts from now on.
“What part makes you uncomfortable? The money he spent or the gift itself?” Titan asks from his spot on the couch. His dark eyes study our girl with an understanding that evades me.
Omen shifts on her feet, not taking her eyes off the floor. “Both?” Her answer sounds more like another question. I’m glad Tee is taking the lead here. He wasn’t comfortable receiving gifts when we’d first met either. His family never doted on each other, only giving small gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
“Getting used to being spoiled takes time. I struggled at the beginning of our relationship too, so I can relate to how you’re feeling. The sense of inadequacy.” Omen finally glances up from the floor to meet Titan’s eyes. A sheen of tears covers her eyes, making me feel even shittier. “Tonight, we are all going to be pampered. Self-care is important to Nexus. It’s one of the ways he shows his love. Which is why he has four other boxes in the bedroom for each of us.”
“Okay,” Omen whispers. She takes a deep, shaky breath and scrubs a hand over her face, uncaring about smudging her makeup.
“As for the money, you can buy dinner later when we all decide we’re starving. Does that work for you, darlin’?”
Watching her perk back up, I swoon a little for my massive alpha mate. He knew what to say to help calm her down. I send love down the thread of our bond, thanking him for helping to salvage my moment of epic failure.
Callisto and Nebula grab the rest of our boxes from the bed while I stand awkwardly beside Omen. My mind is an awful place sometimes; too many voices from my past trying to remind me of how unworthy I am to be here with this omega.
I startle when soft fingers slide over mine as Omen grabs her box and slides it onto the chair beside her. She wraps herself around me burying her face against my chest.
“I’m sorry for freaking out,” she whispers.
“You don’t have to apologize. I should–”
“No! Please don’t,” she rushes out. “Planning all of this was very sweet. I adore that you put so much effort into something for me, I just struggle with receiving gifts and affection. It’s something I’m working on. Or trying to at least since I obviously haven’t gotten very far.”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. If my thoughtlessness were to ruin what we’ve been building…” I blow out a sigh and press my cheek to the top of her head. The faint scent of her vanilla shampoo reaches my nose and blends with her floral scent into something even sweeter. Like a soothing herbal tea. “Tell me if I ever go too far.”
“I can do that,” she promises. Pulling back, she offers me a small smile when she looks up. The shy look sends my already racing heart into a frenzied beat. Damn, do I want to kiss her.
“So, what did you have planned for us tonight?” Squeezing her tight once, I take her hand and guide her to the chair, making sure it is angled to face the TV.
“Well, a little songbird mentioned you wanted to binge watch First Glance Pack.” Glancing at Cal, I smirk watching his cheeks blossom in the most adorable shade of pink. “While we watch, we can pamper ourselves with face masks and mani-pedis. If you want to. If not–”
“I do. It sounds perfect, Nex.”
Nebula gets the TV geared up to play the first season of the reality show my beta mate is obsessed with while I grab drinks and snacks. We all settle into our seats with our self-care boxes in reach and start the show.
I laugh when Nebula holds up the animal print face masks in his box asking Omen which she thinks he should use. With a hand on her chin, she studies all three of them seriously before choosing the pink flamingo. Her eyes are alight with laughter as she watches him carefully place the mask onto his skin.
“How does it look?” he asks, placing a hand beneath his chin to showcase his face. Omen giggles through her approval, her shoulders relaxing more and more the longer we sit and relax together.
Maybe tonight won’t be an epic failure after all. We just had to go over a few road bumps to get here.
The show plays unwatched in the background, our attention on the game of fifty questions Omen started a few minutes ago. Her feet are propped on my lap so I can paint her toes a deep purple. The smile on her face eases my lingering guilt over surprising her. My girl needed a night of pampering and relaxation, exactly like I thought.
“What about you? Do you have any siblings?” Callisto asks after he finishes telling her about his younger brother Jackson and their life growing up together while their parents worked.
Omen freezes, her eyes distant. Something I’ve noticed happens any time someone asks a question about her family or childhood. I get the feeling she doesn’t have many happy memories from growing up. Which makes me sad. And angry at her family. Who could ever treat such a gorgeous, incredible person like anything but the princess she deserves to be?
“I do,” she finally answers. “Both older. I’m the baby.” Her lips twist in a sad smile.
“You can be my baby,” I flirt. She playfully rolls her eyes, like I’d hoped. I hate seeing my gorgeous girl look so sad.
“What about you Nexus? You seem like you were the youngest too.”
“He sure is,” Titan jumps in. “Three older sisters and a big brother. All of whom make it well known he’s the baby in their family. They spoil him rotten whenever we go home to visit. I was surprised they let him wipe his own ass the first time I met them.”
