Page 51 of Patiently Yours
No. No, we don’t.
“Anyway.” Atlas puts on a cautious smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Rory. Why are you here?”
I didn’t realize that before. She was strolling around in the hockey arena, and I’m pretty sure Stacia mentioned neither of them particularly enjoy the sport.
“It’s not obvious? I was waiting for you three. Well, I thought it’d be four but now I’m not sure why. The beta doesn’t play hockey.” She shrugs. “Color me curious. You’re my best friend’s scent matches. We’d meet sooner or later, and I wanted to sniff you out for myself. Well, not likethat.” She cringes. “You know what I mean.”
I’m a little bit amazed but also a little bit nervous by her straightforwardness.
Rory heaves out a sigh. “Look, I’m a bit protective of Stacia. She was the only one there for me during a really tough time in my life. So much so, that I had no idea what she was dealing with in hers. I just wanted to meet you guys, make sure for myself that she was in good hands.” She looks a bit uncomfortable and rubs her neck. “I know you guys already know about dickwad.”
I raise a brow. “Dickwad?”
“Yeah, that’s how we refer to him in our house. I’m trying to get Stacia to remember he’s the devil.” She looks at Kendall. “Thanks for punching him, by the way. That shit made my entire week.”
Kendall snorts.
“Their relationship was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced secondhand. I persuaded her to get to know you guys, because she deserves to be happy. She thought it was too soon, and maybe it was, but not by normal standards.
“You have to be patient with her,” she says softly. “She’s going to need some time to really believe you guys want her forher, and not just because she’s your fated omega. That’s not strictly aherthing, but an omega thing. And she needs time to heal from the shit Derek did to her. Don’t let her sabotage this. I know she’s happier than she’s been in months, even if she doesn’t realize it herself yet.”
There’s a pit in my stomach. Stacia always seems happy, but I see the same rigidness in her that I feel in myself. I recognizeit. There was an uninhibited light in her at some point, but someone wanted to shatter it. To take that light for themselves. It’s a burden I wish on no one, much less my omega.
“We will,” Atlas announces to her, and it looks like a sense of relief passes through her expression. “We’ll be patient, for as long as she needs. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Thank you.” She nods before playfully narrowing her eyes at us. “Technically though, we still only just met, so I’ll be keeping an eye on you guys.”
Kendall finally cracks a smile. “We wouldn’t expect anything less. We’re just glad our scent match has someone else looking out for her. It’s relieving beyond belief.”
That statement seems to satisfy her. “I should go now. I’ll let Stacia know we ran into each other and finally met. She’ll be elated.”
She starts to walk away before looking over her shoulder. “Oh, by the way, Stacia’s birthday is the twenty-sixth. She’ll say she doesn’t care about it, but she’s a Pisces, so. Take her somewhere. Make her feel special.”
Atlas widens her eyes at the information before responding, “She is special.”
She gives a small smile. “Yes, she is.”
We wave her off before finally exiting the arena.
Looking at the calendar on my phone, I accidentally let a tiny smile slip when I see what day correlates with her birthday. The boys notice, giving me suspicious glances.
“What are you plotting, Uri?” Kendall asks.
I just smile bigger before putting my phone in my pocket. “Let’s just say the stars are aligning. It’s time to give our omega a birthday she won’t forget.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Playing: Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish
I welcomethe weekend with open arms as I sprawl out on my bed after classes, feeling utterly exhausted by my Friday schedule that conveniently has no writing classes. Nope, it’s all just common core stuff that I need to complete before next year, which I definitely dreaded today.
It’s been a simple few weeks. The course load has gotten more complicated in the new semester and the guys have started up their full-force hockey schedule once again, so I’ve only seen them a few times. Every few days, Atlas walks me to my 8 am class.
I find it endearing that he finds the time to see me even with our busy schedules. He always has a coffee and my favorite breakfast sandwich from the local eatery, which always leaves me in a much better mood than I normally am that early.
The texts from the guys are much more frequent and I enjoy seeing them banter in the group chat. It makes me feel like I’m a part of something really special, which is wild to me because sometimes it doesn’t even feel like it’smeexperiencingit. Sometimes it feels like I’m reading a romance book about a heroine that just happens to look and sound likeme.
I smile to myself in my bedroom like a lovesick fool when my phone starts to vibrate in my pocket. Once I fish it out and look at the screen, I suddenly wish I hadn’t.
