Page 41 of Executives' Omega
There were another few seconds of silence, then… laughter.
I turned to see Alonzo laughing, and it quickly spread among my mates, then to Owen as well.
Alonzo walked around the table and clapped Owen on the back. “I like you.”
One of Owen’s eyebrows rose in response, which made Alonzo laugh again.
“Ryan is old enough to not need a defender,” Alonzo stated. “But that doesn’t matter, 'cause he’s family and you’re going to protect him. Respect.”
Owen smiled and slung an arm over Alonzo’s shoulders. “You get me.”
He patted Alonzo’s shoulder, then motioned to the rest of us. “Have a seat and I’ll get menus. Lunch is on me.”
I glanced at Owen, and we shared a smile. He would always be my best friend, and he had already included my mates among his friends.
Things were going to be different, but they would stay the same.
∞∞∞
~July~
Alicia draped her arms over my shoulders as I squeezed a stack of t-shirts into a box. We both watched as the shirts seemed to push their way right back out, several falling on the floor and no longer being nicely folded.
Alicia chuckled while I sighed.
“Part of me is going to miss this,” she said.
“You mean things just going wrong in weird ways around me?”
She nodded against the side of my head. “Yeah. I mean I’ll miss the rest of you more, but it was always humbling in a way—a reminder that sometimes shit just happens, even to the best people.”
I sighed and leaned against her. “I’ll miss you too.”
“You can visit any time, and we’ll still do fun stuff together.”
“There will be kids tagging along soon though.”
She squeezed me. “Are you pregnant for sure?”
I shrugged. “I haven’t tested yet. My heat would be due to start a few days after the earliest tests would work, and we decided that we’d take several days off just in case I do go into heat. They rented out a cabin they like, and we’ll go out there where I’ll either be screaming in ecstasy as they breed me, or I’ll be screaming in ecstasy as we celebrate my pregnancy.”
She laughed. “I don’t know if I needed those details.”
“Payback,” I smirked. “You told me all kinds of drunk hookup stories.”
“Hey, a girl’s got needs.”
I closed my eyes and savored her presence. We’d lived together for years, and while I’d started living with the guys that first night, moving my things had a note of finality.
“Have you found a new roommate yet?” I asked.
She sighed. “Not yet but it’s ok. Technically I can afford the place on my own now, but it’s nice to know there’s somebody to come home to.”
“Yeah.”
Another moment of silence, then I shifted to pick up the scattered t-shirts.
“Thank you,” I said as I started folding them again.
