Page 41 of Bonded By Christmas
Grim means a lot to me. I want nothing but the best for the big fucker, and that includes seeing him happy with Lacey. And yet, I’m concerned about what it means for Callum and me if Grim and Lacey emotionally bond too quickly. They’re already bonded in the physical sense. That alone could make it hard for him to let other alphas get close to his newly bonded omega.
We all have to tread carefully.
Mostly, though, I just want an opportunity to spoil Lacey with a few gifts picked out especially for her. She lets me guide her into the pack bedroom with my arm wrapped around her lower back and my hand resting on her hip.
While she was eating, I pulled the boxes from the closet and brought them out to the bed.
After I made it.
Since Grim is a caveman.
The housekeeper only focuses on the common rooms and the laundry, meaning the three of us are responsible for picking up after ourselves when it comes to our bedrooms.
Although, I might break down and add cleaning the primary bedroom to the docket. I don’t want Lacey to feel obligated to clean up after the three of us.
We come to a stop at the edge of the bed.
Three large boxes sit in a line at the end of the mattress.
“I would have wrapped them, but I personally have no skill when it comes to wrapping paper,” I say, chuckling. “Go on. Dive in. I think it’ll help with your current dilemma.”
I don’t know why I’m being so helpful. I’d much prefer to continue seeing her clad in one of our shirts, but I know she’ll probably want to run to her apartment for a few things.
“You really didn’t have to get me anything,” she says, but she’s also already in the process of unfolding the flaps of the first box. She reaches inside and pulls out a small pile of clothing.
There’s a lot more in the box than what she tugged out, but I’m sure she wants to take her time examining each item.
“Check the tags. I’m fairly sure we got close to your size. I showed Alice a few pictures of you, and she’s extremely efficient. Occasionally, I’ll try on my suits just to be sure I like the cut, but she’s scary accurate when guessing sizes.”
Lacey’s head whips to look at me, and her eyes narrow. “Who is Alice?”
I can’t help but chuckle.
Omegas are known to be possessive of their alphas, and that gives me hope that she wants me in her pack.
“I should have led with that, huh? She’s the personal stylist I inherited from my dads. She’s pushing sixty, so no need for the evil eye.”
“Oh,” the little omega whispers, going back to checking out the clothing items.
“The box on the far right has a variety of sizes. I believe she picked items a size up and down from the one she guessed would fit.” I shrug. “At worst, you can assuredly find something in there.”
“This was very thoughtful.” She holds up a gray sweater dress, checking it out. “Thank you, Wilder.”
Lacey continues going through the items, tossing them into different piles. Once she gets to the bottom, she pulls out a handful of panties in a variety of styles. “Huh, thanks. I think I’m going to wash these before wearing them.”
“There should be matching bras in there somewhere.” My teeth dig into my lower lip as I slide behind her, planting my hands on her hips. “I’m all for you going without a bra and panties, especially around the house.”
She spins to face me, planting her hands on my chest. “First of all, thank you. The clothes are amazing, and it’s all things I would have picked for myself if I had the chance. I’m just a little confused about what’s happening with us. I know you and Grim are close?—”
“I was hoping we could consider this a courting gift.” I keep my eyes on her face, studying every micro-expression. “We’re highly compatible, at least biologically speaking. Now we just need to determine if we’re a good life match. Isn’t that the purpose of courting? We go on dates, buy you gifts, and get to know each other along the way.”
“What about our family?”
“They left the state.” I shrug. “Even if they didn’t like it, they couldn’t say too much, and for the record, that’s not how I see it going down. My dads will be happy for us.”
Dawn might be another story. It’s hard to tell. I knew my fathers were done with the mob lifestyle way before they met Lacey’s mom, but I’m not sure they actually would have left if Dawn wasn’t in the picture. They never implied that she pushedthem to retire, so I truly have no idea if they made the call or she did. Either way, I’m not sure she’ll be jumping with joy when she finds out her baby girl is shacked up with me.
I’ll just have to introduce her to Callum. Once she meets him, she’ll be grateful for me and Grim.
