Page 87 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus
"Ho, ho, ho," Tom says, his voice monotone.
"Hey, asshole," Luke says, chuckling. "Try to sound excited."
Tom tries again, and we all laugh. He takes a seat on his chair, and I get a good look at him. He's wearing a t-shirt with a Santa suit print and a fluffy red and white hat…
It's almost too small for his giant head. And it's adorable.
"Oh, this is priceless," Archie says, pulling out his phone.
"Fuck off," Tom rumbles. To me he says, "You're on the naughty list."
"Oh, crap," I whisper as Luke lifts me out of his lap.
"Go on, Miss Chastain," Connor says. "We've heard you've been quite bad this year."
"You guys are ridiculously cute." I laugh, heading for Tom.
"Now, this was going to be your introduction to fun spankings," Tom says, pulling me to sit on his knee. "But Lydia is with her family for the holiday…"
"I told you I'd ask," Luke says, shrugging.
"That's because you're a heathen. Pretend to have some couth," Archie says, shaking his head. "We're not bothering our employee on Christmas Eve to ask if sexy spanking is safe during pregnancy."
"You guys shouldn't get your hopes up," I remind them.
"Too late," they say in unison.
"If it doesn't work out this time, we'll just have to try again," Connor says. "And again,until you are. It's no hardship, little omega."
Tom pulls me back against his chest.
"This is for you," Archie says, handing me a small box.
"Thank you," I say, studying it. It seems old, like maybe it's an antique.
I open it carefully. Inside is a sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet. I gasp, shaking my head no. Until I remember how I reacted the last time he gave me the books. I toss my face forward, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, it's absolutely gorgeous."
"It belonged to my mother,” Archie says, pulling it out of the box and putting it on my outstretched wrist. "I think she'd be happy to know it's being appreciated again."
My heart aches for him. I can't imagine what it was like to lose his family pack when he was only a teenager.
The bracelet slides around my wrist as I pull Archie in for a hug. I have to bite back the words that ache to escape.
It's too early.
No one truly falls in love this fast, right?
Connor stands a few feet away snapping pictures. Tom pats Archie on the back, squeezing his shoulder and offering his friend comfort.
"Let's get all the nostalgia out of the way at once, shall we?" Connor asks.
"Oh yeah," Tom mumbles, reaching into his pocket. "Close your eyes, little one."
I follow his instructions. Tom's scratchy hand holds mine as he slides something onto my ring finger. I jolt, because um,holy shit. My eyes pop open.
My heart races as Connor leans in close. "Hey, Evie," he says, kissing my cheek. "By the way, you're marrying us."
"Wait, that wasn't a question…" I say, laughing.
